Social Media Use May Normalize Unsafe Handling of Wildlife
Disciplines
Epidemiology | Virology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Rabies is a fatal virus originating from wildlife and can be spread to humans through the saliva of an infected animal. Approximately 59,000 people die of rabies per year worldwide. The United States reported five confirmed rabies deaths in 2021. In 2018, 92.7% of human rabies cases in the United States originated from interactions with wildlife, and during the same year raccoons accounted for 30.3% of all reported rabid wildlife. Previous studies have shown that social media can influence trends and increase risk-taking behaviors. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of risk-taking behaviors associated with raccoon handling (e.g., contact in the absence of personal protective equipment) on social media. We found that 39.5% of videos showed individuals handling raccoons in the absence of proper personal protective equipment. Normalizing unsafe interactions with wild animals has the potential to increase the transmission of zoonotic pathogens.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Molecular and Cellular Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Andrew Haddow
Social Media Use May Normalize Unsafe Handling of Wildlife
Rabies is a fatal virus originating from wildlife and can be spread to humans through the saliva of an infected animal. Approximately 59,000 people die of rabies per year worldwide. The United States reported five confirmed rabies deaths in 2021. In 2018, 92.7% of human rabies cases in the United States originated from interactions with wildlife, and during the same year raccoons accounted for 30.3% of all reported rabid wildlife. Previous studies have shown that social media can influence trends and increase risk-taking behaviors. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of risk-taking behaviors associated with raccoon handling (e.g., contact in the absence of personal protective equipment) on social media. We found that 39.5% of videos showed individuals handling raccoons in the absence of proper personal protective equipment. Normalizing unsafe interactions with wild animals has the potential to increase the transmission of zoonotic pathogens.