Medscape.com reports that social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook are allowing public health officials to reach out fast and directly to the public on everything from salmonella-related food recalls to disease outbreaks and weather emergencies. Federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration have recognized the power of social media, using the broad reach of the online community to help distribute important health information and learn what issues are popping up across the country at any given time.

For more information about how public health officials are using social media, please click on the original article below.


Public Health Leaders Using Social Media to Convey Emergencies: New Tools a Boon