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. 2023 Sep 18;30Suppl 1(Suppl 1):e2023049.
doi: 10.1590/S0104-59702023000100049. eCollection 2023.

Creating Peru's patient zero: pandemic narratives through traditional and social media

Alejandra Ruiz-León  1
Affiliations

Creating Peru's patient zero: pandemic narratives through traditional and social media

Alejandra Ruiz-León. Hist Cienc Saude Manguinhos. .

Abstract
in English, Spanish

During the covid-19 pandemic, authorities, journalists, and the public used the term patient zero to refer to the first diagnosed patient. However, experts describe the term as imprecise because it equates the first infected patient with the first identified one. Although the term's inaccuracy, patients zero became relevant actors and sources of information during the pandemic. This was the case with the Peruvian patient zero, who had public media participation and opened his Instagram to establish a communication channel with the public. Despite knowing the term's inaccuracy, he felt responsible for the audience and sought to give his testimony. The Peruvian case shows how patients zero respond to the public interest and establish their agency through traditional and social media.

El coronavirus hizo que autoridades, periodistas y público designaran “paciente cero” al primer diagnosticado, aunque los especialistas calificaran al término como impreciso por equiparar el primer paciente infectado con el primero identificado. A pesar de esa inexactitud, pacientes cero se tornaron actores y fuentes de información relevante durante la pandemia. Fue el caso del paciente cero peruano, que participó en los medios de comunicación y abrió su Instagram para establecer un canal con el público. Conociendo la inexactitud del término, asimismo trató de dar su testimonio para aclarar la audiencia. El caso peruano muestra cómo pacientes cero responden al interés público y establecen sus acciones mediante los medios tradicionales y sociales.

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