Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41195238›Full record

ReviewPublic health reviews2025

Reconstruction of the Discourse on Influenza During Pandemics Between 1889 and 1980 in the Predecessor Journal of Swiss Medical Weekly - A Narrative Review and Bibliometric Analysis.

Natalija Radivojevic, Milo Puhan, Kaspar Staub, Tala Ballouz

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In one paragraph

Review in Public health reviews, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Natalija RadivojevicInstitute of Evolutionary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Milo PuhanDepartment of Epidemiology, Epidemiologiy, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Kaspar StaubInstitute of Evolutionary Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Tala BallouzDepartment of Epidemiology, Epidemiologiy, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: Understanding how discourse surrounding influenza pandemics evolves over time can reveal shifts in scientific and public health priorities. This study reconstructs such discourse between 1889 and 1981 by identifying and comparing key research themes and trends in articles in predecessor journals of Swiss Medical Weekly (SMW). Methods: A corpus of articles containing the terms "influenza," "flu," and "epidemic" from five pandemic periods was compiled. We conducted a keyword-based content analysis, categorizing articles into 31 sub-keywords within five broad categories, and comparing their frequencies. Co-occurrence maps were generated using VOSviewer, and relevant articles were closely read. Results: A total of 352 articles were identified, with the highest number published between 1918 and 1924. Most prevalent themes across all periods were "Epidemiology and disease dynamics," "Complications," and "Acute clinical manifestations and management." A key shift in focus occurred with the introduction of influenza vaccination after the 1940s, as attention increasingly turned towards immunity and the role of vaccinations. Conclusion: Despite major medical developments, similar themes were seen across the observed pandemic periods in SMW. This study provides an important first step towards constructing such discourses.

Indexed as

historical epidemiologyhistorical trendsknowledgenarrativepandemic

Identifiers

PMID41195238
PMCPMC12583112

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.