Impact of the media on the Poison Control Centres: the false outbreak of Loxosceles Rufescens spider bite in Italy
Objective.To describe the increment of telephone calls to the Poison Control Centre (PCC) of Policlinico Umberto I Hospital – Sapienza University of Rome related to Loxosceles Rufescens (LR) spider bites following an alarming awareness campaign in the media. Methods.The telephone calls to the PCC on alleged LR bites from April 2016 to September 2018 were reviewed. The month of April 2018, when the lay press published the first alarming article, was identified as an index. Data were normalized for the increase in the overall consultations registered in 2018.