1. During the H1N1 flu pandemic, risk communicators expected the public to experience certain outrage factors. These risk factors include but are not limited to the following. Controllability, the flu virus seemed to spread rapidly among the public. Controlling the virus appeared to be a problem during the early stages of the pandemic, this made people feel anxious and unsure. Catastrophic potential was another factor that played a major role. The H1N1 virus had the potential to cause a significant number of deaths and injuries grouped in time and space. That by itself created panic and Uncertainty among the public. During the first stages of the outbreak, the public was not fully aware of its extent. As the death toll increased more and more people began to worry. A delayed effect was another outrage factor that went hand and hand with the spread of the H1N1 virus. There is a significant latency period between the exposure to the virus and the appearance of the symptoms. Not only that, but the symptoms of the H1N1 virus are very similar to those of the seasonal flu. Many people had no idea that they were infected with the H1N1 virus until they got it cultured. An effect on children was also a significant factor affecting this pandemic. The virus placed children at a significantly higher risk that adults. That automatically placed an emotional overtone toward this issue. Dread was definitely another outrage factor that took place. The spread of the virus evoked fear and anxiety among the public. Accident history was a chief factor as well. Many people feared another epidemic such as the 1918-1919 “spinach influenza” pandemic that killed 20-40 people worldwide. Once an announcement was made regarding the flu vaccine availability...
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...2). People need to realize that even thought the WHO had downgraded the pandemic, the change does not mean the H1N1 virus is no longer a concern.
Works Cited
Peter M. Sandman Risk Communication Website. http://www.psandman.com
Fischhoff, B. 1995. Risk perception and communication unplugged: Twenty years of process.
Covello, V. & Sandman, P. 2001. Risk communication: Evolution and revolution.
Ulmer, R. et al. 2007. Effective Crisis Communication: Moving from Crisis to Opportunity.
Centers for Disease Control. 2002. Crisis Emergency Risk Communication.
R. Lundgren, & McMakin, A. 2004. Risk Communication: A Handbook for Communicating Environmental, Safety, and Health Risks. 3rd Edition.
Scott Rosenstein, 2010. Foreign Policy: Don't Put Away Your Face Mask Yet.
Madison Park. 2010. H1N1: Pandemic was emotional as well as physical. CNN News.
A brief review of the historical year of 1918 when people were informed to take precaution against influenza, while their children came up with a catchy tune for the "worst epidemic the United States has ever known"1 and comparing it with the influenza of today.
hysteria. Some people participate in the hysteria out of fear. Others think more rationally and try to find an explanation. But no
The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic stretched its lethal tentacles all over the globe, even to the most remote areas of the planet, killing fifty million people or possibly even more. Influenza killed more people in a year than the Black Death of the Middle Ages killed in a century, and it killed more people in twenty-four weeks than AIDS has killed in twenty-four years.3 Influenza normally kills the elderly and infants, but this deadly and abnormal strand claimed young people, those in their twenties or thirties as its target victims. Such was the case for Jules Bergeret. Jules was a “big, strapping man” who owned a tavern during the epidemic, and on December 11 he celebrated his 32 birthday. Within two weeks Jules, his mother, his sister, and his 25 year old wife all fell victim to the flu, and on December 22 he was dead.4 The virus left victims bleeding out of their nose ears and mouth; some coughing so hard that autopsies would later show that abdominal muscles and rib cartilage had been torn. Victims ...
National Institute of Medicine (2007) Ethical and legal considerations in mitigating pandemic disease Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK54163/
The influenza or flu pandemic of 1918 to 1919, the deadliest in modern history, infected an estimated 500 million people worldwide–about one-third of the planet’s population at the time–and estimates place the number of victims anywhere from 25 to 100 million. More than 25 percent of the U.S. population became sick, and some 675,000 Americans died during the pandemic. The 1918 flu was first observed in Europe, the U.S. and parts of Asia before swiftly spreading around the world. Surprisingly, many flu victims were young, otherwise healthy adults. At the time, there were no effective drugs or vaccines to treat this killer flu strain or prevent its spread. In the U.S., citizens were ordered to wear masks, and schools, theaters and other public
Often, outbreaks affect teenage girls more than boys (Small). In Belgium, Coca-Cola withdrew thirty million cans and bottles from being sold because almost one hundred students suffered from cramps, nausea, headaches and palpitations after drinking Coca-Cola. Additionally, students from other schools began to feel similar symptoms which lead the company to recall the product. Due to this mass hysteria outbreak, the drink was examined and the toxicology reports showed that there was nothing wrong and they could not find any evidence of contaminants to explain the epidemic (Dillner). People’s minds can be persuaded into believing that what is happening to someone else is going to happen to them. Mass hysteria can happen anywhere to anyone, as long as they are susceptible enough and are ready to fall into a state of delusion. For example, in Tanzania, chaos ensued after a female student fainted, causing twenty other girls to lose consciousness. Other students yelled and ran around the school. No medical cause was found, but exams put extreme pressure on the students which may have lead to the fainting spells and mass hysteria (Waller). Hysteria pushes people over the edge while allowing their minds take over which manifest with physical symptoms. Mass hysteria thrives on the fear that people have and when put into a certain situation, mass hysteria can become
Loo, Yueh-Ming and Michael Gale, Jr. “Influenza: Fatal Immunity and the 1918 Virus.” Nature 445 (2007): 267-268. 23 July. 2008 .
Many states and colonies across the globe issued detailed sets of directives to their residents on what exactly they should do if they come into contact with the illness. One such example is the directive issued by T.W.H. Holmes, the Secretary of the Victoria Board of Public Health in Australia. The directive details the symptoms, complications, treatment, and prevention of the disease. Something very common during the outbreak of any pandemic is the use of quarantines to separate the sick and the healthy. In fact, that is the first order for prevention of disease in T.W.H. Holme...
The Great War rages on. An influenza epidemic claims the lives of several Americans. But, the Boston Red Sox have done it again. Last night, in a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park (thanks to Carl Mays' three-hitter), the Boston Red Sox won their fifth World Series championship--amid death and disease, a reason to live ... Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox. If I die today, at least I lived to see the Sox win the championship. For, it could be a long, long, time before this happens again.
A few years before 1918, in the height of the First World War, a calamity occurred that stripped the globe of at least 50 million lives. (Taubenberger, 1918) This calamity was not the death toll of the war; albeit, some individuals may argue the globalization associated with the First World War perpetuated the persistence of this calamity. This calamity was referred to the Spanish Flu of 1918, but calling this devastating pestilence the “Spanish Flu” may be a historical inaccuracy, as research and historians suggest that the likelihood of this disease originating in Spain seams greatly improbable. Despite it’s misnomer, the Spanish Flu, or its virus name H1N1, still swept across the globe passing from human to human by exhaled drops of water that contained a deadly strand of RNA wrapped with a protein casing. Individuals who were unfortunate enough to come in contact with the contents of the protein casing generally developed severe respiratory inflammation, as the Immune system’s own response towards the infected lung cells would destroy much of the lungs, thus causing the lungs to flood with fluids. Due to this flooding, pneumonia was a common cause of death for those infected with Spanish Flu. Due its genetic similarity with Avian Flu, the Spanish Flu is thought to be descended from Avian Flu which is commonly known as “Bird Flu.” (Billings,1997) The Spanish Flu of 1918 has had a larger impact in terms of global significance than any other disease has had because it was the most deadly, easily transmitted across the entire globe, and occurred in an ideal time period for a disease to happen.
At the time, the Influenza of 1918 was called the Spanish Flu. Spain was not involved in the expanding great war (i.e., World War I) and therefore was not censoring it's press. However, Germany, Britain, and America were censoring their newspapers for anything that would lower morale. Therefore, Spain was the first country to publish accounts of the pandemic (Barry 171 and Furman 326), even though the pandemic most likely started in either France or the United States. It was also unique in it's deadliness; it “killed more people in a year than the Black Death of the Middle Ages killed in a century” (Barry 5). In the United States, the experience during the pandemic varied from location to location. Some areas were better off whereas some were hit horribly by the disease, such as Philadelphia. It also came as a shock to many, though some predicted it's coming; few thought it would strike with the speed and lethality that it did. Though the inherent qualities of the flu enabled its devastation of the country, the response to the flu was in part responsible as well. The response to the pandemic was reasonable, given the dire situation, but not sufficient enough to prevent unnecessary death and hardship, especially in Philadelphia.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2013). Developing risk communication plans for drinking water contamination incidents. Retrieved from http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/lawsregs/upload/epa817f13003.pdf
Throughout human history disease has been linked to many facets of life and even the rise and fall of entire civilizations. Biological, social, political and economic forces have all influenced how the outbreak of disease is handled. Epidemics have altered history in how they have developed and the impact that they have had. In turn, epidemic management has been influenced by history and governments as humans have learned to cope with outbreaks and the social and political implications that result from them. Today, biomedical engineers, politicians, historians and social scientists are leading the battle in an attempt to understand and combat infectious diseases. This report will explore epidemic management and its historical relationship with the international political system. Issues will be investigated that range from the societal effects of epidemics, to observing today’s public policy debates regarding outbreaks to the possible reduction or even dissolution of conflict in exchange for food and medical technology between nations. Research has made it abundantly clear that humans must be vigilant in combating epidemics. By drawing on multiple disciplines, it is possible to implement a sound disease management plan that will control and reduce the spreading and mortality of infectious agents across the globe, as well as reduce tension and conflict between the developed and developing worlds.
1- There has been advancement in medicine and now there has been more vaccines against many
Educating the public and getting them to take preparatory actions to better protect themselves in the face of natural hazards has led to extensive study of risk communication by social scientists and disaster researchers over the past half-century (Quarantelli, 1991). Lindell et al (2006) describe the reason for risk communication as “to initiate and direct protective action” relative to a hazardous threat (Lindell et al, 2006, p. 84). Better understanding of why people take protective actions has led to better risk communication directed at preparedness measures. Research has identified key ingredients regarding the effectiveness of risk communication messages as well as conditions conducive to adoption of improved preparedness practices.