20/07/05

How to warn the public about bird flu

Copyright: Keith Weller/ARS

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>How to warn the public about bird flu</h1>
<h4></h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p><P>Experts believe that the bird flu virus circulating in Asia could trigger a human flu pandemic killing up to 100 million people. Public health authorities’ reaction to this threat demands a delicate balancing act: they must prepare the public without needlessly frightening them.</P><br />
<P>In an article in <em>Perspectives in Health</em>, risk communication experts Peter Sandman and Jody Lanard offer ten recommendations on how best to achieve this balance.</P><br />
<P>The authors say that maintaining a middle ground is essential to build the mutual trust upon which effective action depends.</P><br />
<P>Their recommendations are based on two convictions: that governments need to start motivating people to take the threat of a human flu pandemic seriously, and that risk communication principles provide the best guidance on how to do so.</P>The top five recommendations to public health scientists and governments are to: think as a member of the public, not be afraid to scare people into action, share uncertainties and policy dilemmas, and suggest ways that people can begin to prepare themselves. <BR><BR><a  href="http://www.paho.org/English/DD/PIN/Number22_article1.htm" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full <EM>Perspectives in Health</EM> article</A><EM><BR><BR></EM></p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/opinions/how-to-warn-the-public-about-bird-flu-seaap/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/asia-pacific/opinions/how-to-warn-the-public-about-bird-flu-seaap/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

Experts believe that the bird flu virus circulating in Asia could trigger a human flu pandemic killing up to 100 million people. Public health authorities’ reaction to this threat demands a delicate balancing act: they must prepare the public without needlessly frightening them.

In an article in Perspectives in Health, risk communication experts Peter Sandman and Jody Lanard offer ten recommendations on how best to achieve this balance.

The authors say that maintaining a middle ground is essential to build the mutual trust upon which effective action depends.

Their recommendations are based on two convictions: that governments need to start motivating people to take the threat of a human flu pandemic seriously, and that risk communication principles provide the best guidance on how to do so.

The top five recommendations to public health scientists and governments are to: think as a member of the public, not be afraid to scare people into action, share uncertainties and policy dilemmas, and suggest ways that people can begin to prepare themselves.

Link to full Perspectives in Health article