Risk Communication: West Nile Virius Epidemic
In the Ariticle, Risk Communication, the West Nile Virus Epidemic, and the Bioterrorism: Responding to the Communication Challenges Posed by the Intentional or Unintentional Releas of a Pathoden in an Urban Setting, tips about effective and non-effective risk communication were given. The advice given here I could take away and use when writing my own risk communication about obesity.
The first thing this article was to give a detailed definition of risk communication, which is “an interactive process of exchage of information and opinion among individuals, groups, and institutions. It involves multiple messages about the nature of risk and other messages, not strictly about risk, that express concerns, opinions, or reactions to risk messages or to legal and institutional arrangements for risk management.” (3) The article claims that the main barriers to successful risk communication are conflict, lack of coordination among stakeholders, and poor risk communication planning, preparation, resources, skill, and practice. By being aware of these barriers, I can make sure to do all that I can to avoid them when writing my own risk communication.
In the New York City’s West Nile Virus Response, the risk communication was handled well for the most part, but there were some aspects that needed improvement. The response did a good job of increasing the public’s awareness of the risk, including the public in the solution by having the public help eliminate the breeding grounds, and by providing information in a timely and accurate manner (9). There was information given in a variety of ways that made it easy for everyone to get information. However, the informative material emphasized what was not being done and what wouldn’t be done instead of what was being done and what would be done. The negative was stressed more than the positive. The material was also written at a level that was too high for a majority of the audience.
