Risk Communication and Infectious Diseases in an Age of Digital Media

Whether the outbreak is one of Ebola, or Zika, or another infectious agent, health authorities scramble to communicate with their diverse publics about elements of risk, decisional choices, and actions required. With the advent of real-time digital media platforms, social media outlets, and ubiquitous mobile devices, the public dynamically participates in the co-creation of what constitutes risk, for whom, with what consequence, and requiring what action. This co-creation is a complex, dynamic, and emergent process, and this book provides invaluable insights, among many, into how wisdom of the crowd can be harnessed in ways that can spell the difference between life and death. A must read for those interested in the interface of infectious disease, communicating risk, and the potential and pitfalls of social media. Arvind Singhal, Ph.D. is the Marston Endowed Professor of Communication at the University of Texas at El Paso and appointed Professor 2 at Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Norway. Ground-breaking - if only this work had been available, understood and applied in early 2014 at the beginning of the West African Ebola epidemic both the human toll in lives lost and the excesses of the following Fearbola events could have been significantly curtailed. In such outbreaks when vaccines and effective counter-measures are not yet available, effective communication is our strongest asset and by drawing on the combined informed input of the public we can better insure optimization of these public health interventions. This work should be required reading for medical and media professionals alike. James J. James, M.D., is the Executive Director of the Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health and Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia The authors take a controversial position on controversies regarding scientific evidence, namely, that lay skepticism about scientists' claims is not always indefensible. Paying particular attention to the role of new media, the authors take a broad perspective in asking how the public and the experts can achieve warranted mutual respect, recognizing the commonalities and conflicts in their interests. The authors pursue that question vigorously, drawing broadly on academic research from social science and the humanities, illustrated with engaging historical and topical examples Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University The essence of this book is splendidly embedded in its title, which suggests, with a subtle play of words, that new media are modifying 'communication' of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases are indeed communicable in two senses, because they can be transmitted and because they are spoken. The authors wisely introduce the reader into metaphors surrounding infectious diseases and the way in which new media are shaping them. This is a great, fascinating, book, which raises critical questions about health risk communication and helps us re-think many current, obsolete, standards Emilio Mordini, Responsible Technology, France; chair of the Risk Communication working party of the Collaborative management platform for detection and analyses of re- emerging and foodborne outbreaks in Europe (COMPARE)