Community Reaction to Bioterrorism: Prospective Study of Simulated Outbreak

To assess community needs for public information during a bioterrorism-related crisis, the authors simulated the intentional aerosolized release of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in a semirural community (population 300,000) in the southern part of the United States. The community was selected because its mosquito population could support transmission of RVFV. They videotaped a series of simulated print and television (local, network, and cable) news reports over a fictional 9-day crisis period. The 83-minute videotape told the story of the intentional disease outbreak. They invited four groups (medical first responders, medical first-responder spouses or partners, journalists, and others) within the selected community to view the videotape and answer questions about their reactions. These four groups knew that the outbreak was fictional. All responses were given anonymously. First responders and their spouses or partners varied in their reactions about how the crisis affected family harmony and job performance. Local journalists exhibited considerable personal fear and confusion. All groups demanded, and put more trust in, information from local sources. These findings may have implications for risk communication during bioterrorism-related outbreaks. Pub. in Emerging Infectious Diseases, v9 n6, p708-712, Jun 2003. Prepared in cooperation with Harwell Productions, Inc., Shreveport, LA, and Evets Management Services, Inc., Shreveport, LA.