Narratives of the SARS Epidemic and Ethical Implications for Public Health Crises
Titel:
Narratives of the SARS Epidemic and Ethical Implications for Public Health Crises
Auteur:
Bowen, Shannon A. Heath, Robert L.
Verschenen in:
International journal of strategic communication
Paginering:
Jaargang 1 (2007) nr. 2 pagina's 73-91
Jaar:
2007-05-04
Inhoud:
The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) epidemic provides a good case for study of crisis communication and the narratives used to respond to the epidemic. Interspecies transmission of a virus led to crisis in many public health networks, countries, and organizations. During this epidemic, competing narratives emerged, and were at odds with one another resulting in confusion, misinformation, and contagion of an often fatal disease. The narrative emerging in China led to the incomplete enactment of the broader, more global one that ultimately dominated organized global public health response. This case warrants close study because it is comprised of dimensions of organizational crisis, public health crisis, ethical crisis, and natural crisis in the origin of the disease. Lessons learned from the crisis response to the SARS epidemic include the need to respond with rapid, factual, and honest narratives and an ethical dedication to communicate on behalf of the public interest to prevent the needless spread of disease and loss of life.
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