Communicating a health epidemic: a risk assessment of the swine flu coverage in US newspapers.

IntroductionAt the end of 2009, more than 208 countries had confirmed cases of H1N1 with estimated death tolls at 12,220 (1). The H1N1 flu of 2009 is an event that will not be soon forgotten. The flu impacted many people in a variety of ways. For most of us it simply resulted in an increased use of hand sanitizer and being vigilant about washing hands and being aware of who was sick around us. For some it resulted in economic loss, and others the loss of a loved one. Most people in 2009 knew about or were impacted by the H1N1 flu in one way or another.Media has been regarded as one of the major platforms to issues related to the health crisis. General audiences assess the health risk and make judgments about their daily-life behaviors based on the perceived severity of the disease presented by the media and learn various preventive methods through media's reports (2-5). Therefore, to understand how media has portrayed the 2009 swine flu in terms of the presentation of risk and self-efficacy (e.g. the degree to which people could protect themselves from the risk) becomes fairly crucial.The current study content analyzed the coverage of the 2009 swine flu in major U.S. newspapers. The primary purpose of this project is to assess the presentation of risks related to swine flu and how media acted as an educational podium in disseminating the knowledge of swine flu prevention. It is the wish of the authors to provide a base to further understand how media could serve as an important information source to public's perceptions in a health crisis.The 2009 swine fluThe virus. The first suspected case of the swine flu or H1N1 virus was detected on March 18, 2009 in Mexico (6). The initial cause for concern over the virus was the fact that it is an animal strain of flu that had mutated and had become transmissible among humans. Along with the fact that it was an animal virus, additional concerns were the rapid rate of transmission, age of those affected, and geographic spread of the disease (6). The flu virus was confirmed as the H1N1 strain in mid-April 2009 (7). During this time organizations such as the World Health Organization noted the quick spread of the disease. On June 11 2009, the WHO raised the pandemic alert level to 6, the organization's highest alert level (8). This is the first time since the 1968 flu pandemic that the WHO has issued a level 6 pandemic alert(9). One of the main reasons for the raise in alert level was the rate of transmission and the lack of a vaccine.Consequences of swine flu. The swine flu caused several disturbances to everyday life. Fears loomed over the world regarding the swine flu, and the best course of action to be taken. Many schools, especially in the United States and Mexico were closed due to growing concerns over the swine flu. Schools were closed during both the spring and fall of 2009 as fears grew over the spread of the swine flu. This fear was not limited to local communities.The fear of the H1N1 flu swept around the world faster than the virus itself and damaged the economy in many ways. The pork industry suffered a great deal of economic loss associated with the swine flu; estimates from April through early December of 2009 totaling $1.9 billion (10). Early on in the pandemic pigs were killed out of fear of transmission of the disease. In Cairo, 300,000 pigs were slaughtered as a precaution against the disease (11). Mexico's tourism industry faced large losses on account of the disease. Cruise ships that often frequented ports in Mexico changed their routes (12). In addition, many Mexican resorts, hotels, and restaurants closed to prevent the spread of the disease (13). Once they re-opened there were few customers due to concerns over the disease. Some resorts even started offering the -flu-free guarantee" (13). Vaccination. The vaccine for the swine flu was approved by the Food and Drug Administration on September 15, 2009 (14). Manufacturers faced many obstacles to making a safe and effective vaccine. …