EFFECTIVENESS OF RECORDED MESSAGES TO COMMUNICATE THE RISK OF ACQUIRING HANTAVIRUS PULMONARY SYNDROME

Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of a recorded information l ine in communicating health risk during the emergence of a disease, ha ntavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), in the Edmonton area and to study t he accuracy of recall of information about hantavirus among the genera l public. Methods: A random telephone survey of residents five months after a death from HPS; had occurred. Results: The number of residents who their information from the recorded I line was quite low (approxi mately 2%), and more people remembered receiving their information thr ough the news media, particularly television (74%) and newspaper (57%) . Conclusions: An information line by itself will not communicate risk effectively during an outbreak or other emergent health situation. Ho wever, an information line used in conjunction with news media proved effective in; ongoing, accurate information and allaying public fears in a low-risk situation.