Behind the mask. Journey through an epidemic: some observations of contrasting public health responses to SARS

Psychobehavioural responses to the 2014 Middle East respiratory syndrome-novel corona virus (MERS CoV) among adults in two shopping malls in Jeddah, western Saudi Arabia

“…During the early stages of an epidemic, and in particular with new emerging infectious diseases like MERS CoV, people seek information from different sources (internet, social media, peers, etc.) if official public health advice is lacking or inadequate (31,32). Health authorities should respond promptly with clear, evidence-based public health information in order to maximize trust and ensure public compliance with preventive behaviours (33).…”

Middle East respiratory syndrome in South Korea during 2015: Risk-related perceptions and quarantine attitudes

“…Norms may be behavior cues to motivate adoption of protective behaviors and commonly widespread social distancing behaviors. 7,10 Despite a small sample size constrained by time and no funding, this survey provides useful insights on why frequent quarantine breaking occurred during this active outbreak. The findings also point to an urgent need for both improved public education on voluntary quarantine adherence and greater risk communication transparency by public health agencies, not only in South Korea, but also globally.…”

The ‘Typhoon Eye Effect’: determinants of distress during the SARS epidemic

“…For example, Syed et al (2003) suggested that decisions to wear masks in Thailand in response to the SARS crisis were due less to official guidance and more to conformity. This behavior can be considered similar to the chameleon effect (Chartrand and Bargh 1999), whereby people unconsciously mimic the mannerisms and other behaviors of those in one's environment.…”

“…This distress took many forms, but two of the most noticeable were a strong sense of anxiety (Leung et al 2003) and imitative behavior (Syed et al 2003).…”