In Their Own Words: Lessons Learned From Those Exposed to Anthrax

Abstract

Effective communication during a public health emergency depends on the provision of clear messages and close involvement of the affected community. Diverse populations may require individualized approaches to ensure that messages are delivered appropriately. Special attention should be given to those who face barriers to traditional modes of communication.

Building Community Resilience to Disasters: A Way Forward to Enhance National Health Security

“…Specifically, some populations (racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, rural populations) may mistrust government/public agencies (see, e.g., Blanchard et al, 2005;Brodie et al, 2006;Cordasco et al, 2007) and tend not to rely on such sources for information (Carter-Pokras et al, 2007;Chen et al, 2007).…”

Serum IgG antibody response to the protective antigen (PA) of Bacillus anthracis induced by anthrax vaccine adsorbed (AVA) among U.S. military personnel

“…Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is one of the many infectious agents identified as a potential bioterrorist weapon as demonstrated by recent events in the United States [1]. Inhalation anthrax is difficult to diagnose and must be rapidly treated in order to avoid its fatality rate of almost 100%.…”

Public Response to an Anthrax Attack: A Multiethnic Perspective

“…Nonetheless, a study among people who participated in these programs does suggest there were attitudinal differences between racial/ethnic groups; perceived racial discrimination was a critical element in decreased trust in government among African Americans, whereas it did not play a role for whites. 3 Related studies reinforce the idea that African Americans had lower levels of trust in the related anthrax vaccine efforts. This stemmed in part from differences in risk perceptions among African Americans, which were partly rooted in historical memory of the Tuskegee syphilis experiments.…”

“…[1][2][3] This experience emphasized the need to develop outreach and communications that would more effectively support racial/ethnic minority populations during a possible future bioterrorism incident. It should therefore be a priority to address the needs of racial/ethnic minority groups with respect to programs for mass dispensing of antibiotic prophylaxis, which form a central piece of the nation's capabilities for reducing mass casualties in the case of future anthrax attacks.…”

“…It should therefore be a priority to address the needs of racial/ethnic minority groups with respect to programs for mass dispensing of antibiotic prophylaxis, which form a central piece of the nation's capabilities for reducing mass casualties in the case of future anthrax attacks. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In order to improve mass dispensing programs for racial/ethnic minority groups, it is important to understand how people in racial/ethnic minorities might respond to such programs and whether that differs from majority white populations. 9 It may be particularly important to understand whether there are differences in attitudes about the dispensing programs or knowledge about disease etiology that might dissuade members of racial/ethnic minority groups from obtaining and taking antibiotic prophylaxis available at mass dispensing sites.…”