Fear factor: The unseen perils of the Ebola outbreak

James M. Shultz; Benjamin M. Althouse; Florence Baingana; Janice L. Cooper; Maria Espinola; M. Claire Greene; Zelde Espinel; Clyde B. McCoy; Laurie Mazurik; Andreas Rechkemmer

doi:10.1080/00963402.2016.1216515

Fear factor: The unseen perils of the Ebola outbreak

James M. Shultz^*, Benjamin M. Althouse, Florence Baingana, Janice L. Cooper, Maria Espinola, M. Claire Greene, Zelde Espinel, Clyde B. McCoy, Laurie Mazurik, Andreas Rechkemmer

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

29 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As illustrated powerfully by the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, infectious diseases create fear and psychological reactions. Frequently, fear transforms into action - or inaction - and manifests as "fear-related behaviors" capable of amplifying the spread of disease, impeding lifesaving medical care for Ebola-infected persons and patients with other serious medical conditions, increasing psychological distress and disorder, and exacerbating social problems. And as the case of the US micro-outbreak shows, fear of an infectious-disease threat can spread explosively even when an epidemic has little chance of materializing. Authorities must take these realities into account if they hope to reduce the deadly effects of fear during future outbreaks.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	304-310
Number of pages	7
Journal	Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Volume	72
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1080/00963402.2016.1216515
Publication status	Published - 2016
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Ebola
Fearrelated behaviors
Pandemic

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10.1080/00963402.2016.1216515

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title = "Fear factor: The unseen perils of the Ebola outbreak",

abstract = "As illustrated powerfully by the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, infectious diseases create fear and psychological reactions. Frequently, fear transforms into action - or inaction - and manifests as {"}fear-related behaviors{"} capable of amplifying the spread of disease, impeding lifesaving medical care for Ebola-infected persons and patients with other serious medical conditions, increasing psychological distress and disorder, and exacerbating social problems. And as the case of the US micro-outbreak shows, fear of an infectious-disease threat can spread explosively even when an epidemic has little chance of materializing. Authorities must take these realities into account if they hope to reduce the deadly effects of fear during future outbreaks.",

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AB - As illustrated powerfully by the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in western Africa, infectious diseases create fear and psychological reactions. Frequently, fear transforms into action - or inaction - and manifests as "fear-related behaviors" capable of amplifying the spread of disease, impeding lifesaving medical care for Ebola-infected persons and patients with other serious medical conditions, increasing psychological distress and disorder, and exacerbating social problems. And as the case of the US micro-outbreak shows, fear of an infectious-disease threat can spread explosively even when an epidemic has little chance of materializing. Authorities must take these realities into account if they hope to reduce the deadly effects of fear during future outbreaks.

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Fear factor: The unseen perils of the Ebola outbreak

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Keywords

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