Robert Letterman
Balancing the Release of Public Information During an Animal Disease Outbreak
Theme
The author essentially gives a "how to" respond synopsis when an animal disease is reported. She explains the PIO's responsibility and what to do in a given scenario.
Summary
· Access to public information by the public needs to be maintained, especially during a crisis.
· Their goal is to promote programs and educate the public on disease prevention and outbreaks in agriculture related incidents.
· An outbreak of a significant disease will cause the activation of the Joint Information Center as the department is used to handling one to 12 calls a day with their small staff.
· Ohio has 36 reportable animal diseases that they respond to.
· They must consider all stakeholders during disease outbreaks. Some may be non-English speaking and they also have an Amish populace that may not receive vital information.
· At the outset of the outbreak the PIO is very proactive and getting as much information as possible out to the public.
· The PIO is meant to be an advocate with the public and the responding agency.
· They must control how much information is relayed to the public. Too much could be just as bad as too little information.
Application
I like this article because it came from the department of agriculture in Ohio. Sometimes we can get so caught up in what happens to humans we can forget that we consume and rely on a healthy agriculture for our wellbeing. Any disruption in that could have severe consequences. My employer supplies natural gas so in an outage or leak we would need to apply some of the principles laid out in this article to alert the public.
Reference
Wilt, M. (2006). Balancing the Release of Public Information During an Animal Disease Outbreak. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, 625-628.
