Emerging infectious diseases · 2004 · 145 citations · 5 references
MedicineInfectious DiseasesPreventive MedicineCrisis InterventionCrisis ManagementDisease PreventionCrisis PreventionOutbreak ControlOutbreak ManagementOutbreak PreventionPublic Health EmergenciesPublic Health Emergency ManagementCrisis Management EvaluationPreventive Control MeasuresRisk Communication In OutbreaksSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome
We discuss crisis prevention and management during the first 3 months of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Singapore. Four public health issues were considered: prevention measures, self-health evaluation, SARS knowledge, and appraisal of crisis management. We conducted telephone interviews with a representative sample of 1,201 adults, > or = 21 years of age. We found that sex, age, and attitude (anxiety and perception of open communication with authorities) were associated with practicing preventive measures. Analysis of Singapore's outbreak improves our understanding of the social dimensions of infectious disease outbreaks.
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