Medicine in the Popular Press: The Influence of the Media on Perceptions of Disease

In an age of increasing globalization and discussion of the possibility of global pandemics, increasing rates of reporting of these events may influence public perception of risk. The present studies investigate the impact of high levels of media reporting on the perceptions of disease. Undergraduate psychology and medical students were asked to rate the severity, future prevalence and disease status of both frequently reported diseases (e.g. avian flu) and infrequently reported diseases (e.g. yellow fever). Participants considered diseases that occur frequently in the media to be more serious, and have higher disease status than those that infrequently occur in the media, even when the low media frequency conditions were considered objectively ‘worse’ by a separate group of participants. Estimates of severity also positively correlated with popular print media frequency in both student populations. However, we also see that the concurrent presentation of objective information about the diseases can mitigate this effect. It is clear from these data that the media can bias our perceptions of disease

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao consist of five islands that make up the Leeward Islands of the Dutch Antilles off of the northern coast of South America, often referred to as the ABCs. Because of location, the islands share similar characteristics of climate, geology, geomorphology, and history, though each bears a variation of these characteristics. These largely limestone islands are part of the southern Caribbean dry zone. Historically, they were important centers of livestock grazing, aloe vera production, and salt export. All three islands in the twentieth century have been impacted by the growth of oil export in Venezuela. Curaçao, once the tourism leaders among the Dutch Caribbean Islands, is trying to catch up with Aruba in stopover tourists, while Bonaire has smaller but strong “active” tourism for its size. While their climate in the past was considered less than desirable for large-area agricultural pursuits, presently their dry, warm weather largely outside the hurricane belt is an attractive asset to the millions of tourists who visit them annually