Information Management and Critical Thinking During Health Crises

On April 20, 2009, the Mexican media announced what we remember today as the AH1N1 influenza pandemic. Following the news, several governments in America and the rest of the world began to implement emergency protocols to control the breakout. By April 23, just three days later, the government of President Felipe Calderón had already ordered the suspension of school classes and the cancellation of activities in public places throughout the entire country. In addition to this, health information was disseminated, and vaccination campaigns were orchestrated.

The measure to close schools caused controversy at the national level. Still, it was also argued that this temporary closure could reduce cases of contagion, as well as alleviate the burden on the health and medical services sector. By April 30, there had already been reported 257 cases that affected 11 different countries. The rest of the world responded accordingly.

On April 27, the European Union advised suspending all non-essential trips to the United States and Mexico. Two days later, the global panic reached its peak when the Egyptian government ordered the slaughter of all pigs in the country for fear of contagion. The specific strain of this pandemic was transmitted from human to human. Still, the knowledge that previous versions of the virus were hybrids of swine diseases was enough to spark that reaction. In July of 2010, when the pandemic began to cede, it had claimed the lives of 18,000 people.

Ten years after this event, in December 2019, the first case of Coronavirus emerged; it has recently attained epidemic status. Governments globally have already begun to take steps to contain the outbreak, but what can educational institutions do to support these protocols and ensure that the virus does not spread through schools?

Hygiene is key to mitigating the impact of diseases with global reach, but not only health measures are essential; it is also necessary to provide “sanitation” of communications and content. In previous articles, we have written about the importance of being critical of the information we receive and share. This advice is even more indispensable when we are trying to fight an epidemic or pandemic.

A study by Yotam Ophir, Postdoctorate in Communication Sciences at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, exemplifies the seriousness of the problem. Ophir used a database of more than 5000 articles from the largest US newspapers covering the three most significant outbreaks of the past decade, namely, Ebola, Zika, and AH1N1 (swine flu). His analysis identified three main topics:

1. Scientific information focused on health risks and medical data

2. Social stories that covered the impact of the disease on the market, politics, and culture

3. The latest topic content coverage dealt more with prevention through hermeticism, with the idea of preventing the virus from entering the United States

Dr. Ophir found that the content was not part of a joint effort to provide practical and useful information on how to prevent contagion and deal with the pandemic. Instead, the data addressed isolated issues and the influence it could have on the case content, similar to what would happen at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro or the World Cup in South Africa before this health crisis.

A disorganized offering of information that prioritizes social issues over hard data and practical indications has a better chance of generating visceral responses to the fear that produces uncertainty in times of crisis. How can teachers and educational staff avoid this problem in students and their families? By teaching about the diversification of sources and critical thinking.

How to find this information?

In times of health crisis, we need to be especially selective with our sources to be able to distinguish those whose objective is to build a social landscape, to serve a political or economic agenda, and to provide useful information to prevent the spread of an epidemic. The primary source of this data is the World Health Organization (WHO). Also, the Red Jama publishes in-depth articles that clearly explain the processes by which diseases such as Coronavirus develop and other medical problems. It is necessary to be aware of the indications and preventative measures implemented by the relevant governments and, primarily, guidelines based on the WHO indications.

The first sign that the Coronavirus could become an international epidemic was reported in Japan the past January 16, 2020. The country’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare presented to the WHO the confirmed case of a person who had traveled from China, being the second case outside of China, following the report of another person in Thailand. The WHO predicted the spread of the disease due to the large volume of international travel among the countries where the virus had presented itself. To date, up to 19 countries have reported new confirmed cases, including, United States, Canada, France, South Korea, and among others. In China, 9809 people have been confirmed infected. The Coronavirus has been declared a global health emergency by WHO.

It is important to note that Coronavirus is a term that refers to a complete virus family. The diseases that cause it can range
from the common cold to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The recently initiated outbreak is being called a new Coronavirus 2019-nCoV, or Wuhan pneumonia. Its symptoms correspond to those of a severe upper respiratory infection. They include fever, severe sore throat, and fatigue, as well as a dry cough and, in a good number of cases, difficulty breathing.

Coronavirus can generate more severe cases in people with a weak immune system, young children, elderly patients, pregnant women, and people with a prior respiratory condition. Experts from the Animal Health Program of the Barcelona Research and Technology Institute reported that this strain is less aggressive than other coronaviruses such as SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). However, it continues being necessary not to skimp on precautions.

The instructions to prevent the spread of this new Coronavirus are the same as with any other airway infection, as stated by WHO: “good hand and respiratory hygiene, hygienic food management and, where possible, avoid close contact with anyone who shows signs of respiratory conditions such as coughing or sneezing.”

If the disease continues to spread, it could also be recommended to avoid non-essential outings and public spaces, so it is necessary to be attentive to the communications both from the World Health Organization and those of the corresponding governments.

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Note to the Reader: The data included in this text is updated through January 31, 2020. Because of the nature of the progress of epidemics, this data may change in a short time. For more accurate and timely data in subsequent days, it is recommended to consult the sources mentioned in this article. 

Sofía García-Bullé

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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0