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Worry experienced during the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) pandemic in Korea

Jun-Soo Ro1, Jin-Seok Lee2,3, Sung-Chan Kang3

  • 1Department of Infectious Disease, Research Center of Infectious and Environmental Disease, Armed forces medical research institute, Daejeon, South Korea.

Plos One
|March 9, 2017
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

During the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Korea, worry levels were influenced by factors like gender, health status, and stress. Effective risk communication is crucial for managing public anxiety during outbreaks.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Risk Communication

Background:

  • Korea's challenges in managing the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak stemmed from initial risk communication failures.
  • Disease-related worry during outbreaks can have both beneficial and detrimental effects on public health management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure the overall level of MERS-related worry in Korea.
  • To identify factors influencing MERS-related worry during the outbreak.
  • To assess worry levels during key MERS outbreak periods.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional survey of 1,000 Korean adults was conducted.
  • Ordinal logistic regression analyzed overall MERS-related worry and its influencing factors.
  • Reliability testing assessed worry scores during critical outbreak phases.

Main Results:

  • The overall MERS-related worry level was 2.44.
  • Higher worry was associated with being female, poor subjective health, and high daily stress.
  • Worry scores remained consistent across different outbreak periods.

Conclusions:

  • Perceived susceptibility and trust in informal information correlated with increased worry.
  • The initial outbreak stage significantly influenced later stages of worry.
  • Timely, accurate information is vital for managing public worry during disease outbreaks.

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