“We spend a lot of time learning on the screen, and if we keep seeing ‘coronavirus, coronavirus, coronavirus,’ each time we’re going to pay attention to that,” Brown said. In Southern California, high school and university students have launched campaigns for classes to be canceled until the outbreak subsides. People’s imaginations tend to fill in uncertainty with worst-case scenarios, creating a challenge for scientists and public health officials trying to communicate about an emerging epidemic, experts say. Francis with the University of Kentucky said that the coronavirus outbreak could provide a learning opportunity for public health officials trying to bridge a cultural gap with young people, experts say. But it isn’t necessarily because of coronavirus, she said — the outbreak just got her thinking about how to prevent infections generally.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 05, 2020 20:03 UTC