Since the SARS outbreak research into risk perception of infectious diseases has gained interest.
After the occurrence of domestic HPAI H5N2 outbreaks, the LPMWs' risk perception on the possibility of AI epidemics in mainland China affecting Taiwan significantly decreased (94.2 to 69.9 %, p < 0.05), but their risk awareness on the likelihood of people in central Taiwan being infected with AIVs strikingly increased (from 34.6 to 65.6 %, p < 0.05).
Hygienic behavior is affected by many factors such as the timing of outbreak, self-risk perception, responsibility for others and personal habits [ 3, 21].
In addition to these five main questions, questions on the awareness of HPAI H5N2 outbreaks in 2012 and risk perception in LPAI-H5N2, HPAI-H5N2 and other important infectious diseases in Taiwan [such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)] were also included in the questionnaire of the second surveys for better comparison.
During the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong changes in risk perception where shown to be related to the course of the outbreak [ 34, 36], whereas even the introduction of AI in Europe did not appear to lead to a change in risk perception [ 42].
In an emergency situation such as a disease outbreak, however, individuals' risk perceptions could be adjusted in the time frame of days or weeks.
Here, we report the results from an online survey that gathered data (n = 6,249) about risk perception of the outbreak during the first few days of widespread media coverage (April 29 May 5 5, 2009) of the emergence of novel swine-origin Influenza A(H1N1).
In spite of the clear public health risks in the endemic areas involved, due to the rapidly decreasing R0 during outbreaks, which at least in part results from a changing risk perception within the affected communities, outbreaks of filovirus infections have been self-limiting, and have never affected more than 500 people.
Based on an estimated 60% perception rate of H5N1 outbreak risk in a 2006 survey in Laos, we used Stata software to calculate the sample size of 988 people with a 5% precision with α = 0.05 and 90% power [ 6].
The methods and results of the present study can be used for risk perception research during new outbreaks of SARS or other emerging infectious diseases.
Here, we report the results from an online survey that gathered data (n = 6,249) about risk perception of the Influenza A(H1N1) outbreak during the first few days of widespread media coverage (April 28 - May 5, 2009).
