I. Say whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):

Nro.	(T)	(F)	Statement
1.			The objectives of the risk communication plan are the basis for the preparation of the program, the messages, and the evaluation. Its formulation should be realistic, clear, and measurable.
2.			The information about the audience and their perception of risks is secondary in the formulation of communication objectives.
3.			The validation of messages in representative groups is of utmost importance in a risk communication program. Many risk communication messages fail because those who prepare them do not know what their audience think and feel about the risk in question.
4.			For information to be complete it must have five basic elements: nature of the risk, types of benefits that can be obtained by reducing the risk, options available, uncertainty about the risks and benefits, and risk management aspects.
5.			When the risk is unknown, messages should not consider scientific uncertainty, which is characterized by lack of certainty about the facts and controversy regarding values.
6.			What is most important in the message maps is that they expand the consistency of the message upon being listened, understood, reminded, and transmitted with a single voice.

Evaluation

II. Select the alternative(es) that you consider correct:

1. The situations that affect the precision of a message are:

a.		Prejudices, incompetence, or poor reputation of the message source.
b.		Reliable sources with contradictory messages.
c.		Previous declarations that do not support the present message.
d.		All the above.
e.		None of the above.

2. The messages:

a.		They can have multiple forms and belong to several sign systems.
b.		They share the same nature of the spoken language.
c.		Body language does not affect them.
d.		All the above.
e.		None of the above.

3. The information to be transmitted in a message should consider the following aspects:

a.		Important facts that are cause of concern for the public.
b.		Basic information to understand those facts.
c.		Additional data to facilitate correct interpretation.
d.		All the above.
e.		None of the above.

Evaluation

III. Order the sequence to prepare a message map:

WORK SEQUENCE	ORDER
a) To deliver the maps of the message through a trained spokesman and adequate communications media.	___
b) To prepare a complete list of specific concerns for each important group of partners.	___
c) To identify the partners.	___
d) To analyze the list of specific concerns to identify common groups of underlying general concerns.	___
e) To gather proofs and facts that support every key message.	___
f) To prepare key messages as a response to the concerns of the partners. The messages should be based on what the majority of the audience needs to know, wants to know, and is concerned about.	___
g) To carry out a systematic test of the messages.	___

4. Analyze the message of the following news “Cholera epidemic in southern Iraq”, published on the Internet on 7 May 2003.

BASRA, Iraq. Copyright 2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Two hospitals in southern Iraq have reported 17 confirmed cases of cholera in Basra, and the World Health Organization said it fears far more have gone unreported.

A WHO team dispatched to the southern city this week said the number of confirmed cases does not reflect the extent of the disease. "An outbreak of cholera, affecting probably several hundreds of people, is occurring," said WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib.

The first confirmed cases in Basra turned up in children age 4 and under. Tests were done by the Al-Tahir Teaching Hospital and Basra Maternal and Child Hospital. Additional samples have been sent to a laboratory in Kuwait for confirmation, and results are expected by today.

Health officials said they feared the disease is already epidemic. With 17 confirmed cases, "you can expect 10 times more within the larger population," said Dr. Denis Coulombier, a WHO epidemiologist.

Cholera, a waterborne disease, can be treated if detected early. However, it can prove deadly, especially to malnourished children.

Health experts have been warning of the potential for a large outbreak of cholera, given the shortage of clean water and lack of sanitation in southern Iraq.

During the war, Basra's wastewater-treatment system was shut down after air strikes damaged the electric grid that provides energy to the pumping systems.

Residents of the city, which has two million inhabitants, remained several weeks without drinking water. Many people had to collect water from the Shatt al-Arab river or from contaminated sites.

Cholera is one of the most effective assassins. At times, it may kill a person few hours after the infection has started. In 1994, an epidemic of cholera in a refugee camp at the east of Zaire killed 50,000 people in a period of three weeks.

Imagine that you are the father or mother of a family with children under 5 and answer the following questions:

Nro.	Question	YES	NO
1.	Do you find important facts that are cause for concern?
2.	Do you find basic information that facilitates the understanding of these facts?
3.	Do you consider that the sources of information are reliable?
4.	Does the news make it possible to take preventative actions for your children?

Evaluation

5. Analyze the message of the following news “Malnourished children, the principal victims of contamination”, published in the Electronic Bulletin Board La Jornada on Tuesday 11, November 2003.

ANGELICA ENCISO L.

A study issued yesterday by the Commission of Environmental Cooperation for North America (CECNA) points out that the indices of environmental contamination below the Mexican Official Standard also accelerate infant mortality and respiratory diseases, especially in malnourished children that live in poverty.

Until now researchers had found that the indices of suspended particles and ozone higher than the standards increase morbidity and mortality, but this new study revealed that even when the levels of contamination are controlled, i.e., below the standard, they cause health impairments. In this regard, Paul Miller, coordinator of the CECNA Air Quality Program, stated in a press conference that it is necessary to modify those standards.

The research has found a "significant relationship" between the levels of suspended particles (PM10) in the air, generated by diesel and gasoline with high content of sulfur, –as those used in Mexico– with infant mortality.

The research was conducted in Ciudad Juárez and found that among children age one month to one year that died between 1997 and 2001, 231 cases out of 696 were related to respiratory diseases, even though only on few occasions the standard of PM10 was exceeded.

The document revealed that in that group a contamination increase of 20 micrograms per cubic meter of PM10 during a day led to a mortality growth of 62 percent associated with respiratory diseases; when the increase of 20 micrograms per cubic meter lasted two days, the risk of death grew 82 percent. All death cases occurred in families in poverty; at higher socioeconomic levels these ravages were not presented.

The study selected 28 schools of Ciudad Juárez located in areas of high vehicle traffic to analyze the effects of the contaminants on health. It was found that children with asthma are more prone to inflammation of the respiratory tract, that PM10 was the most harmful contaminant, ant that ozone acts as an irritant for all the infant population. During the analysis period the standard was exceeded only on 14 occasions.

During those five years, children were transferred urgently to the hospital on days when the contamination levels were below the standard; when the contamination continued for two days, the deaths owing to respiratory causes in infants of low-income families increased 82 percent.

Matiana Ramírez, one of the specialists who participated in the preparation of the study, said that the most vulnerable groups continue to be the children and the elderly and their situation is compounded by poverty and malnutrition.

She added that the results of the study can be projected to the entire country because this situation is similar in other urban popular areas of Mexico. This has led to another pilot study in Iztapalapa, where there are also problems of marginalization. She insisted that the studies confirm that the contamination below the standard causes health problems and death, which means that the standards should be reviewed.

In turn, Paul Miller considered that this situation requires the reduction of the levels of sulfur in diesel and gasoline because sulfur contributes to the creation of suspended particles in the atmosphere. He said that this problem, more than a matter of motor vehicle traffic on the border, should be seen as a public health matter.

He added that the situation is not exclusive of the country because there are similar conditions in others crossings borders of Mexico and the United States, and in the border of this country with Canada.

Imagine that you are the father or mother of a family with children under 5 and answer the following questions:

Nro.	Question	YES	NO
1.	Do you find important facts that are cause for concern?
2.	Do you find basic information that facilitates the understanding of these facts?
3.	Do you consider that the sources of information are reliable?
4.	Does the news make it possible to take preventative actions for your children?

Evaluation