Your recent news analysis (1) “Why press releases don’t tell the whole story”, which shows the power of media in influencing public opinion and commend your policy on not reporting press releases that are not supported by information that allows scrutiny, including a journal study report or a detailed research summary. We would like to share and wish to highlight some of the recent media coverage of Public Health issues and how it can affect public perception, actions, and implications.
As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, several other communicable diseases -namely, Mpox, diphtheria, and Group A Streptococcus, continue to capture the media coverage in the UK. People’s fear, anxiety and even paranoia can proliferate during a pandemic. Their worries often lead them to contact already overstretched health services. It is well recognised that the media plays an enormously influential role in public’s responses to health issues. A GP recently attacked media over Strep A and pointed out, “You lot have done a marvellous job of getting everyone worried!” (2)
As we come out of the COVID pandemic there is anxiety and concern of infectious diseases, a classical example being outbreak of Mpox. It caused significant panic among the British public (3). Although the objective of the media campaigns and coverage are to create public awareness towards the disease, in Africa (4) it was not effective in changing people's health behaviour.
Diphtheria outbreak, Manston processing centre, asylum seekers and migrants, Home Office - these words dominated the news coverage between October and December this year. Increase in cases of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae was reported among asylum seekers arriving in the UK this year (5). This highlighted to us that understanding and mitigating the risks posed by infectious diseases to disadvantaged peoples such as migrants continues to be important (6). However, political anti-immigration rhetoric has intensified and disputes over migrant issues have become more frequent (7).
Similar things happened to Group A Streptococcus. Due to its coverage, the media unintentionally has caused increased attendance at both accident & emergency (A&E) departments and general practices and many of these visits were for reassurance (8, 9). The disturbing pictures emerged as a 16th child died from the Step A outbreak across the country (10). As the death toll rises, many A&Es have been swamped with young patients (8). The infection has hit the NHS during its busiest period. Pharmacies are reporting local shortages of antibiotics (11), leaving parents desperate to hunt down medicine for sick children. These concerns often fanned by the media could put more pressure on already stretched health services (12). Recent coverage by the media on the pressures facing the NHS (13-16) has been dramatic and adverse and could lead the public to either delay or not seek health care when they really need it. Media also tend to sensationalise early findings from non-peer reviewed reports (17)
Media is a powerful tool and can be very helpful. It plays a key role in informing the public about health issues and has a responsibility to report accurate health and scientific information to the public. However, this may not always be the case as on occasions media tends to sensationalise an issue with its unintended consequences as discussed above. We need to constantly remind the media of their enormous power and this needs to be deployed judiciously to convey the facts and to reassure the public when we are faced with incidents of Public Health significance such as Diphtheria outbreaks among asylum seekers and the recent increase in cases of scarlet fever and sadly deaths due to invasive Group A Streptococcus.
Dr Lin Guo, Public Health Specialist, Public Health, Kent County Council. Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ. Email: Lin.Guo@kent.gov.uk
Dr Padmanabhan Badrinath, Interim Consultant in Public Health Medicine leading on COVID response and supporting health protection, Public Health, Kent County Council. Sessions House, County Road, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ. Email: padmanabhan.badrinath@kent.gov.uk
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are the personal view of the authors and in no way represent the views of Kent County Council.
1. Kmietowicz Z. Why press releases don’t tell the whole story. BMJ 2022;379:o2938 BMJ [Internet] [cited 2022 Dec 6]. Available from: https://www.bmj.com/content/379/bmj.o2938
2. GBNEWS.UK – Youtube.com [Internet] [cited 2022 Dec 10]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SzzNrwN26E
3. Daily Mail. Monkeypox will become Endemic in Britain unless Government buys more vaccines to thwart ever-growing outbreak, LGBT groups warn. Published on August 5, 2022. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-11083435/Health-Secretary-act. accessed on December 13, 2022.
4. Wogu JO, Chukwu CO, Orekyeh ESS, Nwankiti CO, Okoye-Ugwu S. Assessment of media reportage of monkeypox in southern Nigeria. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jan;99(5):e17985. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000017985. PMID: 32000354; PMCID: PMC7004708.
5. Gov.UK. Diphtheria: cases among asylum seekers in England, health protection report (data to 25 November 2022). Gov.UK [Internet] [cited 2022 Dec 13]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/diphtheria-cases-among-asylum.
6. Migrant health matters. Nat Microbiol 7, 1945–1946 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01285-8
7. Conzo, P., Fuochi, G., Anfossi, L. et al. Negative media portrayals of immigrants increase ingroup favoritism and hostile physiological and emotional reactions. Sci Rep 11, 16407 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-95800-2
8. The Mirror. Strep A rush brings A&E 'to its knees' with sick kids forced to sleep on floor. Published on December 9, 2022. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/strep-rush-brings-ae-to-28698153 accessed on December 13, 2022.
9 iNews. Strep A: GPs are struggling to cope and demand more help from Government. Published on December 9, 2022. https://inews.co.uk/news/health/strep-a-gp-struggling-cope-demand-more-h. accessed on December 13, 2022.
10. Sky news. Strep A outbreak: Sixteenth child dies in Sussex with suspected infection. Published on December 10, 2022. https://news.sky.com/story/strep-a-outbreak-child-dies-in-sussex-with-su. accessed on December 13, 2022.
11. BBC News. Scarlet fever: Mother's terror after late-night antibiotic search. Published on December 13, 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire-63948089 accessed on December 13, 2022.
12. The Telegraph. The reason why lockdown may have left a generation with an ‘immunity debt’. Published on December 7, 2022. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/strep-flu-tsunami-did-lo. accessed on December 13, 2022.
13. BBC News. My mum's 40-hour wait to get to A&E with hip break. Published on December 1, 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63808516 accessed on December 14, 2022.
14. BBC News. 'A&E is absolute chaos - I spent 15 hours on a trolley'. Published on December 8, 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63890726 accessed on December 14, 2022.
15. BBC News. Record numbers faced four-hour A&E waits in England in October. Published on November 10, 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-63583751 accessed on December 14, 2022.
16. BBC News. Live - Staff in tears and frustrated patients - inside A&E. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/health-63814069 accessed on December 14, 2022.
17. Badrinath P. Money, market, media, and vaccine nationalism in the pandemic era BMJ 2021;372:n630 doi:10.1136/bmj.n630
Conflict of interest: The authors work in a local authority Public Health Department.
Competing interests: The authors work in a local authority Public Health Department.