SCIE3001 Communication for Public Education Assignment

Our public education product is designed to educate the public about prevention of bacterial illness, regarding the STEC (Shiga Toxin producing Escherichia coli) outbreak at the 2013 Brisbane Ekka. As part of the campaign we will develop a significant online presence during the 2014 Ekka and will be conducting a monitoring search for mentions of the Ekka where we will @reply to the users

informing them to practise responsible hand hygiene. We will also use this platform to tweet regularly about symptoms and outbreaks of infection. The screenshot we have provided is an example of the twitter account we will use for our campaign.

Rhianna Pedwell 42370730 Justification: The problem being addressed by this public education campaign is that there was an outbreak of STEC at the 2013 Ekka (1,2). This problem needs to be addressed, because it is something easily preventable but can have serious consequences. This recent outbreak in Brisbane has been reported as the largest in years (1). Of the 19 cases linked to the Ekka, the majority were children (1). Children under 5 years are most susceptible (2). The source of the outbreak may be the animal nursery (1, 2). A serious infection includes bloody diarrhoea, and possibly a damaging kidney condition (1-3). There is no antibiotic treatment option for a STEC infection (1-3). Prevention is the key (1), and is the purpose of the public education campaign. The main goal of the public education campaign is to prevent another outbreak of STEC. The campaign is set as though for the 2014 Ekka, in response to the outbreak in 2013. The objectives of this campaign are to raise awareness about STEC transmission, prevention and infection recognition. A change of behaviour in the target groups is the intended outcome. The target audience for the prevention campaign is primarily parents of very young children, visiting the Ekka. The audience would also include anyone using Twitter or social media in relation to visiting the Ekka. As young children are most susceptible to the infection (2), parents would be interested in and concerned about information relating to protecting their childrens health (4). They would also be the instigators of the change in behaviour by washing their childrens hands. The campaign aims to get that message out to parents in an effective format, while being informative but not overly serious. The message is washing hands after touching animals/before eating food will help prevent STEC transmission (1-2). One aspect of effective use of social media is that information relating to the message on social media needs to be accessible (4), here in short bursts of information via Twitter. This is also achieved by using a direct link to the Queensland Health fact page about STEC (4). Elements of the EROT model are used. The E/Entertainment factor (5) is the character of Stanley STEC1, used to lessen the serious nature of the information. The message is made engaging with humour, personification, alliteration and rule of three. The O/Organised (5) for this campaign involves Facebook and the Ekka website containing the same facts as the Twitter format, and posters, with the message easily consumed by the audience (5). The R/Relevant pertains to the target audience of parents, where those with young children would find this information relevant

In a real campaign, it would be an independently designed caricature of the STEC bacteria the current image is of the E. coli bacteria Giantmicrobes by Drew Oliver plush toy: http://www.giantmicrobes.com/au/products/ecoli.html

when considering how to protect their childrens health at the Ekka. Finally, T/Theme is prevention is key (1-2). This campaign aims to eliminate STEC outbreaks, by raising public awareness that prevention of transmission is important. It focuses on parents with young, susceptible children initiating the change in behaviour. The Twitter format uses easily accessed, short amounts of information. The use of a character to deliver the message reduces the risk of causing panic. References: 1. Miles, J. 2013. Brisbane Ekka E. coli outbreak surges to 19 confirmed cases, The Courier Mail. Online via http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/brisbane-ekka-e-coli-outbreak-surges-to-19confirmed-cases/story-fnihsrf2-1226707571678 2. The State of Queensland (Queensland Health). 2013. Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli outbreak 2013. Online via http://www.health.qld.gov.au/communicablediseases/ecoli.asp 3. In J, Lukyanenko V, Foulke-Abel J, Hubbard AL, Delannoy M, Hansen A-M, Kaper JB, Boisen N, Nataro JP, Zhu C, Boedeker EC, Girn JA, Kovbasnjuk O. 2013. Serine Protease EspP from Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia Coli Is Sufficient to Induce Shiga Toxin Macropinocytosis in Intestinal Epithelium. PLoS One. 8:e69196. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0069196. 4. Ogilvy Washington & The Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown University. 2010. Using Social Media Platforms to Amplify Public Health Messages An Examination of Tenets and Best Practices for Communicating with Key Audiences. Online via http://smexchange.ogilvypr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/OW_SM_WhitePaper.pdf 5. Kuchel, L, Dr. 2013. SCIE3001 Communicating For Public Education. (lecture slides) Online via https://learn.uq.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-466412-dt-content-rid2105257_1/courses/SCIE3001S_6360_63204/SCIE3001%20Communicating%20for%20Public%20Edu cation%20L2.pdf Note: Referencing Ham, 1992 on the EROT Model.