Abstract
Despite Australian horse owners being encouraged to vaccinate their horses against Hendra virus to reduce the risk of this potentially fatal virus to horses and humans, vaccine uptake has been slow. Discourse around the vaccine has been characterised by polarisation and dissenting voices. In this study we interviewed horse owners (N=15) and veterinarians (N=10), revealing how expert knowledge, disqualification of lay knowledge and inadequate handling of uncertainty impacted divisive discourse around Hendra virus. We assert that more inclusive, reflective and ultimately more effective risk communication practices will result if the legitimacy of diverse knowledge sources and the inevitability of uncertainty are acknowledged.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | A01 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Journal of Science Communication |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Jul 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright the Author(s) 2020. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- health communication
- professional development and training in science communication
- professionalism
- risk communication