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Bulletin No. 21 - Spring 2005
VirologyInternational Society for Animal Hygiene ? Saint-Malo - 2004
JENSEN KK, LASSEN J, ROBINSON P, SANDØE
Understanding lay and expert risk perception in the light of moral theory.
Proceedings of the International Society for Animal Hygiene, 2004, 15-21
How do experts and lay persons consider food-related risks? Both categories have been interviewed in Denmark and, as expected, the answers reveals that there is a great discrepancy of opinion between them regarding zoonoses. More particular attention is drawn towards the variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (γCJD) and Salmonella infection which are meaningful references in order to understand each point of view. When asked to rank zoonoses in terms of risk and severity, lay persons tend to perceive γCJD as public enemy number one and Salmonella as a minor threat. Salmonella is considered as a "natural" entity that has always been there and for which cures are available, while γCJD, which inevitably leads to death, originates from man activity. In addition, while the prevention of γCJD relies on public control only, an individual can play an active part in the prevention of Salmonella infection. When asked to rank zoonoses in terms of risk and severity, experts adopt a different strategy, considering not only the severity of the relative diseases but also their frequency, and considering more important to avoid a great number of clinical cases rather than a single death case. Consequently, experts tend to rank Salmonella and Campylobacter first and vCJD at a midway or even lower position, underlying that too much money is currently spent for prevention of γCJD at the expense of that of the other zoonoses. The role played by the media and the politics is also discussed. Regarding the prevention of zoonoses, lay persons primarily consider their individual interest while experts tend to only consider numbers. An open dialogue would be the only way to achieve a compromise and improve the control of food-related risks.
