Jon D Lee

How Stories Shape Our Perceptions of Disease

The stories, jokes, conspiracy theories, and rumors around outbreaks can be more damaging than the diseases that spawn them, and yet the fears and doubts of the general public are very real. Especially now, better communication and greater sensitivity are required in conversations about infectious disease and public health.

University Press of Colorado | Utah State University Press is offering free access to these two fantastic resources for understanding cultural responses to the current outbreak of coronavirus.

Jon D. Lee is a lecturer in the English Department at Suffolk University.

It wasn’t long after the first reports of the Zika virus emerged from Brazil in May 2015 that the public started to panic.