Posted on: Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Tourism Talk
Accurate information fuels our best defense against dengue fever
By Michele Kayal
Advertiser Staff Writer
Two of the state's most prominent tourism executives were very upset.
I was taking a call from one of them when the message came in from the other. "Is CNN reporting that dengue fever is a terrorist attack on Hawai'i?" they both wanted to know.
CNN had in the past put a dengue fever bulletin on its screen-bottom banner, but it was not reporting that the disease was an act of biological terrorism against the Islands. Apparently, the tipster was sitting at home inhaling too much DEET.
But the incident proved like none other why public officials need to continue their efforts to keep real, accurate information out there. Terrorism is scary. Dengue fever is scary. And fear is what probably combined the two in the tipster's mind.
For sure, dengue fever could not have arrived at a worse time. And for sure it is a conundrum: How do you keep visitors safe without driving them away?
But Hawai'i must remember that nothing is so dangerous to the truth — and ultimately to this state's economy — as fear-driven rumors. And only good information dispels rumors. Just ask a reporter.
The story hit papers nationwide. The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today. Papers in Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Dallas, as well as countless other media outlets, all gave ink to Hawai'i's mini-plague. Few mentioned what some entomologists here have said — that the Hawai'i mosquito is less aggressive and less efficient (no jokes, please) than the mosquito spreading the disease in Puerto Rico, southeast Asia and parts of the South Pacific. The Hawai'i mosquito lolls about in rural areas until someone tasty comes along, while its more focused cousin cruises dense urban centers looking for dinner.
The reports were pretty balanced, but still some calls and e-mails flowed.
The Maui Visitors Bureau fielded lots of inquiries early on from people asking whether they should cancel their trips. And Advertiser reporters got a good stream of e-mails. One asked whether a trip to Honolulu and Maui should be canceled, and whether the reporter would personally "guarantee" the travelers' safety.
One came from a Maui resident in Greece who had suffered dengue fever in the past and vowed not to return until the outbreak is over. One was from a couple in Ontario, Canada, asking whether dengue posed "too big of a threat" to carry on with their November plans to visit Maui. One wished dengue on the entire state, calling residents a "lazy bunch of useless eater(sic)" and signing it "Aloha."
No doubt the impact on Hana — dengue's ground zero — has been real and great. Hotels, vacation rentals and bed-and-breakfasts have returned thousands of dollars in reservation deposits since the outbreak struck, and many are considering cutting hours for their workers. Fewer people are staying overnight in Hana, and some are even refusing to get out of their cars when they arrive.
But the upshot could have been worse, if state and visitor officials had let the word seep out on the rumor mill.
The state Department of Health distributed information efficiently. The Maui Visitors Bureau got in touch with a couple of dozen newspapers it deals with regularly and gave them the official numbers, plus an advisory on how visitors can protect themselves. It even spent about $5,000 on insecticide-laden towelettes for visitors stopping in Ha'iku. And no one reached down during a press conference to scratch a bite, not even once.
Ironically, the timing of the dengue outbreak is a double-edged sword. With everyone nervous about biological agents, every unusual sickness can seem sinister. On the other hand, a small blossom of tropical fever that otherwise would have been a real vacation breaker takes on an odd bit of perspective.
"You've got anthrax everywhere else," said one visitor industry executive. "Who worries about dengue fever anymore?"
