In the authors' view: "Risk communication messages that are not comprehended by the public at risk, or communication of conflicting risk messages will result in lack of precautionary actions, as will communications from a non-trustworthy source. However, risk communication messages are sometimes very quickly adopted by the media, possibly leading to an amplification' of risk information that may lead to unnecessary mass scares and unnecessary or ineffective precautionary action."

This editorial is published in the latest issue of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, dedicated to lessons learned from both the SARS and avian flu outbreaks. Overall, the studies in this issue show that people across Europe and East Asia do regard recently emerging infectious diseases as serious potential health threats, based on information received from various sources, with clear differences between countries and regions. The International Journal of Behavioral Medicine is the official journal of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine.

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