CaseofthePlacatedPlague

ByAnnieNelsonandHaleyTharp

ExecutiveSummary

ProblemandPurpose
Ithasbeenconfirmedthat20countiesinthestateofUtahhaveplagueinfectedrodents
residingintheirboundaries.Onlyonecaseofhumaninfectionacrossthestatehasbeen
found.Themajorityoftheaffectedareasareinruralpartsofthestate,butthediseaseis
spreadingacrosstheWasatchFront.Thisisanareacontainingabout80percentofthestates
population,endangeringalargeportionofUtahcitizens.Theactualchanceofgettinginfected
withtheplaguetodayisaroundoneinthreemillionandonlyoneofthethreemainformsofthe
plagueisabletospreadfrompersontoperson(Plague,2012)
.
Ourultimateaimisto
educatetheUtahpopulationontheminimalriskofinfection,butalsomakethemawareofthe
growingsituationandteachthemhowtopreventtheplaguefromspreading.

Conclusions
AnalysisoftheseverityoftheplagueoutbreakandthesensitivityoftheUtahpublichasledus
tothefollowingconclusionsabouttheproblemthattheUtahsStateDepartmentofHealthis
facing:
ManyoftheUtahpublicareunawarethattheplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughout
thestate.
Manypeopledonotunderstandthesymptomsoftheplagueandmaymistakethemas
symptomsofalessseriousdisease.
Somemaythinkthattheplagueisadiseaseofthepastandthattheyarenotatrisk.
Manypeoplewhentheyhearthewordplagueimmediatelybegintopanicanddont
understandthattheriskofgettingtheplagueisveryminimal.

Recommendations
AftercarefulevaluationofthemajorissuesthattheUtahStateDepartmentofHealthisfacing
wehavethefollowingspecificrecommendationstoeffectivelyreachtheUtahpublicand
accomplishtheorganizationsobjectivesandgoals.
Informthekeypublicsoftheinfectedareasandthespreadofthedisease.
Teachthekeypublicsofthesymptomsofthediseaseandhowtopreventit.
Informthekeypublicsoftheminimalchanceofgettingthedisease.
Findabalancebetweenmakingpeopleawareoftheissueandtheimportanceoftaking
preventativemeasurestostopthespreadandalsomakingsurethattheyunderstand
theresnoneedtopanicsincetheriskisminimal.ThefocusneedstobeonItsbetter
safethensorry.
Budget

Thiscampaigncostsatotalof$36,726.28,butbecauseofthepartnerswehavejoinedwith
andtheeventswehavedecidedtoattend,ourcampaignwillonlycost$27,924.78.Our
partnersandeventsarefunding$7,631.50ofourexpenses.OurgoalistounifytheUtahState
DepartmentofHealthandcombineeffortswithourpartnerstoeffectivelyreachthepublicand

bringthemtoawarenessofthespreadingnatureoftheplague.Wehopethatthroughthese
combinedeffortswewillbeabletostopthespreadofthedisease.
CaseofthePlacatedPlague

BackgroundResearch:

ExternalEnvironment
:

WasatchFront:
The issue of the plague is beginning to spread to the Wasatch Front whichis an area
that covers Santaquin to Brigham City and covers about 80 percent of the population. Of the
Wasatch Fronts 2,000,000 residents, 57.3 % are 34 or younger who are easier to access
through numerous media outlets (Wasatch Front Profile, 2008). The major counties in this
area include Salt Lake, Utah, Davis, Weber and Box Elder and the major cities include Salt
LakeCity,Provo,WestJordan,OgdenandWestValleyCity(WasatchFront,2014).
Salt Lake County has the population of
1,029,655 of which there are 343,218
households and about40percentof thosehouseholdshavechildrenundertheageof18living
at home. The population is 81 percent White and 2 percent Black. About 56 percent of the
population is Mormon and 33 percent are NonReligious.ThecouncilmembersincludeRandy
Horiuchi, Richard Snelgrove and Jim Bradley. The district council members include Arlyn
Bradshaw, Michael Jensen, David Wilde, Sam Granato, Steve DeBry and Steve DeBry.
Salt
Lake City is the largest cityin the county and holds the county seatandthe mayor of thecity
Ben McAdams (
Salt Lake County, Utah, 2014
). Salt Lake City is the capital ofUtah and a
metropolitan areawith atotal population of 186,440. Seventyfivepercent of the population is
White and 22 percent are Hispanic. All other races are under 5 percent of the population
("Current Salt Lake City, Utah Population,
Demographics and stats in 2014, 2013," 2013). A little
less than half ofthepopulationofSaltLake Cityaffiliate
themselves with the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latterday Saints (3441 percent) and the next highest
concentration of religion in the city is Catholic (10
percent) (Utah, 2014). They were also named the
healthiest city in 2008 and by Mens Health and
Womens Health magazines.. Thecityvalueseducation
with 37 percent of its residents having earned a
bachelors degree. They also have twentythree
elementary schools, five middle schools, three high
schools, one alternative high school and afewCatholic
schools(SaltLakeCity,2014).
Utah County is the second most populated
county inthestateofUtahwithapopulationof
516,564.
Of this population there are 140,602 households and

about 48 percentofthesehouseholdshavechildrenunder18livingathome.The populationis

90 percent White and 88 percent Mormon.T
he largest city within the county isProvo. Provo
also holds the county seat (Utah County, 2014). The mayor of Provo is John Curtis and the
city council consists of Gary Winterton, Kim Santiago, Hal Miller, Kay Van Buren, Stephen
Hales, Dave Sewell and Gary Garrett all of which represent different areas of the city. Lehi is
the center of the county (Meet the Council, n.d.) Utah county is represented by three
commissioners Gary J. Anderson, Doug Witney and Larry Ellertson. These representatives
serve on multiple committees and also meet twice a week with county and public officials
(
UtahCountyGovernmentElectedOfficials,n.d.)
.

Davis Countyisthethirdmostpopulatedcountyinthestate ofUtahwithapopulationof

306,479. Itscounty seat is inFarmington and its largest cityisLayton.Thelargestportionsof
the countys populations also reside in Kaysville, Bountiful and Clearfield. The county is also
served by three commissioners including John Petroff, Louenda Downs and Bret Millburn.
Davis county is also considered to be classified as a bedroomcommunitybecauseabout43
percent of the countys population works in a different county, mostly Salt Lake county. The
median age forthecountyisaround30.Thereare93,545householdsandabout45percentof
those households have children under 18 living at home. The populationisaround 90percent
White and 72 percent Mormon. About 20 percent of the population is not religious. The
countys school district currently has 59 elementary schools, 16juniorhighschools,eighthigh
schools,andthreealternativeschools(DavisCounty,Utah,2014).
Weber County has a population of
231,236 and the largest city within the county is
Ogden, which also holds the county seat. There are about 65,698 households in the county
and about 40 percent of the these households have children under 18 living at home. The
median age is 29 and 88 percent of the
population is White. The county has two
school districts, Ogden City and Weber
School District. It also has Weber State
University and OgdenWeber Applied
Technology College (Weber County,Utah,
2014). Weber County is represented by
three commissioners:
Matthew G Bell, Jan
M.ZogmaisterandKerry W.Gibson(Weber
County, n.d.). The mayor of the largest city
in the county, Ogden, is Mike Caldwell
("
Ogden'sMayorMikeCaldwell,n.d.
).
BoxElderCountyhasapopulationof
49,975
of which there are 16,058 households and
43 percent of them have children under 18
living at home. The largest city inthecounty
is Brigham City. The population is 91
percent white and the average age is about
30. THe county has14 elementary schools,
two intermediate, two middle, three high schools and two alternative schools (Box Elder
County, Utah, 2014). The county is represented by three commissioners: Ryan Tingey, Jeff

ScottandStanSummers(
BoxElderCountyCommission,n.d.)
.Themayorof BrighamCityis
TylerVincent(
BrighamCityMayor,n.d.)
.

RuralAreas:
The majority of plague infected areas are in the ruralparts ofUtah.Theplagueismost
common to outbreak inruralandsemiruralareasprimarilyinsemiaridforestsandgrasslands
because of the many different types of rodents that live in those areas. The most common
animals to be infected are rats, squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, mice, voles and rabbits.
Often time carnivore animals will become infected
because they will eat infected animals (
Plague
Ecology and Transmission, 2012
). Of the total
2,900,872
people who live in Utah about
311
,861
live in the rural parts of the state coming out to be
about 10.8 percent of the population (Utah, n.d.).
Rural areas of Utahcurrently educate15percentof
Utahs students (
Welcome to Utah Rural Schools
Association
, n.d.). There are currently 46 hospitals
inthe stateofUtahand18arelocatedinruralareas
of the state. It hasalso been found that 11 percent
of the rural populationin Utah did not obtain a high
school degree. Thisis 9.2 percentinurbanareasof
Utah. The rural unemployment rate wasalso found
to be higher than that of urban areas. Rural areas
are at a 6.4 percent unemployment rate compared
to 5.6 percent inurbanareas(Utah,n.d.).Thereis
a group called the Governors Rural Partnership
Board who meets every other month to discuss
waystohelptheruralpartsofUtah(
GRPBMeeting
Information, n.d.). Thereisalsoaneventcalled
the Utah Rural SummitWhere Rural Utah
Meets which is an event for rural Utahleaders
to gather together and go over Utahs
communities,
economies,
issues
and
opportunities. It will be on SUUs campus on
August 8th and 9th of 2014 and may be useful
in contacting rural Utah leaders (
Regional
Services, n.d.). The figure totherightindicates
the rural areas in Utah by the yellow color
based on the definition of the Office of
ManagementandBudget(
Utah,2000).

UtahsTotalPopulation:

Utahspopulationasof2013wasapproximately2,900,872.Thepopulationwasabout79.9
percentWhite,13.3percentHispanicorLatino,2.2percentAsian,1.5percentAmericanIndian
and1.3percentBlack(
UtahQuickFactsfromtheUSCensusBureau
,2014).About62
percentofUtahspopulationisaffiliatedwiththeChurchofJesusChristofLatterdaySaints,
whichmaybeanimportantdisseminatorofinformation.Utahisalsoconsiderthesecond
fastestgrowingpopulationinthestateandSt.Georgecountyisthesecondfastestgrowing
countyasidefromLasVegas.Accordingtoa2012GallupstudyUtahwasnamethebest
statetoliveinbasedoneconomicandlifestylemetricsandthefourthhighestwellbeingstate.
Utahisalsohometoanumberofskiresortsthatbringinalotofoutsidevisitors,whichmay
alsopresentitsownsetofissues(Utah,2014).
Utahsrelationshipwiththeplagueisnot
extensive,butthereareafewinstances.In2006UtahParkwasshutdownduetoplague
infectioninfieldmiceandchipmunks.TheplagueisnotcommoninUtah,butitsconcentration
pointisintheFourCornersareawhereUtahmeetsColorado,NewMexico,andArizona
(Press,2006).ThereiscurrentlyonecaseoftheplagueinfectingahumanatthistimeinUtah
accordingtoUtahsStateDepartmentofHealth.Theplaguestartedinruralareasandis
beginningtospreadtotheWasatchFront.Thereare46hospitalsinUtah,18ofwhichare
locatedinruralpartsofthestate(
Utah,n.d.)
.ThecurrentgovernorofUtahisGovernorGary
Herbert(Utah,2014.)

TheIndustry

IntermountainHealthcare,Inc.isonemajorplayerinthehealthcareindustryacrosstheUtah
frontier.Itisthelargesthealthcareproviderintheintermountainwestandisanonprofit
company.Intermountainhasapproximately4,400employeesand1,600physiciansandwas
rankedasthebesthospitalinUtahbytheU.S.NewsandWorldReports20132014Best
Hospitals(IntermountainHealthcare,2014).Theyhavewonnumerousawardsfortheir
regionalperformance,includingawardsforhavingthelowesthealthcarecostsinthenation,
beingsecondlowestinthenationintermsofmortalityamenabletohealthcare,andranked
seventhontheannualInformationWeekstopbusinesstechnologyinnovatorslist.The
medicalcenterhasateamofninephysicianswhospecializeintreatingandpreventingvarious
diseases.Thespecializedteamworkstopreventthespreadingofdiseasebyimplementing
safetymeasuresandprecautionsbasedontheirresearch,andofferconsultationsand
medicationstothoseinfected.TheyarelocatedatIntermountainsfacilityinMurray,Ut.Utah
alsohasamedicaleducationcounselthatspecificallycaterstotheruralpopulationofUtah.
The
UMECisagovernorappointed,eightmemberboardchargedtobridgethegapbetween
public/privatehealthcareworkforceandeducationalinterests(UtahMedicalEducation
Council,2014).
TheUtahMedicalEducationCouncilholdsannualjobfairsandandmedical
workforcestudiesinordertoattractphysicianstoruralUtah.Theyalsoofferresidencytraining
inavarietyofmedicalspecializationsinruralhospitalsordertorecruitphysicianspermanently
toruralhospitalsandclinicsinthearea.

TheClient

TheUtahStateDepartmentofHealthisagovernmentagencythatbeganastheUtah
DepartmentofHealthandWelfarein1967.TheUtahStateHealthDepartmentoverseesand
providesoverallhealthservicesforUtahresidents.Theirresponsibilitiesincludeproviding
clinicalneeds,medicallicensingandcertification,andhealthinsurancecoverage(Utah
DepartmentofHealth,2014).The
departmenthasvarious
subdivisionssuchasthedivision
ofdiseasecontrolandprevention
aswellasthedivisionoffamily
healthandpreparedness.The
divisionofdiseasecontroland
preventionhasasubdepartment
calledthebureauofhealth
promotionledbyHeatherBorski,
whosecollaborationwiththe
campaignmaybeessential.The
DivisionofDiseaseControland
Preventionhasissuedhealth
alertsforvariouscontagious
diseasesinthepastsuchas
Influenza,WestNileVirus,and
Mold.ThesealertstypicallywidelyinformUtahresidentsofthenatureofthevirusandthengo
ontopublicizepreventativemeasuresthatshouldbetaken(UtahDivisionofDiseaseControl
andPrevention,2014).Thedivisionhasalsoimplementedpreventativeinitiativesintherealms
ofnewbornscreening,bioterrorism,anddrugoverdosing.In2012,TheUtahStateDepartment
ofHealthenactedaweeklong,ruralhealthinitiativeinordertoimprovehealthcareaccessto
ruralareas.Thedepartmentconductedastudyprevioustotheinitiativeandfoundthatonein
fourutahnslivesinaruralorfrontierarea(UtahStateDepartmentofHealth,2012).

TheProduct,ServiceorIssue
:

TheplagueisoftencausedbyabacteriumcalledYersiniapestis.Itisoftencausedbyaflea
biteorfromexposuretorodents.Therodentsthataremostoftencarriersareratsandrabbits
andthefleasofsquirrelsandprairiedogsarealsooftencarriers.Youcanalsogettheplague
frombitesofinfecteddomesticcats.Itcanalsobetransferredfromhumantohuman,butonly
ifitisthetypeofplaguethatinfectsthelungs,thePneumonicplague.Ifitisthistypethe
dropletsfromacoughcancarrythebacteriathroughtheairmakingitsoanyonewhobreaths
inthosedropletswillbeatriskofcatchingthedisease.Therearethreemaintypesofthe
plagueandtheirsymptomsdependonwhichpartofthebodyisaffected.TheBubonicplague
isusuallycausedbythebiteofaninfectedfleaandthebacteriaaffectsthenearestlymph
nodeandmultipliesthere.Thesymptomsstartabouttwotofivedaysaftertheinitialexposure
tothebacteriaandtheywillmanifestthemselvesstartingwithasuddenappearanceofthe
chills,afever,headaches,musclepain,seizuresandpainfullymphglandswelling.This

swellingiscalledbuboandoftenisfoundinthegroinarea,butmayalsohappenintheneckor
thearmpits(
Plague:MedlinePlusMedicalEncyclopedia
,n.d.).Itmostoftenappearsinthe
closeslymphnodestothespotofinfection.

TheSepticemicplagueisanotherformofthe
plaguethatinfectsthebloodvessels.TheSepticemicformmaynotmanifestitselfbefore
causingdeath,butifitdoesthesymptomsincludeabdominalpain,nausea,vomiting,fever,
diarrheaandpossiblybleedingfrombloodclotting.Thistypemayalsocausepartsoftheskin
andotherpartsofthebodytodieandturnblack.Themostcommonareasofthebodythatwill
beaffectedincludethefingers,toesandnose.ThiscanoccurifyoudonottreattheBubonic
plagueoritcanbethefirstsymptomthatwillshow.Thethirdtypeoftheplagueisthe
Pneumonicandittendstomanifestitselftwotothreedaysaftertheinitialinfection.

Thefirst
symptomswillincludethefever,difficultybreathing,paininthechest,severecoughand
pneumoniawillbegintodevelopwhichmaybloodymucous(
Plague:MedlinePlusMedical
Encyclopedia
,n.d.).Youcangetthisfrominhalinginfecteddropletsorifyouhavehadoneof
theothertwotypesoftheplagueandithasspreadtothelungs.ThePneumonicplagueisthe
onlykindoftheplaguethatcanspreadbetweenpeopleandisthemostsevereformofthe
plague(Plague,2012).Ifcaughtintimetheplaguecanoftenbytreatedwithantibiotics.
(
Plague(disease)
,2014).Italsoneedstobetreatedimmediatelybecausethereisahighrisk
ofdeathiftheplagueisnottreatedwithin24hours.Also,thosewhoareinfectedwiththe
Pneumonicplaguemustremainisolatedfromtheircaregiversandotherssothatthediseaseis
nottransmitted(
Plague:MedlinePlusMedicalEncyclopedia
,n.d.).Theplaguecanbe
prevented

byremainingfullyclothedwithlongpantsandshirtswhilecampingandhikingto
avoidexposureoftheskintotheunknownoftheoutdoors.Also,stayingondesignatedtrails
andavoidingprairiedogburrowswhileintheoutdoorscanhelpavoidexposure.Stayingaway
fromrodentsandavoidingrehabilitatingsickrodentscanalsohelpyourchances.Insect
repellentsthatincludeDEETcanpreventexposureifsprayedonskinandclothes.Italsohelps
ifyoukeepyourpetsfleafreeandreportinganylargeamountsofsickrodentstothehealth
departmentcanhelppreventabreakout(
UtahOfficeOfEpidemiology
,2007).TheCenters
forDiseaseControlandPreventionreportsthatanaverageof18casesoftheplagueaffecting
humansarereportingeveryyearandoneoutofeveryseventhatareaffectedwilldiefromthe
disease(Press,2006).Thechancesofgettinginfectedwiththeplagueattodayisaboutaone
inthreemillionchanceandthechanceofactuallydyingfromtheplagueisonein30million
(
Riskofdeathfromplaguetodayandinhistory
,n.d.).Thedemographicsthatareusuallyat
thehighestriskofcomingincontactwiththeplagueincludethosewhoworkinalaboratory
setting,orgeology,orbiologybecausetheymaycomeincontactwithrodentsmoreoftenthan
theusualcitizen.Peopleunder20arealsotheonesconsideredtobeatgreaterriskbecause
theyaremorelikelybebeinareaswhererodentsburrow.Theyarealsomoreactiveand
curiouswhichmayleadthemtoplaywithaninfectedrodent.Theyalsoareknowntobein
contactwithpetswithfleasmore.Also,thosewhoareinvolvedinhuntingareathigherriskof
infection(
UtahOfficeOfEpidemiology
,2007.)

Rats:
Alargenumberofplagueinfectionscomefromthefleasofrats.Ratscanlivealmost
anywhere.Theypreferdarkplacesandarenativetoallcontinents,excludingAntarctica

(
Wheredoratslive?,n.d.)
.Reducingtheamountofpilesthatsurroundyoulivingspacewill
helpindecreasingthenumberofrodentsthatsurroundyou.Also,usinggloveswhentouching
animalsthatcouldpossiblybeinfected,especiallyonesthataresick,willhelpprotectagainst
infectedfleasbites(Prevention,2013).

Resources

UtahMedia:InterveningPublic
TherearemanydiversemediaoutletsinUtah.TwoofthemajornewspapersaretheSaltLake
Tribune,theDeseretNews,theDailyHeraldandKSL.com.Themajortelevisionnewsstations
areKUTV,KSL,ABC4andFOX13(
Top20UtahNewsSites
,n.d.).Thesemediaoutletsare
generallytrustedsourcesamongtheUtahpopulationandarewidelydisseminated.Many
citizensrelyonthemforinformation.Anothersourceofnewsissocialmedia.Especiallywith
theyoungerpopulation,socialmediaisanimportantnewsgenerator.WebsiteslikeFacebook,
TwitterandInstagramareoftenused.Manymayalsoreadblogsoronlinemagazinesthatpick
uphotstories.Socialmediaisaninfluentialdisseminatorofinformation(Mitchell,Rosenstiel,
Christian,n.d.).Radioisanotherbigavenueformediaoutreach.Themajorstationsinthe
metropolitanareasareandthemajorstationsintheruralareasareKSLNewsradio102.7
FM,
Utah'sBigTalker860AM,KNRSFamilyValuesRadio105.7FM,KZNUFoxNewsRadio
1450AM,KCPWPublicRadio88.3FM,
KUERFM90.1
,
KPCW91.9
,UtahPublicRadio
KUSR89.5
,UtahsRockStation
KBER101.1
and
KLO103.1
(
Home>UT
,n.d.).

SWOTAnalysis:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Peopleunderstandtheseverityofthe
Talkingabouttheplagueinfectingthe
plague.
areacausespanic.
Weareearlyonintheinfection
Ruralareasarenotasconnectedto
process.
asmanyformsofthemediabecause
Theriskofhumaninfectionis
oflackofmetropolitansurroundings.
minimal.
Ruralareasarenotasconnected
throughwordofmouth.
Ifnotreportedquickly,theplaguecan
takelivesinamatterofdays,leaving
lesstimetorespond.
Opportunities:
Threats:
Weareearlyonintheinfection
Panicmayoverwhelmcitizensability
processsopreventionishighly
tounderstandthemessagesbeing
possible.
delivered.
Opportunitytofurthereducatepeople
Some
mayfeelinvincibleagainst
aboutlivinghealthylifestylesand
suchararediseaseandtake
activelyavoidingdisease.
preventativemeasureslightly.
OftheWasatchFronts2,000,000
Symptomsoftheplaguecouldbe

residents,57.3%are34oryounger
whoareeasiertoaccessthrough
numerousmediaoutlets.

mistakenforlesssevereinfections.
Somewhomayhavecommon
illnessesmaymistakeifforthe
plagueandcausepanic.

SituationAnalysis:

Ithasbeenconfirmedthat20countiesinthestateofUtahhaveplagueinfectedrodents
residingintheirboundaries.Onlyonecaseofhumaninfectionacrossthestatehasbeen
found.Themajorityoftheaffectedareasareinruralpartsofthestate,butthediseaseis
spreadingacrosstheWasatchFront.Thisisanareacontainingabout80percentofthestates
population,endangeringalargeportionofUtahcitizens.Theactualchanceofgettinginfected
withtheplaguetodayisaroundoneinthreemillionandonlyoneofthethreemainformsofthe
plagueisabletospreadfrompersontoperson(Plague,2012)
.
Ourultimateaimisto
educatetheUtahpopulationontheminimalriskofinfection,butalsomakethemawareofthe
growingsituationandteachthemhowtopreventtheplaguefromspreading.

Apotentialdifficultymaybecausedbysensitivepublicperceptionoftheplaguebecauseofits
fatalnature.Withonecaseofhumaninfection,panicmayarisethroughoutthepopulationifthe
natureofthediseaseisnotproperlyunderstood.Ontheoppositeendofthespectrum,itmay
bedifficulttoconvincesomeoftheseriouspreventativemeasurestobetaken,astheymay
assumethatthediseaseissorarethattheywouldnevercontractit.Anotherpotentialdifficulty
mayincludetryingtoreachtheruralareasofthestate,whicharethemostinfectedareas,
becauseoftheirdistancefromthemetropolitanareaand,byconsequence,metropolitanmedia
outlets.Ourmeansofcommunicationwithruralareaswillbefairlylimitedtomassmedia
outlets,whichcouldmakethemhardtoreachdependingonmassmediaconsumptionrates.
Anotherpotentialdifficultymaybethatsomewhohavecommonillnessescouldmistaketheir
symptomsfortheplague,resultingintheovercrowdingofhospitalsandclinics.Thesimilar
symptomscouldalsoresultinthoseinfectedwiththeplaguemistakingtheirsymptomswiththe
symptomsofcommonillnesses.

CoreProblem/Opportunity:
Ifawarenessabouttheplagueandpreventativemeasuresto
avoiditdoesnotincrease,whatisnowasmalloutbreakmaytransformintoanepidemicand
causethelossofnumerouslivesinUtah.

Goal:

InformUtahsresidentsoftheriskoftheplagueandpreventativemeasurestominimize
oreveneliminatechancesofinfection,whileminimizinganypresentpanicandillustratingthe
severityofthedisease.

Objectives:

 Increasepublicawarenessofpreventativemeasuresby80percentattheendofsix
months.
Reducetheamountofunnecessarypanicandclinicvisitsafterthefirstthreeweeksof
thecampaignby60percentattheendofsixmonths.
Maintainordecreaseinfectionrateinhumansby100percentattheendofsixmonths.
Increasepublicproactivityofpreventativemeasuresby55percentattheendoftwo
months.
Decreaserodentandhumaninteractionby80percentattheendofonemonth.

KeyPublics

PrimarySchoolStudents
InUtah,thereare830publicschoolswith501elementaryschools,142middleschools,
and187highschools(EducationBug,2014).Primaryschoolchildrenmakeup491,206of
Utahspopulationandrangeinagefrom518years.Theyareatthehighestlikelihoodof
contractingtheplagueduetohigherriskbehaviorslikeplayingwith/neardeadorliverodents
andfrequenthiking/outdooractivities(UtahBureauofEpidemiology,2014).Thougholder
childrenbetterunderstandtheseverityoftheplagueincomparisontopreteenchildren,this
agegroupislikelytobeofthemindsetthatsomethingliketheplaguewouldneverhappento
them.Suchamindsetmayresultintheneglectionofpreventativebehaviors.
Primaryschoolchildrensselfintereststemfromthreethings:theirdesiretohavefun
withandbuildareputationamongtheirpeers,haveadventurousexperiences,andstayin
goodgraceswiththeirparents/otherauthoritativefigures.Primaryschoolstudentsareheavily
influencedbytheirpeers,rolemodels,religiousleaders,andthemedia.Theywillhelpfulfill
objectivesthree,four,andfive.

PrimaryMessage:
Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaand,although
contractingtheplagueisrare,itisimportanttomakesureyouaretakingprecautionary
measurestopreventit.

SecondaryMessages:
OnecaseofhumaninfectionofplaguehasbeenreportedinUtah,and20counties
haveplagueinfestedrodents.
Yourchancesofgettingtheplagueareveryminimal.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.
Theplagueistransmittedthroughfleasonrodents/otheranimals.

StrategyOne:
Helpchildrenunderstandprecautionarymeasurestotaketoavoidinfectionand
howtorecognizeplaguesymptomsthroughthemedia.

Tactics:
Makeshort,kidfriendlyvideowithinformationaboutprecautionarymeasuresandhow
todetectplaguesymptoms.
SendvideostoschoolsacrossUtahtobeplayedduringclasstime/schoolassembly
time.
Sendhandoutaboutplaguepreventativemeasuresandsymptomshomewithkidsfrom
primaryschoolsinUtah(includeinformationonlikelihoodofcontractingdisease).
Placeshort,kidfriendlyinfomercialonlocalTVstationsduringprimetimeprogramming
hourscontaininginformationabouttheplague.

PrimaryMessage:
Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaand,although
contractingtheplagueisrare,itisimportanttomakesureyouaretakingprecautionary
measurestopreventit.

SecondaryMessages:
OnecaseofhumaninfectionofplaguehasbeenreportedinUtah,and20counties
haveplagueinfestedrodents.
Yourchancesofgettingtheplagueareveryminimal.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.
Theplagueistransmittedthroughfleasonrodents/otheranimals.

StrategyTwo:
Helpchildrenunderstandprecautionarymeasurestotaketoavoidinfectionandhowto
recognizeplaguesymptomsthroughfacetofaceinteractions.

Tactics:
HoldplagueinarseminarwithgamesandactivitiesforkidsinSaltLakeCity
containinginformationsessionsabouttheplague.
Haveadoctorcomespeaktokidsatschoolsaboutprecautionarymeasuresandhowto
carrythemselvesaroundanimalsthatmayhavetheplague.

SecondarySchoolStudents
Utahishometo82accreditedcollegesanduniversities.Theseuniversitiesare
compiledofsixfouryearpublicuniversities,11onetotwoyearpubliccolleges,fourprivate
nonprofituniversities,and61privateforprofitcolleges(EdutrekUtah,2014).Theaverage
studentagerangeisanywherebetween18and26yearsoldwithoutliersbothyoungerand
older.Studentsstayrelativelybusywithschool,work,family,andsociallives,butdofindthe
timetohikeandsurroundthemselveswithwildlifethatisclosebyinthemountainwest.Some
studentsmayfeeldistancedfromthepossibilityofgettingtheplagueandarefairlyignorant
aboutitssymptoms.
Collegestudentsselfinterestsstemfromtheirdesiretodowellinschool,maintainan
activeandhealthysociallife,and(particularlyinUtah)settledownandstartfamilies.Students

whoalreadyhaveaspouseandchildrenareinterestedinprovidingfortheirfamiliesand
keepingthemsafeandhealthy.Contractinganykindofseriousillnesswouldseverelystandin
thewayofanyoftheseselfinterests.Collegestudentsareheavilyinfluencedby
professors/educators,parents,andpeers.Theywillhelpfulfillobjectivesthree,four,andfive.

PrimaryMessage:
Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaand,although
contractingtheplagueisrare,itisimportanttomakesureyouaretakingprecautionary
measurestopreventit.

SecondaryMessages:
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
Theplagueiscontractedfromfleabitesthatdwelloninfestedrodents.
Hiking,thoughafrequentcollegestudentactivityinUtah,shouldbedonewiththe
properprecautions.

StrategyOne:

Helpcollegestudentsunderstandpreventativemeasurestobetakentoavoid
theplaguewhilesimultaneouslyillustratingtherarityofthediseasethroughmedia.

Tactics:
Tweetvariousfastfacts(fastfactsincludingsnippetsofpreventativemeasures,
recentcasesofinfection,whatanimalscarryit,whatareastoavoid,ext.)aboutthe
plaguethroughouttheentiretyofthecampaign,highlightingpreventativemeasures.
MakeFacebookpagetopostupdatesaboutcasesofinfectionandfastfactsabout
theplague.
InvitestudentstojoinFacebookpagewithsmallincentives.
Postphotosoninstagramwithfastfacts
Postmedicalstudyaboutplague,itshistory,andpreventativemeasuresonLinkedin.

PrimaryMessage:
Theplagueisbeginningtospreadtoyourarea,anditisimportantthatyou
takeprecautionstokeepyourselfsafeandhealthy.

SecondaryMessages:
Chancesofcontractingtheplagueareextremelyminimal.
Theplaguelivesininfectedfleasthatdwellonanimalslikerats.
Frequenthikersandoutdoorsmanneedtotakeextraprecautionsagainstthethreat.
Infectedrodentshavebeenreportedin20Utahcounties,andtherehasbeenonecase
ofhumaninfection.

StrategyTwo:
Makestudentsawareofthepresenceoftheplagueintheirareaaswellas
preventativemeasurestobetakentoavoidcontractionthroughtheirschools.

Tactics:

 Pitchplaguestorytoschoolnewspapers
Postwarningsignsonhikingtrailsclosetosecondaryschoolsanduniversities
Askprofessorstoannouncethethreatoftheplagueinclassandwheretofindmore
information
Ifprofessorsareunwillingtoannouncethethreatinclass,reserveboothatuniversities
andcollegesandsupplyhandouts(withcandyofcourse)aboutthecurrentsituationof
theareaandpreventativemeasurestobetaken.

Educators
Educatorsincludebothprimaryandsecondaryschoolteachersandprofessors,and
makeupabout33,173ofUtahspopulation.Ofthis33,173,74.6percentarereportedas
femaleand25.3asmale(UtahStateOfficeofEducation,2014).EducatorsinUtahare,on
average,43yearsofage(NationalCenterforEducationStatistics,2013).Theaverageannual
incomeforteachersinprimaryschoolsis$47,170whilesecondaryeducatorsaverageabout
$81,530annually.Themedianwageofeducatorsinnonmetropolitanareasdecreasesby
approximatelyninepercentonaverage(BureauofLaborStatistics,2014).Educatorscaterto
avarietyofschedulesassomeareemployedwithyearroundschools,sometakesummers
off,andsomechoosetoworkselectivesemesterblocks(mostlysecondary).
Educatorsselfinterestsstemfromtheirdesiretohaveanimpactoftheirstudentsand
helpthembesuccessful.Theyarealsointerestedinkeepingthemselves,theirstudents,and
theirfamilieshealthyinordertosuccessfullydotheirjobs.Educatorsmayhaveabetter
understandingoftheplagueanditsseveritythanotherssimplybecauseofthenatureoftheir
jobs.Theyrecognizethattheyhaveaheavyinfluenceovertheirstudentsandhavethemeans
tohelpspreadthatawareness.Educatorsareheavilyinfluencedbycolleagues,county/city
officials,andthemedia.Theywillhelpfulfillobjectivesone,two,andfour.

PrimaryMessage:

Theplagueisbeginningtospreadtoyourareaand,althoughcontracting
theplagueisrare,itisimportanttotakemeasurestokeepyourself,yourfamily,andyour
studentssafe.

SecondaryMessages:
OnecaseofhumaninfectionhasbeenreportedinUtah,and20countieshave
reportedplagueinfestedrodents.
Yourstudentsneedhelpunderstandingtheseverity/precautionsassociatedwiththe
plague.
Fleainfestedrodentsarecarriersoftheplague.
Chancesofcontractingtheplagueareminimal.

Strategy:
Toinformeducatorsofpreventativemeasurestobetakeninordertoavoid
contractingtheplagueandencouragethemtoeducatetheirstudentsonthematterthrough
schooldistrictauthorities.

Tactics:

 Sendoutmassemailtoprinciplesofprimaryeducationschoolstoforwardonto
teachersasanoticeofthecurrentsituationwiththespreadingofinfection.
Holdeducationalseminarforlargeschooldistricteducatorsdisseminatinginformation
abouttheplagueandhowtobestrelaythemessagetostudents.
Sendoutupdatedemailstoteachersasthediseasespreadsornewinformationis
gatheredonarunningbasis
Providesimplemapsforschoolstoputupinahallwaythatkidscanmarkwithasticker
wheretheyhaveseendeadrodentsorothersignsoftheplaguethattheyvelearnedto
recognize.
Providesimilaremapforteacherstoreportspottingofplaguesignsrelayedby
studentsbacktotheUtahDepartmentofHealth..
Sendposterstoschoolswithplaguesymptomsandpreventedmeasurestopostin
classroomsandinhallways.
HaverepresentativefromtheHealthdepartmentcomeandspeaktofacultyinregular
staffscheduledmeetings.

UtahHealthClinicsandHospitals
InUtah,thereare46hospitalsandroughly20ofthemareownedbyIntermountain
Healthcare.TheUtahHospitalAssociationclaimstheemploymentofover40,000Utahns,
putting1.7billiondollarsintotheeconomythroughemployeepayrollsannually.Collectively,
Utahhospitalsreportover236,000inpatientand5.8millionoutpatientvisitsannually.In2012,
HealthmagazineratedUtahastheseventhhealthieststateinthenation.However,theyalso
claimedthatUtahfellinseventhplacebecauseUtahhasahigherincidenceofinfectious
diseasethanotherstates.
UtahHealthClinicsandHospitalsselfinterestsstemfromtheirdesiretomaintaingood
agoodreputationamongUtahnsandtreatpatientsconditionsandailmentstothebestoftheir
ability.ThoughcasesoftheplagueintheU.S.arefairlyrare,themajorityofexistingplague
casesariseinthewest.

Since1970,caseshavebeenreportedinArizona,California,
Colorado,Idaho,Nevada,NewMexico,Oregon,Texas,UtahandWashington(USAToday,
2013).ThisknowledgeallowsUtahhospitalstobepreparedtotreatandpreventtheplague.
Hospitalsareheavilyinfluencedbyrenownedprofessionalsintheirfields,themedia,andtheir
patients.Theywillhelpfulfillobjectivesone,two,andthree.

PrimaryMessage:
Weneedyourhelptodisseminateinformationabouttheplaguewhile
managinganypanicorhysteriathisinformationmayleadto.

SecondaryMessages:
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
ThemajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareasandarespreadingtheWasatch
Front.
WewanttoreachtheWasatchFrontruralareasandprimary/secondaryschools.

 Wewillprovideaboothforyouatvariouslocationsandacrewforyoutoworkwithin
ordertoavoidoverlycongestedhospitalsandclinics.

StrategyOne:
Providehospitalsandclinicswiththeopportunitytogetinvolvedinthe
campaignandgetpublicityfortheirhospitalthroughpersonalvisits.

Tactics:
Haverepresentativesfromourdepartmentvisithospitalsandprovidethemwitha
calendarofdatesforplagueboothsandseminarsthattheycangetinvolvedwithasan
opportunitytobuildconfidenceintheirservices.
Provideshospitalswithalistofsignageopportunitiesthattheywillhaveiftheypartner
withusonthecampaign.
RequestpermissionfromhospitalstosetupUDOHboothstohelpdisseminate
informationabouttheoutbreakinhightrafficareasofthefacility.
MeetwithhospitalCEOandchiefsofvariousdepartmentstodiscussaplanofaction
forif/whenpeoplebegintofloodhospitalswithhealthconcerns.

PrimaryMessage:
WeneedyourhelptoalertUtahnsaboutthethreatoftheplagueand
properprecautionarymeasureswhilesimultaneouslysedatinganyunnecessarypanicor
hysteria.

SecondaryMessages:
WethinkthatmanyUtahnsmaypanicunnecessarilyandmistakesymptomsofminor
illnessesforplaguesymptoms.
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
ThemajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareasandarespreadingtheWasatch
Front.
WewanttoreachtheWasatchFrontruralareasandprimary/secondaryschools.
Wewillprovideaboothforyouatvariouslocationsandacrewforyoutoworkwithin
ordertoavoidoverlycongestedhospitalsandclinics.

StrategyTwo:

Providehospitalsandclinicswiththeopportunitytogetinvolvedinthe
campaignandgetpublicityfortheirhospitalthroughmedia.

Tactics:
PostabriefarticleaboutthesituationonLinkedinwitharequestforhospitals
involvementandcontactinformationshouldtheychoosetobecomemoreinvolved.
SendanemailtoHospitaladministrationsrequestingtheirsupportineducatingthe
publicontheplaguethroughtheirinvolvementinboothsandpublicspeeches.
Sendhospitalslinktowebsitethatwillallowthemtoreportwhereaplethoraofdead
rodents/animalsmayhavebeenspottedbytheirpatients.

WasatchFront
The Wasatch Front is an area in Utah that covers Santaquin to Brigham City and
covers about80percentofthepopulation.OftheWasatchFronts2,000,000residents,57.3%
are 34 or younger who are easier to access through numerousmediaoutlets(WasatchFront
Profile, 2008). The majorcounties in thisareaincludeSaltLake, Utah,Davis,WeberandBox
Elder and the major citiesinclude SaltLakeCity,Provo,WestJordan,OgdenandWestValley
City. The majority ofthepopulationisWhiteandaffiliatesthemselveswiththeChurchofJesus
ChristofLatterdaySaints(WasatchFront,2014).

UtahResidentsresidingintheWasatchFronthaveselfintereststhatstemfromtheir
desiretoprotecttheirfamilies,maintaintheirownpersonalhealthandlivelonghealthylives.
TheresidentsoftheWasatchFrontarejustbarelyseeingaspreadoftheplaguediseaseand
theyhavenothadmuchexperiencewiththediseaseinthepastwhichmaycausepanicand
ignoranceoftheseverityoftheirsymptomsifanindividualcontractsthedisease.Thethird
partyinfluentialsfortheresidentsintheWasatchFrontincludethemedia,countyandcity
officials,
healthprofessionals,
peersandfamily.Theywillhelpfulfillallofourobjectives.

PrimaryMessage:

Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaandalthoughthe
chancesofcontractingtheplaguearerare,itisimportanttotakeprecautionarymeasuresto
keepyouandyourfamilysafe.

SecondaryMessages:
Thediseaseisspreadingthroughthefleasofrats
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
Thereisaminimalchanceofcontractingthedisease.
Thereisonlyoneformofthediseasethatwilltransferfrompersontoperson.
ThemajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareasandarenowspreadingtheWasatch
Front.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.

StrategyOne:
InformWasatchFrontresidentsofthenewpresenceoftheplagueintheirarea
andthepreventativemeasuresthatneedtobetakeninordertoavoidcontractingtheplague
throughthemedia.

Tactics:
Provideamediakitforallmajornewsoutletsincludingafactsheet,photosofinfected
animalsandhumansymptomsoftheplague,video(Broll),eventscheduleforschool
eventsandboothlocations,contactsheet,socialmediaandwebsiteaddresses,VNRs
andafeaturestoryontheoneinfectedpersoninthestate.
Pitchafeaturestorytoallmajornewspapersontheoneinfectedpersonandhowthey
cametoknowthattheywereinfectedoftheplague.

 Pitchastorytoallmajornewspapersontherecentoutbreakandinfectedareasalong
withwhatisspreadingthediseaseandhowtopreventit.Alsoincludetheveryminimal
likelinessofcontractingthedisease.Pitchthisstoryeverytimetherearenew
developments.
PitchtoallmajorradiostationsforradiospotPSAstoannouncetheimportancetotake
precautionarymeasuresagainsttheplague,butalsoincludethatthelikelinessis
minimal.Emphasizethatitsbettersafethansorry.Alsoincludethewebsitethat
everyoneshouldreporttoiftheyseeevidenceoftheplaguespreading.
RentoutabillboardontheI15thatsaystheprecautionarymeasuresthatneedtobe
takenfortheplague.Alsoincludethewebsitethateveryoneshouldreporttoiftheysee
evidenceoftheplaguespreading.
Tweetvariousfastfacts(fastfactsincludingsnippetsofpreventativemeasures,
recentcasesofinfection,whatanimalscarryit,whatareastoavoid,ext.)aboutthe
plaguethroughouttheentiretyofthecampaign,highlightingpreventativemeasures.
MakeFacebookpagetopostupdatesaboutcasesofinfectionandfastfactsabout
theplague.
InviteresidentstojoinFacebookpagewithsmallincentives.
Postphotosoninstagramwithfastfacts
Postmedicalstudyaboutplague,itshistory,andpreventativemeasuresonLinkedin.
Createacampaignwebsitewhereresidentscanreportsightingsofdead
rodents/animalsoranyothersignsoftheplague.Thewebsitewillhaveagraphicthat
willallowthemtoclickinwhatgeneralareatheysawitandputanotethatincludes
exactlywhattheysawandtheoptiontoaddaphoto.

PrimaryMessage:

Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaandalthoughthe
chancesofcontractingtheplaguearerare,itisimportanttotakeprecautionarymeasuresto
keepyouandyourfamilysafe.

SecondaryMessages:
Thediseaseisspreadingthroughthefleasofrats
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
Thereisaminimalchanceofcontractingthedisease.
Thereisonlyoneformofthediseasethatwilltransferfrompersontoperson.
ThemajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareasandarenowspreadingtheWasatch
Front.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.

StrategyTwo:
InformWasatchFrontresidentsofthenewpresenceoftheplagueintheirarea
andthepreventativemeasuresthatneedtobetakeninordertoavoidcontractingtheplague
throughlocationsandevents.

Tactics:
Displayinformationalflyersinlocalhealthclinicsonthecheckincountersothatpeople
canseethemandgettheinformationforthereportingwebsiteifneeded.
AteachofthecitydayeventsthroughouttheWasatchFrontrentaboothanddisplay
importantinformationandhaveagamethatwillallowchildrentotryanddifferentiate
fromnormalsicksymptomsandplaguesymptoms.Ifmedicalpersonneldecidetojoin
intheseboothshavethemgiveafewminutespeechestoparentswhoareinterestedin
hearingabouttheplaguestatus.
Displaypostersinlocalgrocerystoresandbusinessesthathaveamapshowingthe
infectedareasandincludingsymptomandsigninformationalongwiththeaddressto
thecampaignwebsiteincasetheyneedtoreportasighting.
Haveamemberofthehealthdepartmentvisitinthemajorcitiesofallofthemajor
countiesintheWasatchFrontandattendthecitymeetingstomakeannouncementson
theadvancesoftheplagueandkeepcityofficialsinformedonthestatusoftheircitys
infectionstatus.

RuralAreas
Ofthetotal
2,900,872
peoplewholiveinUtahabout
311
,861liveintheruralpartsof
thestatecomingouttobeabout10.8percentofthepopulation(Utah,n.d.).
Ruralareasof
Utahcurrentlyeducate15percentofUtahsstudents(
WelcometoUtahRuralSchools
Association
,n.d.).Therearecurrently46hospitalsinthestateofUtahand18arelocatedin
ruralareasofthestate.Ithasalsobeenfoundthat11percentoftheruralpopulationinUtah
didnotobtainahighschooldegree.Thisis9.2percentinurbanareasofUtah.Therural
unemploymentratewasalsofoundtobehigherthanthatofurbanareas.Ruralareasareata
6.4percentunemploymentratecomparedto5.6percentinurbanareas(Utah,n.d.).Utah
ResidentsresidingintheruralareasofUtahhaveselfintereststhatstemfromtheirdesireto
protecttheirfamilies,maintaintheirownpersonalhealthandlivelonghealthylives.Therural
areasarecurrentlythemostinfectedoftheareasinUtahandhavetheleastaccesstohealth
educationandcareincomparisontotherestofthestate.

UtahResidentsresidingintheruralareashaveselfintereststhatstemfromtheirdesire
toprotecttheirfamilies,maintaintheirownpersonalhealthandlivelonghealthylives.The
residentsofruralareasdonthavemuchexposuretothediseaseoftheplague,butitisthe
mostcommonplaceinUtahfortheplague.Itsmostlyinfectedanimalsinthearea.Butsince
theresidentshavenotbeenexposedtothediseaseallthatoftenitmaycausepanicand
ignoranceoftheseverityoftheirsymptomsifanindividualcontractsthedisease.Thethird
partyinfluentialsfortheresidentsintheruralareasincludethemedia,countyandcityofficials,
healthprofessionals,
peersandfamily.Theywillhelpfulfillallofourobjectives.

PrimaryMessage:
Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaandalthoughthe
chancesofcontractingtheplaguearerare,itisimportanttotakeprecautionarymeasuresto
keepyouandyourfamilysafe.

SecondaryMessages:
Thediseaseisspreadingthroughthefleasofrats
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
Thereisaminimalchanceofcontractingthedisease.
Thereisonlyoneformofthediseasethatwilltransferfrompersontoperson.
Themajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareas.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.

StrategyOne:

Informruralarearesidentsofthenewpresenceoftheplagueintheirareaand
thepreventativemeasuresthatneedtobetakeninordertoavoidcontractingtheplague
throughthemedia.

Tactics:
Provideamediakitforallmajornewsoutletsincludingafactsheet,photosofinfected
animalsandhumansymptomsoftheplague,video(Broll),eventscheduleforschool
eventsandboothlocations,contactsheet,socialmediaandwebsiteaddresses,VNRs
andafeaturestoryontheoneinfectedpersoninthestate.
Pitchafeaturestorytoallmajornewspapersontheoneinfectedpersonandhowthey
cametoknowthattheywereinfectedoftheplague.
Pitchastorytoallmajornewspapersontherecentoutbreakandinfectedareasalong
withwhatisspreadingthediseaseandhowtopreventit.Alsoincludetheveryminimal
likelinessofcontractingthedisease.Pitchthisstoryeverytimetherearenew
developments.
PitchtoallmajorradiostationsforradiospotPSAstoannouncetheimportancetotake
precautionarymeasuresagainsttheplague,butalsoincludethatthelikelinessis
minimal.Emphasizethatitsbettersafethansorry.Alsoincludethewebsitethat
everyoneshouldreporttoiftheyseeevidenceoftheplaguespreading.
RentoutabillboardontheI15thatsaystheprecautionarymeasuresthatneedtobe
takenfortheplague.Alsoincludethewebsitethateveryoneshouldreporttoiftheysee
evidenceoftheplaguespreading.
Tweetvariousfastfacts(fastfactsincludingsnippetsofpreventativemeasures,
recentcasesofinfection,whatanimalscarryit,whatareastoavoid,ext.)aboutthe
plaguethroughouttheentiretyofthecampaign,highlightingpreventativemeasures.
MakeFacebookpagetopostupdatesaboutcasesofinfectionandfastfactsabout
theplague.
InviteresidentstojoinFacebookpagewithsmallincentives.
Postphotosoninstagramwithfastfacts
Postmedicalstudyaboutplague,itshistory,andpreventativemeasuresonLinkedin.

 Createacampaignwebsitewhereresidentscanreportsightingsofdead
rodents/animalsoranyothersignsoftheplague.Thewebsitewillhaveagraphicthat
willallowthemtoclickinwhatgeneralareatheysawitandputanotethatincludes
exactlywhattheysawandtheoptiontoaddaphoto.

PrimaryMessage:

Theplagueisbeginningtospreadthroughoutyourareaandalthoughthe
chancesofcontractingtheplaguearerare,itisimportanttotakeprecautionarymeasuresto
keepyouandyourfamilysafe.

SecondaryMessages:
Thediseaseisspreadingthroughthefleasofrats
TherehasbeenonecaseofhumaninfectionreportedinUtah,and20Utahcounties
havefoundplagueinfestedrodents.
Thereisaminimalchanceofcontractingthedisease.
Thereisonlyoneformofthediseasethatwilltransferfrompersontoperson.
Themajorityofthecaseswerefoundinruralareas.
Avoidinginteractionwithdead/livewildanimalsandrodentswillreduceyourchancesof
contractingtheplague.

StrategyTwo:
Informruralarearesidentsofthenewpresenceoftheplagueintheirareaand
thepreventativemeasuresthatneedtobetakeninordertoavoidcontractingtheplague
throughlocationsandevents.

Tactics:
Displayinformationalflyersinlocalhealthclinicsonthecheckincountersothatpeople
canseethemandgettheinformationforthereportingwebsiteifneeded.
Displaypostersinlocalgrocerystoresandbusinessesthathaveamapshowingthe
infectedareasandincludingsymptomandsigninformationalongwiththeaddressto
thecampaignwebsiteincasetheyneedtoreportasighting.
Haveamemberofthehealthdepartmentattendtheruralcitymeetingstomake
announcementsontheadvancesoftheplagueandkeepcityofficialsinformedonthe
statusoftheircitysinfectionstatus.
HavehealthdepartmentrepresentativepresentattheUtahRuralSummitWhereRural
UtahMeetstoinformtheruralleadersofthestatusoftheplagueandhowtheyshould
helpcontributetoitsprevention.
HavehealthdepartmentrepresentativeattendtheGovernorsRuralPartnershipBoard
meetingthatisheldeverythreemonthstoinformtheruralleadersofthestatusofthe
plagueandhowtheyshouldhelpcontributetoitsprevention.
Setupboothsatthelocalgrocerystoresofruraltownsdisplayingprevention
informationandamapoftheinfectedareas.Ifamedicalprofessionalchoosesto
attendandassisthavethemgiveadvicetothosewhoareinterested.But,alsomake
surethatthosewhoareinterestedunderstandhowunlikelyitistogettheplagueas
well.


Evaluation

ObjectiveOne:
Criteria
:Increasepublicawarenessofpreventativemeasuresby80percentattheendofsix
months.
Tools
:Onallnewsstories,socialmediapostsandonthecampaignwebsitetrackthenumber
ofviewsandcheckthisonceamonthtomakesurewearegettinguniqueviewsandhittinga
largeportionofthepopulation.Also,uponreplenishingflyers,counthowmanyhavebeen
takenfromthestackalready.Alongwiththis,atallboothshavearepresentativecounthow
manypeoplearevisiting.Andattheeventsinruralareas,counthowmanypeopleareinthe
audience.Forthebillboard,theviewswillhavetobemoreofanestimate.Checkwithlocal
billboardcompaniesatthebeginningofthecampaigntomakesurewearesetuptoestimate
theviews.Also,withthehospital'sportionofthewebsiteyoucancounthowmanypeopleare
visitingforplaguesymptoms.

ObjectiveTwo:
Criteria
:Reducetheamountofunnecessarypanicandclinicvisitsafterthefirstthreeweeks
ofthecampaignby60percentattheendofsixmonths.
Tools
:Atthebeginningofthecampaigngivehospitalsandclinicsaccesstotheirownportion
ofthecampaignwebsitetorecordhowmanyplaguerelatedvisitstheyhaveperweek.Check
thisonaweeklybasistotrackwhenthereisariseinvisitsandwhentherearedecreasesto
seewhattacticsareworking.

ObjectiveThree:
Criteria
:Maintainordecreaseinfectionrateinhumansby100percentattheendofsix
months.
Tools
:Withthewebsitereportingfromcitizensalongwiththereportingfromhospitals,track
howmanyhumaninfectioncasesareoccurringeveryweekandfindoutwhatareassowecan
bettertargetthoseareastostopthespread.So,attheendofthecampaign,wecanstopthe
spreadandhavenomorehumaninfections.

ObjectiveFour:
Criteria
:Increasepublicproactivityofpreventativemeasuresby55percentattheendoftwo
months.
Tools
:Trackhowmanypeoplearereportingtothewebsiteandtrackhowmanypeopleare
visitingclinicsandhospitalswiththatportionofthecampaignwebsite.Checkthisoncea
monthtomakesurepeopleareawareandusingthecampaignwebsiteandlearningfromour
campaign.Alsoattheinthemiddleandattheendofthecampaignsendoutasurveyandask
ifpreventativemeasuresweretaken.Themiddlewillindicatetouswhetherornotourtactics
areworkingsofarsowecanmakeadjustmentsbeforetheendofthecampaign.

ObjectiveFive:

Criteria
:Decreaserodentandhumaninteractionby80percentattheendofonemonth.
Tools
:Atthebeginningandtheendofthecampaignsendoutasurveyaskinggeneral
questionaboutwhatpeopleknowabouttheplagueandalsoaskhowmanytimesamonth
theymightinteractwitharodenttoseeiftheinteractionhasgonedownbytheendofthe
campaign.

Sources:

WelcometoUtahRuralSchoolsAssociation.(n.d.).
UtahRuralSchoolsAssociation
.Retrieved
April19,2014,from
http://www.ursa.k12.ut.us/welcome

Utah.(n.d.).
RuralhealthandhumanservicesforIntroduction
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.raconline.org/states/utah
GRPBMeetingInformation.(n.d.).
GRPBMeetingInformation
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://business.utah.gov/programs/rural/grpb/grpbmeetinginformation/

RegionalServices.(n.d.).
UtahRuralSummit
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
https://www.suu.edu/ad/regional/ruralsummit.html

PlagueEcologyandTransmission.(2012,June13).
CentersforDiseaseControland
Prevention
.RetrievedApril19,2014,fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/plague/transmission/

Utah.(2000).
ERS.USDA.GOV
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.ers.usda.gov/datafiles/Rural_Definitions/StateLevel_Maps/ut.pdf

Press.(2006,May16).BubonicPlagueClosesUtahCampground.
FoxNews
.RetrievedApril
14,2014,from
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2006/05/16/bubonicplagueclosesutahcampground/

WasatchFront.(2014,April15).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril15,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasatch_Front

UtahMedicalEducationCouncil.(n.d.).
RuralInitiative
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.utahmec.org/Rural_Init.php

UtahQuickFactsfromtheUSCensusBureau.(2014,March24).
UtahQuickFactsfromtheUS
CensusBureau
.RetrievedApril15,2014,from
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49000.html

Utah.(2014,April15).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah

SaltLakeCity.(2014,April16).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_City

UtahCounty,Utah.(2014,April15).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_County,_Utah

UtahCountyGovernmentElectedOfficials.(n.d.).
UtahCountyGovernmentElectedOfficials
.
RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://www.utahcounty.gov/CountyInfo/ElectedOfficials.html

MeetTheCouncil.(n.d.).
CityofProvo,UT:
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.provo.org/government/citycouncil/meetthecouncil

DavisCounty,Utah.(2014,April18).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davis_County,_Utah

WeberCounty,Utah.(2014,April18).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weber_County,_Utah

WeberCounty.(n.d.).
WeberCounty
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.co.weber.ut.us/commission/

Ogden'sMayorMikeCaldwell.(n.d.).
OgdenCityMayor
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.ogdencity.com/government/mayor.aspx

BoxElderCounty,Utah.(2014,April18).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_Elder_County,_Utah

BoxElderCountyCommission.(n.d.).
Commission
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.boxeldercounty.org/commission.htm

BrighamCityMayor.(n.d.).
Mayor
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://brighamcity.utah.gov/mayor.htm

SaltLakeCounty,Utah.(2014,April18).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Lake_County,_Utah

WasatchFrontProfile.(2008).
EconomicDevelopmentCorporationofUtah
.RetrievedApril19,
2014,from
http://www.edcutah.org/files/Wasatch_Front_Profile.pdf

DivisionOfDiseaseControlandPrevention.(n.d.).
UtahDepartmentofHealth
.

RetrievedApril16,2014,fromhttp://health.utah.gov/els/

OrganizationChart.(n.d.).
UtahDepartmentofHealth
.RetrievedApril14,2016,from
http://health.utah.gov/orgchart/EDO2614.pdf

UtahDepartmentofHealth.(n.d.).
AboutTheUtahDepartmentofHealth
.RetrievedApril16,
2014,fromhttp://health.utah.gov/about/index.html

ImprovingHealthCareAccessinRuralUtah.(n.d.).
UtahDepartmentofHealth
.Retrieved
April16,2014,from
http://udohnews.blogspot.com/2012/11/improvinghealthcareaccessinrural.html

Healthcare.(n.d.).InfectionControl.
AboutUs
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/imed/about/Pages/InfectionControl.aspx

Plague.(2012,June13).
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
.RetrievedApril14,
2014,fromhttp://www.cdc.gov/plague/symptoms/

Plague(disease).(2014,April14).
Wikipedia
.RetrievedApril14,2014,from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_(disease)

Plague:MedlinePlusMedicalEncyclopedia.(n.d.).
U.SNationalLibraryofMedicine
.Retrieved
April12,2014,fromhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000596.htm

UtahOfficeOfEpidemiology.(2007,May1).
UtahOfficeOfEpidemiology
.RetrievedApril
14,2014,fromhttp://health.utah.gov/epi/fact_sheets/plague.html

Riskofdeathfromplaguetodayandinhistory.(n.d.).
Riskofdeathfromplaguetodayandin
history
.RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/risk/plague.html

Wheredoratslive?.(n.d.).
WikiAnswers
.RetrievedApril16,2014,from
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_do_rats_live?#slide=1

Prevention.(2013,November27).
CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
.RetrievedApril
15,2014,from
http://www.cdc.gov/plague/prevention/

Top20UtahNewsSites.(n.d.).
Top20UtahNewspapersandNewsSites
.RetrievedApril16,
2014,fromhttp://www.allyoucanread.com/utahnewspapers/

Mitchell,A.,Rosenstiel,T.,&Christian,L.(n.d.).WhatFacebookandTwitterMeanforNews|
StateoftheMedia.
WhatFacebookandTwitterMeanforNews|StateoftheMedia
.
RetrievedApril14,2014,from
http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobiledevicesandnewsconsumptionsomegoodsig
nsforjournalism/whatfacebookandtwittermeanfornews/

Home>UT.(n.d.).
RecordtopratedRadioShowsandStationsinUTwithDAR.fm
.Retrieved
April16,2014,from
http://www.dar.fm/top_listings.php?user_search=UT&sub=2&search_term_top=US&sta
tions_top=1

HealthiestStatesintheU.S..(n.d.).
HealthMagazine
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20653976_44,00.html

ListofUtahPublicSchools.(n.d.).
UtahPublicSchool
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://utah.educationbug.org/publicschools/

CollegesinUtah.(n.d.).
EduTrek
.RetrievedApril19,2014,fromhttp://www.edutrek.com/utah

FrequentlyAskedQuestions.(n.d.).
UtahHospitalAssociation
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.utahhospitals.org/faq.html

Numberandpercentagedistributionofteachersinpublicandprivateelementaryand
secondaryschools.(n.d.).
NationalCenterforEducationStatistics
.RetrievedApril19,
2014,fromhttp://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d13/tables/dt13_209.10.asp

UtahOESStateOccupationalEmploymentandWageEstimates.(n.d.).
U.S.BureauofLabor
Statistics
.RetrievedApril19,2014,from
http://www.bls.gov/oes/2013/may/oes_ut.htm#250000