The problem defined in this article is an outbreak of West Nile Virus in New York City. This article talked about how to effectively inform the public about the problem and how to deal with it. The general public is not an expert on West Nile Virus. There needs to be an effective method to inform these people about the possible risks associated with this virus. There were many different ways to communicate the risks involved in this epidemic. They included television, radio, Mayoral press conferences, 24 hour phone lines, and a web site. On the web site, people were encouraged to report standing water and dead birds. By getting the mayor involved with this problem, this showed a lot of authority to the public. This gave the public a person whom they could believe in a time of crisis. The city also had the Department of Health working on a response plan for the problem.

The response action taken by New York City was somewhat effective. The material that was provided to the public could have been easier to understand. The article said that the materials given to the public were several levels higher than what was suggested. By not having effective material for the public could have caused some people to not read it or fail to take action. Other people can look at the mistakes that New York City made and learn from them. They could decide on a better method of risk communication to inform the general public. Since mishaps occur all the time, an effective method needs to be determined in order to better communicate to the public about the problem. This could prevent a minor problem from turning into a tragedy.