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Joachim Funke
Department of Psychology
University of Heidelberg
Hauptstraβe 47-51
DE-69117 Heidelberg
Appendix
Sample Scenario “Avian Flu Pandemic”
[The original text was written in German.]
You are a member of the Robert Koch Institute. This is the
central institution of the German government in the area of
disease control and prevention. The Institute has to decide
how to deal with a potential avian flu pandemic in Germany.
Avian flu is a viral illness that affects birds, especially chick-
ens and turkeys. The contamination from animal to human
through close contact with infected animals can lead to a
mixture of human and animal influenza virus material when
humans and animals are infected simultaneously. That is
how the virus can be transmitted from human to human.
Avian flu, which started in Asia, is now also present in
Europe. The first cases have been registered in Germany.
The situation is problematic insofar as no adequate vaccine
is available. Pharmaceutical companies are working on a
vaccine for humans, but it is unknown if it will be ready im-
mediately in the event of a pandemic. The vaccination has
strong side effects on the brains of people vaccinated with
it. Your task is to decide whether such a vaccination should
be continued in Germany.
Alternative A: You decide to stop the current vaccination
and try to prevent the upcoming pandemic by means of a
quarantine. If this is not successful, the pandemic will start
immediately.
Alternative B: You decide that the current vaccination
should be continued in order to prevent a potential pandemic
as quickly as possible. But, at the same time, you accept the
strong side effects of this procedure and risk the lives of
many healthy individuals.
What information do you need to make your final deci-
sion?
Swiss J Psychol 67 (1), © 2008 by Verlag Hans Huber, Hogrefe AG, Bern