Zika Virus and Rationality

The Zika virus has been consuming the national news agenda for almost a year now. Zika virus is spread to humans  by Aedes mosquitos. The virus has very mild, if any symptoms. In which case, it could be very likely that an individual would not know if they have been infected. What is the big deal then? It has been found that the Zika virus can cause serious birth defects such as microcephaly. As of now, there is not vaccine or cure for this devestating virus.

National news first caught wind of the epidemic as it spread throughout South and Central America. Unfortunately, our fear of it spreading to the US became a reality in 2016. Most of the cases identified today are travel-associated cases, although several areas of Florida have reported several locally-acquired mosquito-borne cases. The CDC issued travel notices for these areas in Florida, which totals approximately 5.5-square-miles. 

How should Americans responding to the Zika virus? According to the classic rationality theory, we have the ability to process perfect knowledge. As rational humans, we should take the time to evaluate all the information that is available to us, on the virus. The theory also states that we make decisions based on maximizing our gains. In this situation, that may mean taking precautionary steps to prevent ourselves from contracting the virus, or changing travel plans when necessary.

Humans are not always as rational as the theory makes them out to be. It is understandable that we do not all have time to take in every piece of research and data that is available to us, in regards to the virus. Instead, we use mental shortcuts called hueristics, to help guide our decision making. As mentioned earlier, the Zika virus has been consuming the national news agenda. We tend to direct our attention to bits and pieces of this information, and make judgments on it accordingly. Many Americans believe they are more at risk than they really are, because of the sheer amount of times they hear about it in the news. This is the availability heuristic in action. Although the CDC’s travel notice only covers a 5.5-square-mile radius in Florida, families have begun canceling their trips down South, in fear that they will be at risk. We can see base-rate-neglect bias at play here, as many have ignored statistical information provided, by paying more attention to the general information in the news, thinking that it is more relevant. The only state that has seen locally acquired cases, has been Florida, yet families have misunderstood the travel-associated case statistics of other States in the South.

I am by no means saying that Zika virus is not something that we should be aware of, or taking precautions against. As a question of interest though, what is better, being a highly rational human by evaluating all of the information given to us, and only taking precaution when we know that we will be in danger? Or acting non-rationally, resulting in overly-cautious behavior?