Elmo Flu Virus PSAs

Mon, 03/21/2011 - 12:11

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In the midst of a threatened H1N1 flu virus pandemic in September 2009, the United States (US) federal government teamed up with the non-profit organisation Sesame Workshop to develop a series of public service announcements (PSAs) encouraging better hygiene among young children. The video PSAs feature Elmo, a popular Muppet character starring in the American educational children's television series "Sesame Street", which uses animation, puppets, and live actors in an effort to stimulate the minds of young children (ages 3-6 years) by improving their simple problem-solving abilities, letter and word recognition, basic arithmetic, and socialisation.

Communication Strategies

In this collaborative public health effort, the Sesame Street character Elmo teams up with Gordon, another Sesame Street veteran, to stress the importance of basic healthy habits such as frequent hand washing, sneezing into the bend of your arm, and not touching your mouth, nose, and eyes. The ads, which may be viewed online here, are also designed to promote the government website responsible for posting information regarding the H1N1 virus. "Elmo can be a powerful messenger in delivering simple, yet compelling messages that teach a child to wash their hands and cover their mouth this flu season," Sesame Workshop President Gary Knell said.

Sesame Workshop also played a role in the response to the H1N1 outbreak in Mexico. Four PSAs were aired in May 2009 which starred the Muppets of Plaza Sésamo (the Spanish-language version of Sesame Street) and several Mexican celebrities.

Development Issues

Children, Health.

Key Points

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, "Younger children and their parents are some of the people most at risk from the new H1N1 flu virus and with schools starting back up again and the weather starting to get colder, we need to do everything we can to get these important messages about how to prevent the spread of the flu out there."

The President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has announced that the H1N1 virus could cause up to 90,000 US deaths, mainly among children and young adults. Seasonal flu, in contrast, typically kills about 64,000 Americans each year. H1N1 could infect between 30-50% of the American population during the fall and winter, and lead to as many as 1.8 million hospital admissions, the panel reported. A vaccine against H1N1 is being tested but is not expected to be available until at least mid-October, health officials have noted.

In June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Level 6 worldwide pandemic, the organisation's highest classification.