ABSTRACT
In late 2015, healthcare providers in northeastern Brazil discovered that cases of a rare condition that causes severe fetal brain abnormalities had increased dramatically among newborns. This chapter uses grounded theory to analyze a collection of the thematic maps to theorize the creation of the scientific visuals during a specific type of crisis and emergency risk scenario: an emergent public health threat. Quantitative information about the spread of Zika was disseminated to public audiences during 2016 primarily through thematic maps created by public health agencies and news organizations. Outbreaks of epidemic disease often constitute what Sandman has described as a high hazard/high outrage situation in which both perceived danger and anxiety are high. Grounded theory has been met with a number of criticisms, which its creators have responded to. Ultimately, no risk communication strategy is neutral. Any visual or language-based choice that a risk communicator makes influences how non-experts will perceive the risk.
