Bt Research 2025, Vol.16, No.4, 147-156 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 152 communication can effectively enhance the public's trust in the government in the risk situation, and trust significantly reduces the public's perception of the risks of measures, thereby increasing their risk acceptance. For Bt public health measures, improving information symmetry and building public trust can start from the following aspects: establishing a normalized information release mechanism and establishing public inquiries and feedback channels. Information communication is not a one-way "indoctrination". The public should have the opportunity to ask questions and express concerns, and government experts respond and explain in a timely manner. This interaction helps to eliminate misunderstandings and reflect respect for the public’s right to know (Stevens et al., 2012). 5.3 Case analysis: propaganda and public opinion reactions on Bt prevention and control of dengue fever in Latin America Dengue fever is severe in Latin America. Some countries introduced Bti as a means of prevention and control as early as the beginning of this century, and their risk communication experience provides us with reference. Take Colombia as an example: In the late 1990s, Colombia launched a community-based comprehensive dengue fever prevention and control pilot in Kukuta, including the use of Bti to control Aedes larvae in house water storage buckets. Before the project began, the local health department carried out sufficient publicity and mobilization: repeatedly broadcast popular science programs through radio stations to introduce the principles of dengue fever transmission and the safety of Bti mosquito killing; print and distribute cartoon brochures to all households to vividly explain how Bti kills larvae and is harmless to people; hold a live demonstration meeting in the community, allowing residents to observe with their own eyes the gradual death of larvae in the buckets with Bti added. These intuitive and vivid means of communication quickly made the public understand and accept the mechanism of Bti, realizing that it was a new way to protect themselves from diseases. Therefore, when the project was implemented, residents actively cooperated and even actively helped to distribute Bti tablets into neighbors' water tanks, creating a good atmosphere of group prevention and control (García-Betancourt et al., 2014). Public opinion surveys show that the community's recognition of Bti has increased significantly after the intervention, and most people said they are more at ease than the chemical pesticides they used in the past. In addition, the Colombian government also admitted in its communication that Bti is not a "one-and-all" solution and needs to be added regularly and combined with environmental cleanup. This kind of practical communication has further won the public's trust and residents are willing to participate for a long time (Sarti et al., 2015). 6 Public Participation and Decision-Making Mechanisms 6.1 Channels and challenges for citizens to participate in the formulation of biological prevention and control policies In modern public health governance, emphasizing civic participation has become a trend. As the direct influencer and implementer of prevention and control measures, the public's participation in the policy formulation process not only helps the policy to be more in line with public opinion, but also improves the compliance and effectiveness of policy implementation. In the implementation of Bt public health measures, citizen participation mainly includes: participation in policy discussions and consultations, participation in community policy implementation, feedback effects and problems. However, in reality, establishing public participation channels faces certain challenges. Information asymmetry leads to public absent decision-making; lack of institutionalized participation platforms; and insufficient public willingness and ability to participate are also challenges. Many countries have carried out useful explorations in response to these issues. For example, Brazil has established a dengue community committee to attract residents’ representatives, NGOs and scholars to discuss prevention and control strategies. A community consultation meeting is held before each policy adjustment to ensure that the policy considers public opinions. The UK held a public consultation before introducing the Oxitec genetically modified mosquito trial. Local residents submitted their opinions through online platforms and voted on the town council whether to support the trial, reflecting citizens' voice in decision-making (Neuhaus, 2018). For China, public participation channels should also be broadened when promoting biocontrol policies such as Bt. To truly implement public participation, some institutional and conceptual obstacles need to be overcome.
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