Communication and Community Engagement in Disease Outbreaks

This book provides readers with critical conceptual and applied elements that may contribute to implementation of effective communication and community engagement for disease outbreak preparedness and response. Until the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, for several years public health authorities and influential voices in the international public health community have warned of a pandemic and therefore a need to strengthen governments and communities’ ability to prevent and respond to it effectively to minimize its impact on lives and economies. While investments have focused on clinical, diagnostic, and vaccine research, preventing and minimizing the impact of disease outbreaks requires a wider socio-ecological systems approach that places communities at the centre of the response. Such an approach is still rare in public health practice. One of the key lessons that the authors have learned, and on which they reflect in thechapters, is that technical inputs will be as effective as they are fully integrated within the broader architecture of disease outbreak preparedness and response. The ten chapters of this contributed volume are organized under three parts: a conceptual framework, case studies, and recommendations. Social and Behavior Change Communication in Disease Outbreaks is a timely and essential resource for public health managers, donors, implementers, organizations engaged in disease prevention and control and academics called on to support the response. These audiences should benefit from this approach as the book highlights dimensions that are often under-resourced. “This book is exceptionally timely given the current COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian consequences and will be of interest to professionals, students, and academics. There is not another book that covers this important topic so comprehensively.” –Glenn Laverack. Visiting Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Trento, Italy; Member – WHO Technical Advisory Group on Behavioural Insights and Sciences for Health