When the Next Disease Strikes: How To Communicate (and How Not To)

I n an increasingly interconnected world, the potential for infectious diseases to spread internationally is an inescapable fact. The country will face one or more infectious disease health threats over the course of the next administration. Dealing with these threats will require science-based assessment, judicious management, and effective risk communication. Over the past 8 years, a number of health threats have affected the United States, and public officials have struggled to communicate effectively. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, some depictions of the threat Ebola posed to the United States caused the public to become much more concerned about the disease than was called for (only 2 people were infected on US soil and both were healthcare workers in direct contact with a patient). During the 2016 Zika threat, we've seen that people have a mixed understanding of the disease and the protective actions they should take, despite months of efforts to inform them. The incoming Administration and Congress will be called on to communicate with the public during similar periods of crisis, potentially ranging from naturally occurring disease outbreaks to intentional bioterrorism, in the future. No matter how effective the planned response, poor communication with the public will greatly undermine its effectiveness. In fact, poor communication could exacerbate the threat and lead to greater disease effects as well as loss of trust in the government's ability to protect the nation in the future. Even a small crisis can spiral out of control without appropriate risk communication, and effective risk communication during a significant event could have a large life-or-death impact. Failure to communicate well may lead to the perception that the government is unable to respond to the outbreak. For instance, poor communication during Hurricane Ka-trina led to avoidable deaths, exacerbation of existing racial tensions, and loss of faith in government at all levels. In contrast, using communication practices that have been proven to be effective sets the stage for effective crisis management and helps the public act in ways that help themselves and their neighbors emerge from a crisis. For example, during the H1N1 outbreak, a trusted and reliable spokesperson communicated well about what was known, what was unknown, and what people should do to protect themselves. These messages were well received. Public health agencies have increasingly embraced risk communication as an important aspect of emergency response and have expanded efforts to improve the effectiveness of their efforts. For …