By Leslie Rodriguez, Senior Director, Public Health Programs
Outbreaks of infectious diseases can endanger lives and the health of communities, but in many places, they can jeopardize security, cripple economies and health systems, and disrupt travel and food supply. Global Health Security (GHS) is a term used to describe activities that support epidemic and pandemic preparedness and capabilities to help reduce the risks of these severe outbreak consequences. GHS includes capacity building in countries to assist with disease prevention, detection, and response.
Since the start of the 21st century, infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics have increased, making GHS more important than ever. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been the most serious in a century, but we’ve also seen other outbreaks, including Mpox, measles, and polio. Every country is vulnerable to diseases in our interconnected world, and human, animal, and environmental health are all linked. Therefore, our approach to GHS must be sustained and well-coordinated.
Many GHS programs are focused on strengthening labs and surveillance systems and promoting innovation in vaccine development. However, clear and accurate communication is essential to prevent outbreaks more effectively, detect threats early, and respond rapidly and successfully to outbreaks.
According to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), “The right message at the right time from the right person can save lives.” This is a central principle to crisis and emergency risk communication. Ensuring that responders and health workers understand how to use risk communication is critical for GHS. Risk communication considers what impacts communities, including political, social, and economic factors. Individuals communicating with affected populations must consider stakeholders’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivators, and barriers to help them make informed decisions about protecting their health.
Another aspect of communication that has gotten a great deal of attention in the past several years is the widespread dissemination and consumption of mis- and dis-information. The World Health Organization (WHO) says, “we’re not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic.” The term infodemic is short for “information epidemic, which is the rapid spread of information across various communication platforms, including online and social media. People working in GHS need to track what information is circulating about outbreaks so that they can fill knowledge gaps with accurate and credible information and respond to inaccurate information.
Even before an outbreak begins, researchers can use social media to help detect threats. Social media data and internet search trends have been used to monitor and forecast outbreaks, including Zika and MERS. In addition, researchers used social media data to monitor disease incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using machine learning and natural language processing based on social media content, researchers can better understand public perception during pandemics and complement their surveillance and forecasting efforts.
The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) is a global effort that more than 70 countries have signed on to and focuses on strengthening public health systems across the globe. The key activities include better lab systems, improved surveillance, workforce development, and emergency management and response. Surveillance can be complemented with social media and online searches. Workforce members should be trained in risk communication and infodemic management. And when countries shift into response mode and activate their Emergency Operations Centers, those experts and stakeholders must understand the role of clear, consistent, and ongoing communication with those impacted.