WHO Outbreak Communication Guidelines

This document was created by the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify and disseminate information about best practices for communicating with the public, often through the mass media, during a disease outbreak. It was developed based on a review of successes and failures of outbreak communication. It aims to help offer guidance that will promote the public health goal of rapid outbreak control with the least possible disruption to society. The following are identified in the publication as outbreak communication best practices:

• Trust - the overriding goal for outbreak communication is to communicate with the public in ways that build, maintain or restore trust. This is true across cultures, political systems and level of country development.
• Announcing early - the parameters of trust are established in the outbreak's first official announcement. This message's timing, candour and comprehensiveness may make it the most important of all outbreak communications.
• Transparency - maintaining the public's trust throughout an outbreak requires transparency (i.e. communication that is candid, easily understood, complete and factually accurate). Transparency characterises the relationship between the outbreak managers and the public. It allows the public to "view" the information-gathering, risk-assessing and decision-making processes associated with outbreak control.
• The public - understanding the public is critical to effective communication. It is usually difficult to change pre-existing beliefs unless those beliefs are explicitly addressed. And it is nearly impossible to design successful messages that bridge the gap between the expert and the public without knowing what the public thinks.
• Planning - the decisions and actions of public health officials have more effect on trust and public risk perception than communication. There is risk communication impact in everything outbreak control managers do, not just in what is said. Therefore, risk communication is most effective when it is integrated with risk analysis and risk management. Risk communication should be incorporated into preparedness planning for major events and in all aspects of an outbreak response.

The publication concludes that "if implemented effectively, these guidelines for outbreak communication will result in greater public resilience and guide appropriate public participation to support the rapid containment of an outbreak, thus limiting morbidity and mortality. In addition, effective outbreak communication will minimize the damage to a nation's international standing, its economy and its public health infrastructure."