Managing a Crisis: Communication in Outbreaks and pandemics Dr. Supriya Bezbaruah

On the 4^th of February, 2015, a lecture in Managing a crisis in Health emergences and communication in such times was held for the MBA-HHM and B.Sc B.M.T students of SIHS at Ambedkar Bhavan.

This session was conducted by Dr. Supriya Bezbaruah who is a Project Manager, South-East Asia Region, Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework Partnership and Communications Officer, Communicable Diseases Department at the World Health Organization Regional Office For South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO).

Madam started the lecture with a game of Chinese whispers to demonstrate how warped a message can get when not communicated correctly. As a health provider you may think your message is perfectly clear but there is a high possibility of it getting distorted due to people’s listening skills, perception &  interpretation, hence it is important to know your audience, especially when it involves risk communication in outbreak of a disease for prevention and control. Sustainability in risk communication is something that should be done.

Madam also touched upon the current scenario of outbreaks, the latest in the news being the Zika virus. Prior to this it was H1N1, SARS in South Africa and, closer to home, dengue. She shared her experience saying that the first step in any outbreak is ensuring the healthy stay healthy and the sick do not get any sicker. An example of an Ebola survivor was stated, about when he had no trace of the virus in his blood he was taken to Delhi for further testing and traces were found in his urine. Seeing this and not being sure about the course of action he was quarantined.

She continued her session talking about the “sensitive side” of an epidemic. As educated people familiar with the sciences of the situation we accept precautionary measures. But for people who do not know the gravity of the situation, it can be a very confusing and frightening experience. Political sensitivity is also of utmost importance when dealing with politicians and the media. During a scare, people often react without thinking and that escalates matters.

This is where communication comes in. For example, in an immunization schedule, if it is properly communicated to people, the acceptance rate will be higher.

Madam continued to talk about some of the proactive communication being used today, about how with the world being a global village, communication channels have changed and the major economic impact most epidemics have on a community, citing examples of SARS and Ebola.    

Madam concluded her lecture citing “Lessons learnt from the past”. These included points she found from dealing with various outbreaks and how she learnt to look at situations differently.

Madam concluded saying – humans are emotional, hence, when dealing with such situations it in important to not only think with your head but also with your heart. We need to hear less and listen more.

All in all, it was a very insightful lecture and the students of both faculties went back with a new ideas of importance of correct communication system during an out-break of a disease.