Communication of Surveillance Findings

In the twenty-first century, infectious diseases pose central challenges to public health officials around the globe. Because of the nature of infectious disease, many strategies for preventing and controlling infectious disease involve communication of information among people and institutions. Efforts to monitor and share information by government officials, researchers, and citizens undoubtedly will facilitate, amplify, or undermine future infectious disease control and prevention in the United States and around the world. In this chapter, we describe how public health professionals can improve communication effectiveness by engaging media organizations and media technologies, as well as by addressing citizens directly. We discuss common and unique communication constraints and opportunities faced by public health professionals, mass media professionals, and the lay audience. This chapter also provides practical guidelines, and it outlines lessons learned from efforts to communicate surveillance findings in recent decades.

Duke Scholars

Author Brian Glen Southwell Medicine, General Internal Medicine