CERC: Pandemic Influenza Overview & Objectives

Overview

Preparing for and responding to a pandemic, especially a severe pandemic, will challenge response officials and the public in all communities. We can expect the following:

Susceptibility to the pandemic influenza virus will be universal.
Of those who become ill with influenza, 50% will seek outpatient medical care.
The number of hospitalizations and deaths will depend on the virulence of the pandemic virus, with severe pandemic influenza causing nearly 2 million deaths in the United States.
In an affected community, a pandemic outbreak will last about 6 to 8 weeks.
Multiple waves (periods during which community outbreaks occur across the country) of illness could occur with each wave lasting 2-3 months.
The need for fast, accurate, and credible information to be vast.

Communicating to concerned members of the community will be a paramount responsibility and the right message delivered at the right time by the right person could save lives. The HHS/CDC CERC: Pandemic Influenza course will give leaders and communication professionals the best approaches and tools to exercise quality communication before, during, and after a pandemic.

Objectives

Participants should expect to gain the following understandings:

Overall

The psychology of a severe pandemic and what kinds of messages the public will need from their public health professionals.
Why stigmatization occurs and how officials can respond and discourage it.
The importance of strengthening community hardiness and personal resilience to provide the optimum opportunity for recovery from the crisis.
How to incorporate loss, grief and mourning rituals in communication to the community while respecting cultural differences.
Distinguish which populations will be unable to receive general public health emergency messages related to pandemic influenza through mass communication channels during the initial phase of a public health emergency.
Recognize the National Incident Management System and the intricacies of the Joint Information Center
How information technology and the new media influence communication decisions and pandemic preparedness.

What are Different Objectives?

Appraise the range of challenges presented by a severe influenza pandemic and the communication steps that could be taken.
Formulate communication priorities based on a full exploration of the context of a severe influenza pandemic.
Recognize communication themes required to fulfill severe influenza pandemic response goals of fewer disease cases, spread over a longer timeframe with fewer deaths.

Hardiness and Personal Resilience Objectives

Recognize the positive role of community hardiness and personal resilience.
Compare and contrast expected community outcomes based on hardiness or lack of hardiness.
Predict the community's level of hardiness now and identify ways to build, restore, and strengthen hardiness before and during a severe influenza pandemic through communication activities.
Acknowledge the role of leaders in building community hardiness before and during a pandemic.

Stigmatization Objectives

Define stigmatization
Recall the four discernible characteristics of stigmatization.
Evaluate how stigmatization may occur in the community.
Formulate ways for communication professionals to counter stigmatization

Reaching Special Populations Objectives

Employ consistent concepts regarding special populations to ensure that appropriate assessments are conducted, planning done, and resources appropriately allocated.
Distinguish which populations will be unable to receive general public health emergency messages related to pandemic influenza through mass communication channels during the initial phase of a public health emergency.
Recognize that communication alone may not remove all barriers to preventing illness, injury, or death among population groups.

Grief, Loss and Bereavement Objectives

Describe types of loss, grief, and bereavement concerns for individuals and communities during a severe influenza pandemic.
Recognize the cultural differences in bereavement rituals.
Select ways to communicate to individuals and communities empathetically about their loss.

Information Technology and New Media Objectives

Recognize the multitudes of [traditional and] non-traditional ways the public can and will access information, and the speed with which electronic communications will reach innumerable channels.
Construct a plan to reach out to non-traditional communication channels to help disseminate accurate, consistent, timely information to large numbers of people.
Evaluate message and rumor monitoring methods to include new technologies and the ability to counteract any false information that may become widespread.