1. Technical Session 5: Activating the Plan Survive the first 24-48-72 hours Bryna Brennan Senior Advisor, Risk and Outbreak Communication Pan American Health Organization/WHO Trinidad and Tobago 24-25 October

2. Content The crisis occurs What do we do? Evolution of a health crisis; Effective management of crisis communication; Emergency onset; Key components of crisis communication; Key recommendations

3. Cholera in Peru, 1991-1992 More than half a million cases

4. PAHO Rep. reads press release Jointly with PAHO/WHO-CDC Technical Committee Meeting Ministry of Health-Social Security Adm., chaired by Dr. Camilo Alleyne, Minister of Health Intoxication outbreak Diethylene glycol (DEG) - Panama 2006 80 cases and 43 deaths

5. Mass intoxication by methanol Nicaragua, September 2006 Outbreak becomes uncontrollable (El Nuevo Diario) 603 cases of intoxication and 33 deaths in three days Panic in León (Headlines in El Nuevo Diario)

6. Dengue Epidemics Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Paraguay- Uruguay etc.

7. The Caribbean

8. Earthquake in Peru - August 2007

9. There are 3,790 suspected cases of leptospirosis There are 3,790 suspected cases of leptospirosis (León-Nicaragua: El Nuevo Diario, 11.4.07)

10. Paraguay, Yellow Fever 2008 Health Authorities during a press conference where they confirmed yellow fever cases National Emergency Declared Some 2,000 people over crowded outside San Lorenzo hospital waiting for vaccines

11. Haiti estimates 300,000 deaths caused by the earthquake

12. Activate the risk communication plan Characteristics of emergencies: - These are events that exceed the normal response capacity of organizations, communities or systems. - Need to respond immediately. - Information overload - Lack of control - Perception of chaos, fear, anger....

13. 1. Assess the situation / verify and confirm the information internally 2. Notify team members and stakeholders 3. First and subsequent public announcements 4. Advise the authorities and risk management team 5. Communication surveillance

14. Notify team members and stakeholders Determine who to notify based on the current situation and assign leadership; With partners, implement tasks already described in the plan for the current phase; Activate the flow of information and chain of command; Alert spokespersons and present the situation; Activate internal and external monitoring (surveillance communications teams).

15. First and subsequent public announcements spokespersons ready; Inter-institutional coordination for the first announcement; Identified best communication channels; Identified future announcements.

16. Advising the authorities and risk management team The emergency from the media’s perspective; Establish means of communication with experts in the field. Update key messages; Strengthen internal and external communication and information flow; Activate and maintain communications surveillance; Reinforce the importance of complying with WHO’s standards for risk communication.

19. www.paho.org/riskcomm

20. Thank you! Bryna Brennan brennanb@paho.org