Managing Rumors in Outbreaks

[Kathy Erb]

Hi All, 

I thought this could be helpful in any health crisis or infectious disease outbreak, including Ebola and COVID-19. 

Qualitative Review of Organizational Responses to Rumors in the 2014–2016 Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone

This article in Global Health: Science and Practice Journal covers a qualitative review that suggests that program managers involved in rumor identification and management programming should consider the role of staff members who have direct contact with the public but who do not have specific communication responsibilities. During the 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Liberia and Sierra Leone rumors were identified and managed using formal and informal approaches, most often through interpersonal communication rather than mass media. This study provides an overview of how rumors affected the Ebola outbreak response at an organizational level. The study illustrates that rumors should be a key consideration in outbreak responses from the start of an outbreak response and should be considered in all aspects of the response, not only as an issue to be addressed via communication.

Organizations can use their internal communication structures to encourage staff members to report rumors and provide the necessary information and skills to respond to them. Rumor management approaches included Community-Led Ebola Action, Community-Led Total Sanitation, drama performances, Ebola treatment-center-based approaches, radio, leveraging community leaders as information sources, and organizational change.
 

Kathy Erb | Communications Director

Christian Connections for International Health (USA) | www.ccih.org

mobile: +1-301.525.2881 | kath...@ccih.org