Good emergency management practice: the essentials

Page 91

Respond: Command, control and communicate

fact that they are relatively inaccessible for geographical reasons or because of the practice of nomadism or transhumance or because of civil unrest. Such areas frequently have little contact with outside government officials. The conventional approaches recommended above will need to be modified in these circumstances. Only those staff who are experienced in the local conditions and who can gain the confidence of local communities should be used for these areas. Sometimes the main outside contacts of such communities will be through agricultural and other specialists employed by NGOs. NGOs and their staff should be regarded as a valuable resource for assistance in implementing animal health programmes in difficult areas, including epidemic livestock disease-control campaigns. Negotiations should therefore be carried out with appropriate NGOs to obtain their collaboration in this area. The necessary training and resources should then be supplied to their staff.

Communication guidelines – press and public during outbreaks An important aspect of disease control is communication with stakeholders at all levels, from producers to the general public. It is best to agree on who will provide interviews and restrict media communications to those designated and trained. The following guidelines are adapted from WHO’s “Best Practices for Outbreak Communication” and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Crisis Emergency Risk Communication”. They form the basic principles of emergency outbreak communication.

Basic principles of emergency outbreak communication 1. TRUST is the goal

Each communication builds or erodes trust

2. TRANSPARENCY is the tool

Tell stakeholders everything that you can, proactively and voluntarily

3. Announce EARLY

Even with incomplete information, to control rumours and establish leadership; provide frequent updates

4. LISTEN to the public and respond

Build messages to show you are listening to the public’s concerns, even when those concerns seem unreasonable

5. PLAN your communications for the extreme demands of an outbreak

Be First. Be Honest. Be Right. Be Credible. Be Consistent. Build trust and credibility, expressing: • empathy and caring; • competence and expertise;

79


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook

Articles inside

D: GEMP checklist

3min
pages 121-124

C: Risk analysis

18min
pages 111-120

A: Animal disease emergencies: their nature and potential consequences

9min
pages 103-106

Technical and financial support

2min
page 100

B: Risk periods

7min
pages 107-110

Restocking

2min
page 99

Stopping vaccination

2min
page 96

Recovery and rehabilitation of affected farming communities

2min
page 98

Declaration of official recognition of animal disease status

3min
page 97

Communication guidelines – press and public during outbreaks

1min
page 91

Local Disease (Animal) Control Centres

4min
pages 87-88

Difficult or marginalized areas

2min
page 90

National Disease (Animal) Control Centre

2min
page 86

Command and control during an outbreak

2min
page 84

Resource plans

1min
page 79

Risk enterprise manuals

1min
page 78

Operational manuals (or standard operating procedures

3min
pages 76-77

The geographical extent of culling: wide area culling or on a risk-assessed basis

2min
page 66

Management information system: the key indicators of progress

2min
page 69

Culling and disposal

2min
page 65

Contingency plan contents

6min
pages 72-75

Outbreak investigation

1min
page 70

Submission of samples from initial events to regional and world reference laboratories

1min
page 62

Animal health information systems

2min
page 59

Laboratory diagnostic capabilities

2min
page 60

Training veterinarians and other animal health staff

2min
page 55

Other strategies

2min
pages 51-52

Interface between field veterinary services and livestock farmers/traders

2min
page 54

Live bird marketing systems

2min
page 49

Developing cross-border contacts with neighbouring administrations

2min
page 46

Risk analysis processes in animal disease emergency planning

4min
pages 39-40

Incorporating risk analysis into the contingency plan

2min
pages 41-42

Illegal imports

2min
page 45

Updating disease plans

1min
pages 35-36

Contingency plans and operations manuals

2min
page 32

Public awareness

2min
page 34

A national disaster plan

3min
pages 18-20

Surveillance systems

2min
page 31

Compensation policy

2min
page 30

Factors affecting the frequency, size and length of disease emergencies

3min
pages 14-15

Role of central government, local authorities and the private sector

3min
pages 25-26

The required elements of preparedness planning

2min
page 17

Financing

2min
page 29

The value of planning for emergencies

2min
page 16
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.