Risk Communication and Community Engagement Readiness and Response Toolkit: Mpox

"Risk communication is the real-time exchange of information between decision-makers, experts and populations exposed to a hazard or imminent threat to their survival, health, or economic or social wellbeing."

This toolkit offers a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for mpox, a viral infectious disease (previously known as monkeypox) that was first declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in July 2022.

In particular, the purpose of this toolkit is to guide RCCE practitioners, decision-makers, and partners on how to place affected communities at the centre of coordinated efforts to reduce the impact of and end outbreaks of mpox. It provides strategies, best practices, and practical resources to: collect and analyse social and behavioural data; use collected insights to inform strategy and implementation; coordinate activities with partners and stakeholders; support the development and dissemination of accurate information to those at risk; build vaccine confidence and demand; address public concerns; and support the participation of communities as essential partners in mpox readiness and response efforts. The toolkit is also designed to support the implementation of the standing recommendations for mpox that are in effect for all State Parties from August 21 2023 to August 20 2024. Among the recommendations is one indicating that States Parties should enhance community protection by building capacity for RCCE, adapting public health and social measures (PHSM) to local contexts and continuing to strive for equity among and build trust with communities, particularly for those most at risk.

The toolkit contains the following: 
 

• Information about mpox;
• RCCE considerations for how to approach key issues during mpox outbreaks;
• Tools for understanding the context in which mpox outbreaks occur;
• Methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into planning and implementation of activities;
• Case studies; and
• Links to existing RCCE tools and training.

The particular tools offered in the toolkit for gathering information, strategy and planning, and implementation of RCCE are as follows: 
 

• Tool 1: Conducting a situational analysis: The PESTEL [Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal] tool
• Tool 2: Behavioural analyses
• Tool 3: Mapping and understanding communities
• Tool 4: Stakeholder analysis
• Tool 5: Readiness and response checklist
• Tool 6: Activities tracker
• Tool 7: Community listening and feedback systems for mpox outbreaks
• Tool 8: Developing key messages and content
• Tool 9: Measurement, evaluation, and learning (MEL)
• Tool 10: Checklist for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment

This toolkit is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas (see Related Summaries below for other toolkits in this series).