Global Animal Health Communication Strategy to Support Prevention and Control of H5N1 HPAI

This 5-page document written for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) summarises results of the FAO/World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) International Animal Health Communicators’ Roundtable, April 16-19 2007, in Rome, Italy, called for the purpose of developing the FAO/OIE "Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Highly Pathogenic
Avian Influenza (HPAI) of the strain H5N1".
It is a summary of key recommendations, issues, challenges, and strategic options, main communication challenges, and emerging lessons on avian flu or bird flu prevention. It concludes with the roundtable's "Communication Framework for Action".

The meeting sought to develop a framework for communication which "adheres to the principles of inclusion, participation, and self-determination." The document reports the perspective that "communication professionals [bring] specialised skills to augment and improve the effectiveness of the technical aspects of the prevention, preparedness,
response, and recovery phases of animal disease occurrences."


Acknowledging the need for a comprehensive communication strategy, the meeting recommended 6 points including:

1. Advocate for capacity-building in the area of animal health communication;
2. Ensure that strategic communication is integrated into the veterinary infrastructure and
   policy response at the country level;
3. Establish an international network of animal health and disease communication experts;
4. Develop a communication action plan on H5N1 transmission with communication tools for immediate use and strategies for social and behavioural changes;
5. Ensure consistency and accuracy in messaging; and
6. Develop a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary participatory approach to communication.

The meeting concluded that there is an urgent need to strengthen the role of communication professionals in responding to animal diseases, particularly those posing a risk to human health, and that external aid and technical agencies' support must be fully coordinated in their strategic communication work.


Further, "experiences were shared on key issues, challenges
and gaps in communications/public awareness initiatives aimed at combating HPAI;
recommendations were developed and prioritised to sustain a coordinated communications
agenda; and consensus was built on the need for effective mechanisms to strengthen interagency cooperation." 12 key lessons emerged on which planning and strategy were built. Among these, and specifically related to communications planning, are:

• In going beyond outbreak/crisis responses, national communication plans need to address animal health issues, deep-rooted
  socio-cultural practices, implications for rural livelihoods, and the socioeconomic
  impact on the poultry sector.
• Focusing on Do/Don’t messages through the mass media and
  print is inadequate for increasing public participation and engagement.
• Much effort is directed towards key pandemic
  preparedness messages, and now
  establishing and strengthening sustainable outreach mechanisms and strategies for message delivery need focus.
• Factors that strongly influence public response (e.g., modes of disease transmission or compensation for stock) need clearer communication.
• Country plans need study and testing to measure effectiveness before roll-out, using Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, and Behaviour (KAPB)
  or risk perception studies.
• Communication for behaviour change needs to address evidence showing confusion about avian influenza (AI) transmissibility and a drop in risk perception after the initial outbreak is over.
• Development of partnerships with the media, the commercial/private
  sector, and small-scale poultry producers’ associations, as well as civil society, is needed. News reporting needs to gain consistency and accuracy.
• There is an urgent need for the systematic sharing/management of knowledge and
  information on HPAI communication interventions, including meta-analysis of the HPAI communication interventions to date, to form
  an authoritative basis for the design of communication strategies and interventions, with
  strong theoretical and empirical underpinnings. Also, there is a need to establish indicators, baselines, and benchmarks, and to assess both progress
  and the contribution of communications.
• A unified approach, with resource allocation, to rapidly building/strengthening national communication capacities,
  backed up by the establishment of decentralised resource centres, needs to be developed
  for providing ongoing, hands-on technical assistance in AI communication.

The FAO/OIE Strategic Communication Framework for Action developed from these discussions has four overarching communication goals. The first is to generate a clear understanding on the part of high-level decision makers that the best opportunity to
prevent human infections and a potential pandemic strain is by
preventing and controlling virus spread in poultry. The second is to advocate in policy domains for full preparedness and
strengthened communication capacities among Ministries of Agriculture/Livestock and at
all levels, for adequate resources to ensure rapid response interventions. Third, public participation and ownership in regional/national AI responses, e.g., safe poultry practices and
preventive behaviours, need catalysation to reduce the risk of virus transmission and spread. The final goal is the protection of livelihoods and mitigation of poultry market shocks and negative consumer reactions,
as well as minimisation of market recovery time, following AI outbreaks.


The five work streams developed for these goals are:

1. Technical Assistance and Capacity Building in Communication Planning
2. Public Information and Donor/Media Advocacy
4. Strategic Information for Policy Development and Advocacy
5. Partnership-building and Coordination
6. Strengthening Capacities of Animal Health Communicators