This book provides readers with a critical, conceptual and applied understanding of the role of communication and community engagement for disease outbreak preparedness and response.

Until the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, for several years public health authorities and influential voices in the international public health community have warned of a pandemic and therefore a need to strengthen governments and communities ability to prevent and respond to it effectively to minimize its impact on lives and economies. While investments have focused on clinical, diagnostic, and vaccine research, preventing and minimizing the impact of disease outbreaks requires a wider socio-ecological systems approach that places communities at the centre of the response. Such an approach is still rare in public health practice.