Analyzing the CDC’s Crisis Communication In U.S. Ebola Outbreak

Editor’s note: This post was written within the first few hours of Mr. Duncan, patient zero in the United States, testing positive for Ebola. Though this information is accurate and the advice within this post is relevant to any and all organizations, there have been more developments to this crisis that do not appear within this post. We have embedded links throughout this post to more relevant updates, discussions and analyses to the way this ongoing Ebola crisis is being managed.

Yesterday evening it was announced that an American who had recently travelled to Liberia has been diagnosed with Ebola and is under intensive care in the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. It’s the moment we’ve all been dreading and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was quick to respond – as they absolutely needed and prepared to be – by holding a press conference which was also live streamed online.

Listen: TCIP #020 – Managing The Ebola Crisis With Bill Boyd

A look at CDC’s crisis communication in the initial hours of the U.S. Ebola announcement

The CDC is very good at their job. They’re an excellent example to learn from. They’ve been working night and day on plans and processes for dealing with Ebola, the public and the potentially infected for weeks now. When it was time to activate this plan, their implementation was quick, seamless and impactful. During the press conference, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, was a brilliant example of how to communicate effectively while positioning himself (the CDC) as the voice of calm and authority in this highly emotionally impacting crisis. Take a look:

Read: Emory’s Excellent Crisis Communication on Facebook

Their communications are easy to find, informative and reassuring. They utilize social media to communicate regularly and consistently, and they answer questions and push out information to make sure that the situation does not escalate out of fear or lack of education. In the time that I wrote this post, they posted 3 updates to their Facebook page and 5 tweets. On Twitter they use the hashtag #ebola in every tweet to ensure that it is found by anyone monitoring this hashtag, and they include images and links to further information when appropriate.

CDC & @TexasDSHS confirm 1st #Ebola case diagnosed in US. Hospitalized patient recently returned from W. Africa.

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) September 30, 2014

Local public health officials in TX have begun identifying close contacts of #Ebola patient for further monitoring. http://t.co/LDw6XPQtUO

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) September 30, 2014

US has a strong health care system & dedicated public health professionals to ensure TX #Ebola case can be limited. http://t.co/LDw6XPQtUO

— Dr. Tom Frieden (@DrFriedenCDC) September 30, 2014

US patient did not exhibit symptoms of #Ebola during flights from W. Africa; Ebola only contagious if the person is experiencing symptoms.

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 30, 2014

CDC doesn't recommend people on same commercial airline flights w/US #Ebola patient undergo monitoring. http://t.co/wjPNZ4ROTZ

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 30, 2014

CDC recognizes that even a single case of #Ebola diagnosed in US raises concerns, but we've been preparing to respond http://t.co/wjPNZ4ROTZ

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 30, 2014

#Ebola is spread by direct contact w/bodily fluids of a sick person or exposure to contaminated objects, like needles pic.twitter.com/lVjLoWYBki

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 30, 2014

#Ebola is not spread through casual contact or through the air.

— CDC (@CDCgov) September 30, 2014

Prevalent and informative website announcement

On their website homepage they published an enormous banner above the fold, announcing an ebola update and confirming the first patient diagnosis. This confirmation is important to be direct about and the banner links to an informative page within their website that goes into further detail about everything a reader would want to know at this point:

• Information on the patient, where he traveled from and how he was diagnosed;
• How an ebola diagnosis here, in North America, is different from a diagnosis in West Africa (how our healthcare system is better prepared to deal with this type of disease and potential outbreak);
• What the CDC has been doing to tighten procedures and prepare in anticipation of this diagnosis;
• They also go into further detail on how the disease is spread and what and when symptoms are experienced.

In this type of crisis two things are drastically important

In this type of crisis, which impacts the nation and world, there are two important goals that need to be met:

1. The prevention of a pandemic; and
2. Communicating with and educating the general public in order to prevent an escalation of fear and panic.

These are the two biggest risks that need to be planned for and prevented. The CDC has this responsibility on their shoulders and they take it seriously.

While we all wait to see what happens with this crisis, I suggest you watch the CDC and the way they communicate because they’re an excellent example of effective crisis communication to learn from.

Read: Lessons from BBC’s Ebola Education Initiative via WhatsApp