Ethan Parry

February 11, 2014

Individual Written Case Study

Comms 336, Plowman

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “smallpox is a serious,

contagious and sometime fatal infectious disease. The pox part of smallpox is derived from the

Latin word for ‘spotted’ and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an

infected person.” The fatality rate of those infected with the most severe form of smallpox is

30%. Thanks to a worldwide vaccination program, the disease has been eradicated. Despite its

eradication, samples do exist both in Russia and the United States. One does not need to look far

in order to find terrorism. As technology evolves, and terrorists become wiser, bioterrorism

becomes a viable option. “A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or

other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants.” Smallpox is a

disease that can be released in the air and in aerosol form. Despite the fact that smallpox is under

control, the CDC understands that the best way to prevent a problem from escalating is to have a

plan already in place.

SWOT Analysis:

Strengths:

Have established key relationships with American Hospital Association,

American Media Association, American Academy of Family Practitioners,

American Academy of Pediatrics, American Nurses Association, Association for

Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, National Mental Health

Association, Association of Academic Health Centers, and the Society for

Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Have the Public Health Information Network (PHIN), Health Area Network

(HAN), and the Emergency Communication System (ECS) to communicate and

disseminate information quickly

Develop crisis response plans for incidents, outbreaks, etc. before they occur

Weaknesses:

CDC messaging may become inconsistent across so many dissemination channels

Strong dependency on the system to effectively get the messages out to key

stakeholders and to warn them of potential threats

CDC relies primarily on networks to disseminate emergency information. If the

networks were to malfunction, communication would be disrupted

Opportunities:

Aside from using social media to inform individuals about CDC’s various

campaigns and initiatives, CDC can also use it to disseminate timely information

regarding a possible outbreak etc.

Threat:

Cannot control when terrorists will use bioterrorism techniques to affect a nation

or the globe

There are certain viruses/diseases that are presently not curable (i.e. smallpox)

Situation Analysis:

In the middle of the twentieth century, smallpox was still considered to be a dangerous

disease worldwide, despite the several methods of treatment that were being tried at the time.,

The World Health Organization adopted a global eradication resolution in 1958. Several years

later, in 1966, another resolution was drafted and this one was adopted. The countries who

decided to sponsor it set the specific goal to eradicate smallpox within ten years. Due to the hard

work and effort of the World Health Organization and their Smallpox Eradication Programme

(SEP), the last victims of smallpox were in 1978. Although smallpox has been “eliminated”, the

Center for Disease Control and Prevention still continues it to be a potential threat to the global

community.

Smallpox still exists as small samples in both Russian and United States’ laboratories.

Health officials could use these small samples to create a cure for smallpox, or bioterrorists could

use them to recreate a worldwide outbreak. There is always a certain level of uncertainty when it

comes to anticipating terrorist behavior, but something that we do know for certain is that

smallpox, can be easily spread in the air and in an aerosol form. In other words, this disease

would spread quickly. I see two approaches to this situation. One is develop a cure to smallpox

before bioterrorists get to the sample and distribute; the other, which is more plausible, is to

develop a strategic, in-depth crisis response communication plan if a smallpox outbreak were to

occur.

Core Problem:

If the Center for Disease Control does not develop a smallpox response communications

plan and bioterrorists were to release the disease, then the United States, and world as a whole,

can expect could a 30%, if not more, fatality rate.

Questions for Discussion:

1. What research is necessary to develop an effective smallpox communication plan?

Research is an integral part of developing a communication plan or

campaign. For this particular example, one would need to conduct

research with “public health workers and clinicians to identify barriers and

facilitators to an effective response”, “compile and analyze a

comprehensive set of data...to evaluate effectiveness of communication",

and conduct “formative research on audience knowledge, attitudes, and

behaviors regarding smallpox that can inform and strengthen

communication efforts. Although it may not seem applicable here, I would

also to encourage individuals to take the research a bit further beyond

attitudes and knowledge, and ask the various key stakeholders what their

self-interests.

2. Examine the CDC’s communication goals for a smallpox outbreak. Why would a

strong communication infrastructure be an important goal?

CDC’s goal is to “establish and maintain a strong communications

infrastructure that enables prompt, coordinated, and ongoing information

dissemination to its key publics.” A strong communication infrastructure

needs to be the very heart of this plan. In crisis communications, it is

always important to act, not react, and have a way to effectively

community with key stakeholders. The CDC Communication Plan says,

“Developing a crisis communication plan and infrastructure is an integral

part of smallpox preparedness. Effective communication in both the public

and private sectors can help ensure public trust and credibility in the health

system and support efforts to protect the public in the event of a laboratory

confirmed case of smallpox.” Without having a robust infrastructure in

place, the chances of CDC effectively being able to communicate with his

key audiences would be quite difficult.

3. Why is rapid information dissemination necessary in a competitive 24/7 news

environment? Why does this pose problems for the CDC?

News is no longer a 5’o clock deal anymore. News is always happening,

hence the 24/7 cycle. Consumers of information want messages

disseminated to them almost instantaneously. Also if a company is not

quick enough to get out certain corporate news, correct an angle that puts

us the company in negative light, then more often than not, your

competitors will be able to craft and disseminate the message they want to

hear. The 24/7 news environment poses a few problems for the CDC.

Individuals will expect CDC to as soon a disaster/incident happens, give

24/7 constant updates. Unfortunately, CDC may not always have an

update to give to the people when they want it. Bandwidth is another

issue. The CDC now has to evaluate if it has enough staff to monitor the

various media channels that exist today.

4. The plan refers to subject matter experts (SMEs) within the information

management activities. Who are they are what is their role?

A subject matter expert, as defined by the CDC, “is an individual who

exhibits the highest level of expertise in performing a specialized job, task,

or skill within the organization.” “A subject matter expert is passionate

about work in the domain, known as a thought-leader, and experienced in

the field with years of practice.” SMEs’ role is to encourage both

conversation and action from the people who fall under his or her domain.

I commend the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s efforts in trying to plan for

the unthinkable. A key component of strategic communications is to always have a plan,

especially for when crises occur. I am big advocate of action, instead of reaction. The CDC acted

instead of reacted. If CDC hadn’t have created such an in-depth plan, it really would have been a

matter of life and death. The detail of the Smallpox Response Plan is impressive. They really

took the time to identify their key audiences, key messages that will resonate with them, and

which channels they should use in order to be successful.

Despite the depth of the plan, I feel that the CDC could be improved in three ways. First,

the CDC needs to consider using more traditional media in order to disseminate their message,

especially when there is an emergency. Currently, they are dependent upon their Public Health

Information Network (PHIN), Health Area Network (HAN), and the Emergency Communication

System (ECS) to relay such messages. The CDC needs to consider the following question, “How

will we disseminate important information if these networks were to malfunction?” I encourage

the CDC to not forget the importance of both television and radio, as medium for the

dissemination of messages. Second, as a part of their response plan, they can include a research

and development component and develop a “mini plan” for coming up with a cure for smallpox.

The CDC has great templates for local and state governments to implement within their

jurisdiction as an emergency arises. My last recommendation to the CDC would to be to create

an emergency response plan template for an individual/family. If an individual/family plan was

created, individuals would not have to wait until they received information from the CDC to start

acting. They could confidently start protecting their homes etc. to prevent the spread of the

disease.