June 2017 - Parks & Recreation - 18

Community Center
How to Keep Citizens Informed About
the Threat of Zika in Your Community
By Landon Schenck

ccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
Zika virus is now a nationally notifiable condition throughout the United States (https://www.cdc.gov/zika/reporting/2017-case-counts.html).
Between January 1, 2015 and April 19, 2017, more than 5,000 cases of
Zika were reported in the United States, and 223 of those cases were acquired through
presumed local mosquito-borne transmissions in the states of Florida and Texas. As
with any insect-related illness, the threat of the disease spreading at epidemic proportions has many Americans fearing for their communities and their families. In the
Southern states, there is a particular fear of the disease spreading from Central and
South American countries where diagnosed cases have so far been more prevalent.
Keep your citizens informed this summer about the threat of Zika in your
community with an effective communication and education plan. By increasing

communitywide understanding of the
Zika virus, its sources, risks, symptoms
and treatments, your citizens will be best
prepared to help prevent its spread, mitigate the potential impact to themselves
and their families, and actively help safeguard their community from the risk of
widespread infection. Following is a recommended communication plan to help
you get started:

hyper-local. Your citizens want to hear
the latest news from you as it pertains
to your community.
* Ensure your communications leverage
the latest, local, quantified data. Partner
with local research resources to ensure
your administration is constantly aware
of any recent cases, or changes in local
risk factors, so that such news can be communicated to citizens in a timely manner.
* Ensure all communications stress prevention techniques. The CDC offers in-depth
prevention resources and guidance to
inform your communications (https://
www.cdc.gov/zika/prevention/).
* Conduct a communication channels
assessment to determine trusted mass
media and social media outlets that
you plan to use as part of your preventive communication strategy and in the
event of an escalation in known cases in

By increasing communitywide understanding of the
Zika virus...citizens will be best prepared to help prevent
its spread, mitigate the potential impact to themselves
and their families, and actively help safeguard their
community from the risk of widespread infection.
Communication
Foundational Principles
* Focus municipal communications specifically on the known threat in your
community. Whether you are a county, city, village or township, any communications coming from your local
government administration should be
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your area. Plan to leverage all appropriate communication channels, including
your local government's social media
accounts and website, trusted members
of your local media and a mass notification system if one is already in use by
your emergency response personnel.
* Partner with local experts to assist with

June 2017 - Parks & Recreation

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