Beating Zika to the Punch: Open Communications to Defuse a Health Scare

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2017

When Zika hit the U.S. in 2016, the County of San Diego realized it might have to take actions to protect the public health it had never had taken before. That included sending teams wearing protective gear into people’s yards to spray pesticide to kill mosquitoes and keep Zika from spreading. To allay concerns, we needed a ramped-up Zika communications plan that would keep the media and public informed, prepared and acting as a partner in the Zika fight. A plan that would use all our communications tools to explain — calmly, proactively and relentlessly — what was happening, what we were doing and why. Our Communications Office worked with County Public Health and Vector Control to create a multichannel communications plan and Zika team. We produced proactive stories, informational videos, public service announcements and media advisories. We sent public health and vector control experts into neighborhoods to talk with the press and public. We used social media — not only to release information but to quickly respond to the public’s questions and concerns. And we worked closely with media to make sure they understood Zika information, reported it accurately, and quickly corrected it when it was wrong. Our comprehensive, transparent outreach worked. When we eventually did have to spray 10 neighborhoods between August and November, we were able to do so without any real incidents or alarm.