Supporting Effective Regional Coordination of Advocacy and Strategic Communication for Emerging Pandemic Threats Tahir Turk 1* , Alyson Lipsky 2 and David Elkins 2 1 Communication Partners International, NSW, Australia 2 Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) RESPOND Project, a component of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats Program. Washington DC, USA * Corresponding author: Tahir Turk, Ph.D., Communication Partners International, 24 Dulwich Road, Springfield, NSW, Australia-2250, Tel: +61 2 4365 2774; E-mail: tturk@cpimail.net Received date: October 28, 2014; Accepted date: January 04, 2015; Published date: January 12, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Turk T, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract The Problem: Emerging pandemic threats are on the increase given the increasing levels of risks from overpopulation, unrestricted travel and mutations of existing viruses into more dangerous and resistant strains. Objective: The study objectives were to conduct a needs assessment with identify stakeholders in relation to a Zoonosis advocacy package at country and regional level. This included identification of primary, secondary and tertiary audience segments for targeting of possible communication campaigns for pandemic threats, to identify any barriers or benefits to the role out of the advocacy package, to incorporate participatory approaches to build ownership and engagement with the strategy by stakeholders and program beneficiaries and finally, to build internal capacity to undertake advocacy initiatives for regional ‘One Health’ approach in the future. Methods: The elicitation research utilized a rapid assessment and response (RAR) methodology incorporating qualitative field-work including semi-structured interviews with key informants. Desk research of secondary data sources supported in-field findings. Results: Results identified a number of gaps and challenges existing in effective program roll-out with a need for more effective coordination at national and regional levels, greater public and civil society engagement, and more effective advocacy and communication were necessary for effective rapid response in the case of out-breaks of infection. Essential insights on key informant expectations for a ‘One World–One Health’ advocacy package were also identified, to support national and regional engagement and rapid response. Implications: The application of rapid assessment and response, to inform the design of advocacy approaches and crisis communication for emerging pandemic threats is highly recommended. RAR can provide important insights from which to mobilize political will, national and regional resources through purposive advocacy initiatives in the resource constrained settings of developing countries. RAR is found to be particularly effective when dealing with public health priorities such as zoonosis and other pandemic threats with the survey method achieving in a relatively short time period, a comprehensive understanding of stakeholder needs and wants. Future research should also incorporate needs assessments with program beneficiaries to develop a comprehensive understanding of audience needs and wants in relation to EPTs. Keywords: Emerging pandemic threats; Overpopulation; Mutations; Viruses Introduction The impact of emerging pandemic threats (EPTs) such as Avian Influenza, Anthrax, Monkeypox and Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers–Ebola, Marburg and Yellow Fever–can have devastating effects with the burden of disease most evident in low-and middle-income countries [1-2]. However, if a rapid response is not conducted prior to or immediately upon an outbreak of a highly infectious pandemic threat, which has a relatively high rate of mortality, it can have catastrophic implications for both developing and developed countries. Phenomena such as species loss, ecosystem degradation, caused by extractive industries such as mining, logging and fishing, pollution, invasive alien species, and global climate change are fundamentally altering life on the planet from wilderness areas and oceans, to the most densely populated cities. Therefore, the rise of emerging and resurging infectious diseases, threatens not only humans and their food supplies and economies, but also the biodiversity of fauna and flora that supports the living infrastructure of our world [3]. Diseases transmitted between human, wild and domestic animals are having a significant and growing impact on public health, livestock economies and wildlife conservation [4]. Studies reveal that emerging disease outbreaks have quadrupled worldwide over the past 50 years with some 60% of the diseases transmitted from animals to humans and the majority of those originating in wildlife [5]. The social and economic costs of EPTs can be considerable with H5N1 avian influenza estimated to have cost over US$20 billion in economic losses. However, if an infection such as H5N1 caused an influenza pandemic, it could cost the global economy around US$2 trillion [6]. More recent outbreaks of Ebola in West Africa are predicted to require “at least a 20-fold surge in assistance” identified by the UN, to Emergency Medicine: Open Access Turk et al., Emerg Med (Los Angel) 2015, 5:2 DOI: 10.4172/2165-7548.1000234 Research Article Open Access Emerg Med (Los Angel) ISSN:2165-7548 EGM, an open access journal Volume 5 • Issue 2 • 1000234 E m e r g e n c y M e d i c i n e : O p e n A c c e s s ISSN: 2165-7548