The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), like all public health agencies, is constantly challenged by new health threats and emerging diseases. A major responsibility of these agencies is the rapid and effective communication of information on emerging threats to members of the public who may be potentially exposed. This responsibility for effective risk communication is critical when the public perception of risk is high. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and subsequent anthrax mail attacks (Amerithrax) resulted in a new era of public risk perception and concern. Many new and advanced surveillance systems, developed in response to these events, have increased the need for effective risk communication. For example, the DPH developed its first syndromic surveillance system in September 2001 to monitor for possible bioterrorism events and emerging infections. This resulted in the implementation of a number of risk communication and response protocols. These and other protocols were tested in responding to the recent anthrax contamination of a drum maker’s residence and a multistate rash outbreak.
Objective
This paper describes various risk communications techniques used in Connecticut to provide health information to the public following surveillance signal alerts. The use of hotlines and contemporary social networking systems to quickly communicate with targeted populations are compared to the use of news releases and other traditional approaches.