All countries around the world have developed response plans to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the challenges presented by the disease require constant learning and adaptation. It is increasingly necessary to strengthen the risk communication component as an essential tool for providing the population with all of the necessary information about the immunization process. This ranges from clinical trials and the production of new vaccines to the introduction, distribution, and prioritization of groups that need one or more vaccines--according to each country's definitions and vaccine availability. It also includes universal access to vaccines, once the priority groups have been immunized. PAHO, in its constant, ongoing effort to support the countries of the Americas, is making this document available to facilitate the preparation of a risk communication and community engagement strategy for vaccination against COVID-19. Its goal is to help to strengthen the communication and planning capacities of the ministries or secretariats of health and other agencies in charge of communicating about new COVID-19 vaccines in the Americas.

Vaccine- and vaccination-related crises require a communication response that is different from the communication strategies used to promote the benefits and importance of vaccines in general. This document presents the technical guidance needed to develop a communication plan that is appropriate for managing crises related to vaccine safety. This guidance will be useful for managers in the areas of immunization and vaccine and vaccination safety. They will also help preparedness and response teams working in safety crises to optimize their communication plans in order to regain, maintain, or strengthen trust in vaccines, vaccination, and immunization programs in general. Each chapter presents a phase (preparation, implementation, and evaluation) with suggested actions and support tools to prepare, implement, and evaluate a communication response in a crisis situation. Also, some sections can also be used to strengthen routine national communication activities such as interaction with media, message generation, spokespeople preparation among others. The current document complements the Manual for the surveillance of events supposedly attributable to vaccination or immunization (ESAVI) in the Region of the Americas. This document is published within the framework of a joint project that aims to promote communication-related to safe vaccination in the Region of the Americas and support health authorities that need to develop a communication plan to manage crises related to vaccine safety. Some of the sections in this publication are based on the guidance documents available in the WHO Regional Office for Europe's virtual library and can be consulted on their website.

This guide enables effective planning and implementation of proactive communication actions to promote understanding of the importance of vaccines in preventing illness and preventable deaths and raises awareness of vaccine risks and perceptions of risk. The guide also covers prompt and effective communication in response to an adverse event following immunization (AEFI) or any other vaccine safety concerns that threaten public trust in a vaccine and compliance with the immunization programme. The guide offers systematic scientific and practical approaches tips and tools to help strengthen the capacity of the various stakeholders in planning implementing managing monitoring and evaluating and documenting communication interventions around vaccine safety issues and immunization.

The continuous assessment of benefits and risks, as well as effective communication among stakeholders, is key for protecting and promoting public health, and for strengthening public trust in vaccines and the authorities that oversee the vaccination process. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the private sector has played a critical role in the rapid development of vaccines. Moreover, primary responsibility for vaccine safety and efficacy monitoring rests with use authorization holders. National regulatory authorities have to make decisions based on limited safety and efficacy data at the time of authorization. Thus, constant monitoring is necessary as soon as a vaccine is authorized in order to detect and assess possible safety issues associated with its use. This document establishes recommendations and considerations to guide the development of strategies to assess the risk management plans and periodic safety reports required for use authorization of COVID-19 vaccines and for safety monitoring once their use is authorized. It is intended mainly for national regulatory authorities in the Region of the Americas, and may be considered by COVID-19 vaccine use authorization holders when preparing risk management plans and periodic safety reports for submission to health authorities.

THE ESSENTIAL HANDBOOK FOR EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING ENVIRONMENTAL, SAFETY, AND HEALTH RISKS, FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED Now in its sixth edition, Risk Communication has proven to be a valuable resource for people who are tasked with the responsibility of understanding how to apply the most current approaches to care, consensus, and crisis communication. The sixth edition updates the text with fresh and illustrative examples, lessons learned, and recent research as well as provides advice and guidelines for communicating risk information in the United States and other countries. The authors help readers understand the basic theories and practices of risk communication and explain how to plan an effective strategy and put it into action. The book also contains information on evaluating risk communication efforts and explores how to communicate risk during and after an emergency. Risk Communication brings together in one resource proven scientific research with practical, hands-on guidance from practitioners with over 30 years of experience in the field. This important guide: Provides new examples of communication plans in government and industry, use of social media, dealing with "fake news," and new digital tools for stakeholder involvement and crisis communications Contains a new chapter on partnerships which covers topics such as assigning roles and expectations, ending partnerships, and more Presents real-world case studies with key lessons all risk communicators can apply. Written for engineers, scientists, professors and students, land use planners, public health practitioners, communication specialists, consultants, and regulators, the revised sixth edition of Risk Communication is the must-have guide for those who communicate risks.

This guidance is an update of WHO global influenza preparedness plan: the role of WHO and recommendations for national measures before and during pandemics, published March 2005 (WHO/CDS/CSR/GIP/2005.5).

This book demonstrates how a novel decision-aid, called a Benefit-Risk Characterization Theater (BRCT), can be used to: · Significantly improve accurate communication of health risks from exposure to COVID-19; and · Assess how to best contain and control COVID-19. To date, there have been far-reaching ramifications based on ineffective risk communication when clarifying these health endpoints. A BRCT is a familiar, theatrical chart representation of 1,000 people, with the risks and benefits shown by blackened seats. Since health outcomes can easily be put into such a chart, we show how BRCTs can be used objectively by professionals, the media and lay people. It allows characterization and communication of health benefits and risks of COVID-19 treatment and containment in an undemanding and straightforward way. BRCTs have been successfully used to assist patients in determining: · Their level of acceptable risk of various medical interventions; · If the benefits of intervention outweigh the risks; · Who should make the final decision regarding medical intervention; and · Whether the decision is evidence-based. Written by experts in the field, this book fills in a gap in communication between the medical community, the public and patients. It also provides an area of expertise in communication that is beneficial for medical providers and medical students.