COVID-19 has left us all with the lingering question: Will there be another pandemic in my lifetime? Many factors are at play in the answer to that question, but protocols of prevention and response are the greatest tools we have to protect future outbreaks—or at the very least, keep them contained. The 2014 Ebola epidemic demonstrated just how far-reaching the effects of an uncontained health crisis can be— from the direct impacts on families and communities, to the indirect impacts on the global economy, health care system, and beyond.      

Preventive measures can include vaccination programs (read here for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' guidelines for vaccination programs), antibiotic treatments (as have been effective in combatting Cholera outbreaks), and early detection in the event of viral spillovers from animal species. Underlying the majority of these efforts is effective communication strategies that allow for swift and effective action on both local and global levels. To learn more about public health communication strategies, read this 2021 report from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) titled COVID- 19 Communications: Promoting Prevention Measures and Vaccine Confidence.