Case Studies on Pandemic and Epidemic Communication Campaigns: From the 1918 Influenza to Covid-19

Spanning over a century of global health crises, Case Studies on Pandemic and Epidemic Communication Campaigns examines 25 case studies across 12 major pandemics and epidemics that shaped public health communication and all types of organizations in both the public and private sectors.

Each chapter begins with the historical context when the health crisis occurred to help readers understand the overall magnitude of the health crisis, treatments, media, and available communication tools. Each case study contains a complete overview and details (situation analysis, objectives, strategies, tactics, implementation, results, and measurement), about a specific communication campaign to address the health crisis, as well as theoretical principles and insightful questions to hone critical thinking skills. The book also addresses ethics, social inequities, xenophobia, discrimination, fearmongering, misinformation, and vaccine hesitancy. The case study method is a crucial pedagogical tool for educators and practitioners to make sense of past and present health crises and learn about the similarities and parallels between communication methods and theoretical principles applied across epidemics and pandemics.

The book will appeal to students and academics in public health and crisis communication programs as well as academic associations in communication and crisis management, public relations practitioners, and members of the leading communication industry groups.

Arhlene Flowers, formerly a public relations executive based in New York City and Toronto, is a professor in the Advertising, Public Relations, & Marketing Communications degree program at Ithaca College, United States.

Cory Young is a professor in Ithaca College’s Department of Strategic Communication where she has taught 23 different courses on crisis communication, stakeholder relations, and other communication topics.