Description

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The public has taken a new level of interest in outbreak response since 2020, learning epidemiological terms and seeking information about how to stay prepared in a pandemic. Public health professionals are calling on citizen scientists' participation as outbreaks are increasingly occurring in complex environments, expanding the number of people and types of activities required to control the spread of disease. However, there is no comprehensive source mapping this complexity and detailing needed actions tailored to the public.

For years the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security has curated an interactive online tool for professionals that identifies the activities involved across all phases of an outbreak. The Georgetown Outbreak Activity Library (GOAL) captures what needs to get done, when, and by whom. Now, in The Outbreak Atlas, Rebecca Katz and Mackenzie S. Moore have translated this complex material into a book designed for a public audience.

This book provides an overview of outbreak activities alongside compelling case studies and visuals to guide readers through the complexity involved in outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery. It lifts the curtain on the rationale and interconnectedness of outbreak responses across different fields and at various levels, presenting accessible information that ensures a shared understanding of the essential activities to control an outbreak.

About the Author

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Rebecca Katz is a professor and the director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security and holds joint appointments at Georgetown University Medical Center and the School of Foreign Service. From 2004 to 2019, Dr. Katz was a consultant to the Department of State, working on issues related to the Biological Weapons Convention, pandemic influenza, and disease surveillance. She returned to the Department of State in January 2021 as a senior advisor on the global COVID-19 response and global health security. Mackenzie S. Moore is a scientist and previously served as a Global Health Initiative Fellow at the Center for Global Health Science and Security. She is a doctoral candidate and Wellcome Trust scholar at the University of Edinburgh. She has worked on topics in global health, biosecurity, and epidemiology at a number of international organizations, including the World Bank, the Global Fund, USAID, the International Organization for Migration, and the Pacific Island Officers' Health Association.