Authors
Soha Karam, Nadia Butler, Tikulirekuti Banda, Hanna Woldemeskel, Oliver Mweemba, Mulanda Joseph Mulawa, Kalangwa Kalangwa, Leslie Jones, Anastasiia Atif, Elisabeth Ganter Restrepo, Yves Ngaleu, Maureen McKenna, Rachel James, Juliet Bedford, Helen Smith
Published in
Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1895133. Epub Oct 09, 2026.
Abstract
Rapid qualitative assessments and community feedback mechanisms are increasingly recognized as core components of risk communication and community engagement in public health emergencies, yet few documented examples exist of how this evidence has directly influenced outbreak response decision-making. This case study examines the 2023-2024 cholera outbreak in Zambia, analyzing how social and behavioral data generated through multiple rounds of rapid qualitative assessment, alongside national community feedback mechanisms, informed multisectoral response activities. Drawing on document review, consultations with response pillar members, assessment reports, feedback dashboards, and triangulation with epidemiological data, the study traces how community concerns, rumors, beliefs, perceptions and priorities were collected, analyzed and applied across health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and protection response pillars. Enabling factors included pre-existing technical capacity, strong partnerships between government humanitarian actors, and academia, and rapid feedback loops that supported near real-time adaptation. Challenges at different points in the response included delayed resource allocation, uneven subnational coordination, and limited capacity to process large volumes of feedback data. The Zambia experience demonstrates that community-generated evidence can meaningfully influence outbreak response when integrated across response pillars rather than confined to behavioral interventions alone, representing a broader shift in public health practice that positions community perspectives as central to decision-making. This, in turn, strengthens effectiveness, trust, accountability, and transparency by aligning interventions with community-identified priorities. While grounded in the Zambian context, the findings are relevant for preparedness, anticipatory action, and response across a range of public health emergencies.
PMID:
42920551
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 24 Oct 2026.
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