Lessons learned from a U.S. cross-agency emergency measles communication campaign during the 2006 World Cup

During 2005–2006, large outbreaks of measles were reported in several countries in Europe, including Germany. To help prevent the spread of measles into the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) worked closely with partners to develop a communication campaign for travelers and those assisting travelers arriving in the United States from the 2006 World Cup in Germany. Communication campaign activities included: • Notifying state and local public health agencies about the measles outbreak. • Developing a press release for the public, a measles Travel Health Alert Notice and poster for travelers, a fact sheet for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff, and a fact sheet for flight crews. • Publishing the poster, flight crew fact sheet, and a Travel Notice on CDC's Travelers' Health website. • Informing and enlisting assistance from CBP, airlines, health departments, airport authorities, and other partners to hang posters and heighten surveillance activities. • Distributing and hanging posters in the airports. The health communication campaign provided an opportunity to test rapid communication dissemination and to evaluate communication channels that would be used during a public health emergency, such as an influenza pandemic. The need for rapid communication identified challenges with clearance review and dissemination protocols. It highlighted the importance of strong partnerships, ongoing dialogue between agencies, and pre-event identification of effective and rapid communication strategies. The campaign led to the development of a dissemination protocol for emergency health communication, improved existing relationships, and identified key stakeholders for future communications activities.