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The Outbreak Atlas
by Rebecca Katz and Mackenzie S. Moore
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.
Introduction
User's Guide
1. Epidemiology: Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How?
2. Risk: Should We Be Worried? And Who and What Should We Be Worried About?
3. Laboratories and Lab Analysis: Getting to Know the Pathogen
4. Community Engagement and Humanitarian Response: How Can We Help?
5. Outbreak Data: Collecting, Managing, and Sharing Disease Data
6. Declarations and Notifications: Announcing Your Outbreak
7. Communicating with the Public: Spread Knowledge, Not Disease!
8. Staffing and Training: Meet the People behind Outbreak Response
9. Disease Prevention and Mitigation: Stop the Spread
10. Treating Patients: Taking Care of People
11. Security: Keeping the Peace
12. Money: Finding It, Giving It Out, and Keeping the Economy from Collapsing
13. Governance: Who Is in Charge and How?
14. Animal Health and Safety: Tackling Zoonotic Outbreaks
15. Emergency Operations and Logistics: Mobilizing People, Supplies, and
Equipment
Wrapping Up: Learning from the Past to Prepare for the Future
Case Study and Facts Index
Glossary
Notes
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Index
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.
“The COVID-19 pandemic shed a spotlight on how inaccessible and downright confusing public health terminology can be to the general public, sowing distrust. It’s why this book is so timely, taking the reader through a living history of past and current outbreaks and the reasons why certain actions were taken to curb the spread of pathogens. There is no jargon here—the focus is on building a common understanding of how outbreaks accelerate and measures required to stop them. We live in an era of epidemics and pandemics—this is required reading for us all."
—Dr. Vin Gupta, NBC News medical analyst
“This is the book we have been waiting for. I have looked for books that combine the technical with all of the other real-life scenarios that we face in order to make decisions. From legal to logistical to environmental, all of these are considerations that you need to weigh when making decisions on what to do. An epidemic curve or a map of the distribution of cases is necessary but never enough. This excellent book brings it all together.”
—Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, head of the World Health Organization’s Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence
"I have spent more than 50 years responding to or trying to prevent infectious disease outbreaks. One of the most astonishing things I learned is that without public will and public understanding, the top scientists can do very little. It is critical to bridge the gap of understanding between science and the general public, and this book captures the complexity of outbreaks in a way that can be understood by all. To the experienced pandemic warrior, it provides a 'refresher' course; to the student, it provides an all encompassing one-stop-shop resource; to the novice or the simply curious, a backstage look at 'what it takes.' And to all, a source of immeasurable gratitude for the men and women who bravely fight the battles on our behalf."
—Dr. Larry Brilliant, Founder and CEO of Pandefense Advisory
"The Outbreak Atlas is a primer for lay epidemiologists and professionals alike. Dr. Rebecca Katz and Mackenzie S. Moore dig deep into the intricacies of outbreak management, offering transparency into the process. This compendium of epidemiological case investigations is an instant classic. Designed as a field guide for epidemiologists, it also provides a quick way to get public officials and the public up to speed. From understanding the basics of epidemiology to mastering the art of public communication during crises, this guide is indispensable. Dive in to be prepared for the next outbreak."
—Dr. Céline Gounder, Editor-at-Large for Public Health at KFF Health News and CBS News Medical Contributor
