Outbreak Atlas

Rebecca Katz is a Professor and Director of the Center for Global Health Science and Security, and holds joint appointments in 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 Moore is a research associate and previously served as a Global Health Initiative Fellow at the Center for Global Health Science & Security.

• Case Study ListAbout the AuthorsList of IllustrationsIntroductionUser's GuideEpidemiology: Who, what, when, where, why, and how?Risk: Should we be worried? And who and what should we be worried about?Laboratories and Lab Analysis: Getting to Know the PathogenCommunity Engagement and Humanitarian Response: How Can We Help?Outbreak Data: Collecting, Managing, and Sharing Disease DataCommunicating with the Public: Spread knowledge, not Disease!Declarations and Notifications: Announcing your OutbreakStaffing and Training: Meet the People behind Outbreak ResponseDisease Prevention and Mitigation: Stop the SpreadTreating Patients: Taking Care of IllnessSecurity: Keeping the PeaceMoney: Finding it, Giving it Out, and Keeping the Economy from CollapsingGovernance: Who is in Charge and How?Animal Health and Safety: Tackling Zoonotic OutbreaksEmergency Operations and Logistics: Mobilizing People, Supplies, and EquipmentWrapping Up: Learning from the Past to Prepare for the FutureGlossary

“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