Targeted support for marginalized communities, strong public messaging and a well-coordinated government approach led by Ministers are among the recommendations contained in a new evidence-based paper looking at how the UK should respond to future pandemics.
Posted by the University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit, Policy@Manchester, Dr Maurice Nagington, Dr Jeremy Williams and Dr Jaime Garcia-Iglesias presented key findings from their research into how the country has dealt with the outbreak of mpox in 2022, formerly known as monkeypox.
Their findings were informed by interviews and focus groups with stakeholders, including affected communities and health workers.
The academics found “shortcomings in national leadership, stark local and regional disparities in access to vaccines and inadequate communication infrastructure”.
They offer advice to policymakers and public health officials in four key areas for addressing future infectious disease outbreaks, beginning with considerations of how mpox disproportionately affected marginalized communities.
“People from BAME backgrounds appeared to have lower levels of access to the vaccine, while those from lower income populations faced additional barriers to engaging with health and care services,” they note. “Some individuals also experienced challenges in isolation, such as financial or emotional difficulties.”
They advise: “Public health teams should be empowered to provide additional support (such as financial) where needed so that people can self-isolate.”
The team argues that the needs of marginalized people deserve equally important consideration when developing effective communication strategies, a second area addressed in their article.
“We note that social media has emerged as a powerful tool in the response to the mpox epidemic, facilitating the rapid dissemination of information, promoting awareness, and aiding the collaboration of a wide range of actors involved in the mpox response,” Nagington, Williams, and Garcia- I write Iglesias. “Reliance on social media also poses challenges, particularly in terms of equal access to information.”
In their view, “additional forms of communication that can reach people who are marginalized should also be developed simultaneously during outbreaks.” They add: “Community organizations play an important role in developing and distributing information that is relevant and impactful.”
Tackling a third area where they believe action is needed, the academics are calling on government agencies – notably the Department of Health and Social Care – to produce guidelines for local public health teams to follow, backed by additional financial support.
They recommend: “Governments should provide coordination at ministerial level to ensure that all relevant professionals, policy makers and community representatives work together to proactively address any emerging disparities in the immediate outbreak and plan for future outbreaks.”
And, with the knowledge gained from their research about the “central role” played by sexual health services during the mpox epidemic, Nagington, Williams and Garcia-Iglesias call on policymakers and legislators to “ensure adequate funding and support for sexual health services to strengthen capacity to address the demands of the outbreaks’.
“Has the UK failed to manage mpox? Lessons on Future Pandemics by Dr Maurice Nagington, Dr Jeremy Williams and Dr Jaime Garcia-Iglesias can be read for free on the Policy@Manchester website.
