Session 3.4. Actions after an epidemic

Last update: 2022-03-08

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

Discuss the actions to be taken after an epidemic.
Explain evaluation.

Part 3.4.1. Actions after an epidemic

Only your health authorities can tell you when an epidemic is over. It is very important to continue working and helping others (using what you learnt from your facilitator, your toolkit and here) until you are told by the health authorities that the epidemic has ended and it is safe to stop.

Even when the health authorities have declared the epidemic over, your work is not completed. There are many things you can do after an epidemic. They include:

Health promotion. You can continue to deliver health messages in your community so that people will protect themselves from epidemics in the future.
Following up. It is important to follow up cases, make sure no people are falling sick, and tell people how to keep safe. Check on those who are recovering from illness. Make sure they are not stigmatized and have access to the services they need.
Evaluating your actions during the epidemic.
Drawing lessons. Tell others what you have learned or write your experience down so you remember. Share your conclusions and recommendations.
Planning for the next time. Speak with the health authorities and ask them what could be done differently to make your response quicker and better when an epidemic of the same kind recurs. Check your community epidemic plan and make adjustments.

Part 3.4.2. Evaluation

After the authorities have declared that an epidemic is over, it is useful to evaluate the work that you did. Very often, we work very intensely during an epidemic because things need to be done urgently. We sometimes forget to take the time to think about what else we could be doing or how we could improve our interventions. When you do an evaluation, you take the time to look at everything you did and use the information to learn what can be done better next time.

Start by making a list of all the things you did to help before, during and after the epidemic. Then look at all the actions you took and evaluate them by asking yourself:

What did I do well?
What could I do better next time?
Did I miss anything?

Practise

Imagine your community has just had an epidemic. Use the space below to practise your evaluation and answer the following questions:

What did I do to help before the epidemic? What did I do to help during the epidemic?

What will I do now that the epidemic is over? What could I have done better?

Review lessons learnt and make recommendations

Because epidemics are unpredictable and we cannot prevent all of them all of the time, after one epidemic ends it is essential to begin to prepare ourselves for the next one. To do this, we can review what we have learnt during the epidemic that has just ended and use this information to prepare a plan for future epidemics.

Planning for the next time

Now that you have taken the time to write down and evaluate the actions you took before, during and after the last epidemic, it is time to use this knowledge to prevent and prepare for the next one.

We can prepare for future epidemics in the following ways:

Update your epidemic plan of action.
Mark the last epidemic on your seasonal chart.
Continue to promote health in your community and teach others how to take care of themselves so they do not get sick.
Practise and review the information in this manual and toolkit.
Adjust and change your training in the light of lessons learnt.