Outbreaks and infectious diseases: what have we learned?

ANCHOR (Activating Neighbourhoods and Communities for Holistic Organised Response) represents the latest evolution in GOAL's decade-long journey of SBCC innovation across major health emergencies. Building from the Social Mobilization Action Consortium (SMAC) during Ebola, through Social Mobilization based on Research and Training (SMART) with digital data collection for COVID-19, ANCHOR now integrates cutting-edge AI/ML technologies for community-led Mpox surveillance and behavior change in Sierra Leone.
This evolutionary approach demonstrates how community-centred SBCC methodologies can continuously adapt to emerging technologies while maintaining core principles of community ownership and cultural relevance. ANCHOR combines AI-powered chatbots that provide real-time health information in English and Krio with digital coordination platforms that connect community mobilisers, healthcare workers, and local leaders.
Key innovations include AI-enabled analysis of community conversations to identify disease hotspots, automated rumour tracking, and machine learning algorithms generating actionable insights for communities and health authorities. The platform operates through WhatsApp and SMS, ensuring accessibility across Sierra Leone.
This presentation will share implementation findings from ANCHOR's deployment for Mpox in Sierra Leone in 2025, including community engagement metrics, AI-driven surveillance capabilities, and the effectiveness of coordination. Results will demonstrate the platform's efficacy as a multi-channel communication system for addressing community concerns, real-time alert generation, and its integration with formal surveillance systems.
The presentation will trace GOAL's SBCC evolution across three major epidemics, sharing implementation lessons, evidence of progressive impact, and insights for integrating emerging technologies into community-centred health innovations while preserving participatory principles and local ownership.

UNICEF's Mpox Community Rapid Assessment (CRA) exemplifies an adaptive, evidence-to-action system that bridges community insights and programmatic response to measure protective behaviours for public health emergencies. Implemented across six African countries (Burundi, CAR, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda), the CRA combines Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviews (CATI) implemented by GeoPoll to generate real-time behavioural intelligence on awareness, prevention practices, and vaccine readiness. This multi-country framework promotes representativeness and robust data collection in emergency settings by effectively reaching with a nationally representative sample survey to digitally connected populations and those with limited connectivity, including youth and rural communities. Data from the survey was analysed using segmentation and behavioural-journey models to identify clusters of protective and non-protective behaviours, informing tailored RCCE strategies.
Monitoring results showed improvements in protective actions - such as symptom checking and isolation practices - but persistent gaps in household dialogue and awareness among young and rural populations. Insights informed adjustments to UNICEF's Mpox RCCE strategies, prioritising household-level awareness of the disease and reinforcement of self-checking behaviours. Results were as well disseminated in both continental and country specific Mpox RCCE coordination mechanisms informing also response design beyond UNICEF actions. The CRA demonstrates how a rapid monitoring system can transform behavioural evidence into actionable programmatic insights, supporting behaviourally informed emergency programming responses.
The CRA aligns with Sub-Theme #2, "Knowledge and Evidence: Rethinking What Counts and Who Decides", emphasizing participatory and equitable approaches that elevate community perspectives within behavioural evidence and RCCE decision-making.

Ethiopia population is second-most populous nation in Africa with 80% dependent on agricultural livelihoods making them vulnerable to the spread of zoonotic diseases. The community low risk perception is leading practices such as sharing of meat of dead animal to compensate the loss of the animal. This practice has been aggravating the spread of anthrax disease affecting households and communities. The johns Hopkins center for communication program has implemented the breakthrough risk communication program addressing selected zoonotic diseases specifically anthrax. The project was implemented from 2018 to 2023 by designing high impact and context specific strategies addressing barriers facilitating Anthrax disease transmission. The project intensively engaged influential community leaders and religious figures through Local storytelling-using familiar cultural narratives-helped to internalize the risks and come up with local solutions. The indigenous practice: "Idir for Cattle." Just as members contribute to help each other when cattle die due to anthrax has become one of the solutions that gave families a safety net, reducing the pressure to engage in unsafe practices that spread anthrax. This local solution served as a community driven insurance mechanism to mitigate the economic burden of the farmer who lost livestock due to Anthrax.