Dr. Dan Bausch, director of the United Kingdom public health rapid support team, discussed the response to global outbreaks of infectious diseases and the importance of preparation yesterday with more than 50 members of #BobcatNation.

“Investment in public health is always something we should be advocating for,” said Bausch.

Bausch specializes in the research and control of emerging tropical viruses and has more than 25 years of experience in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Asia.

“What we realize now — and what we have not still done particularly well — is the importance of community engagement, in a sense that the local partners need to be partners with us in response,” he said.

He stressed the importance of immediate engagement from local areas.

“The messages put forward when infectious disease hits are not culturally appropriate and leave society ingesting information the wrong way,” he said. “That is when chaos acts as the only form of reaction.”

He urged the university community to become leaders in community education and community engagement, saying that there is room for improvement in the way the world responds to infectious disease outbreaks.