EN    EN EN 
EN    EN  COMMISSION OF THE E UROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
Brussels, 15.9.2009 
SEC(2009) 1190 final 
  
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 
on communicating with the public and the media on Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 
 
Accompanying document to the 
 
COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMI SSION TO THE COUNCIL,  
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AN D THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND 
SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE CO MMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 
Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 
{COM(2009) 481} 
{SEC(2009) 1188} {SEC(2009) 1189} {SEC(2009) 1191} {SEC(2009) 1192} 
EN 2   EN  I NTRODUCTION  
There is a broad consensus that, in the event of  the EU facing a major health threat, the EU 
and its Member States should seek  to be transparent and to shar e information in their dealings 
with the press, the general public, main st akeholders and health professionals.  
Since 2006, a network dealing with internatio nal influenza pandemic communication issues 
has developed good working relationships (which ar e vital in a crisis, when rapid reaction and 
trust are needed) and ways of exchanging a wealth of experience. Practical exercises1 have 
pinpointed important issues, such as giving th e network a clear manda te and establishing 
sound communication procedures and efficient tools. 
With Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 expected to pick up pace from the autumn onwards, disease 
mitigation and the development of vaccines play an important role. Indeed, developing and using a vaccine effective against the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza
 virus can be viewed as 
one of the most effective public health meas ures. Meanwhile, pending th e general availability 
of vaccines, personal protective measures such as  hand hygiene and social distancing will be 
important. To achieve an adequa te uptake of vaccines among risk  groups and to deal with 
other prevention and vaccination-related problems,  public health authorities across Europe 
will face challenges communicating with their na tional media, with the need for a carefully 
planned communication strategy. 
The information that public health authorities w ill have to provide regularly will vary from 
country to country as the pandemic will deve lop differently across the EU. One thing to 
remember, though, is that anything that is fed to the media in one Member State will impact 
on media interest in the other Member States. This will bring with it the need for continuous 
trust building and sh aring of messages to the me dia and the general public. 
 P URPOSE AND OBJECTIVES  
This Commission Staff Working Document  seeks to outline a possible EU-wide 
communication strategy, coordinated by the Comm ission and featuring joint elements, actions 
and tools. This paper sets out an operational plan for deliveri ng targeted and scientifically 
validated messages for the general public and for specific risk groups. This will generate a 
number of common approaches (e.g. a joint pres s release, shared national media material and 
national communication plans and a joint information week) to the public, health care workers, other professional gr oups, and other specific target groups. This document is based 
on discussions and activities already initiated  by the European Commission in conjunction 
with the Health Security Co mmittee Communicators’ network.  
 L
EGAL BASIS  
Community action in the field of public health, as set out in Article 152 of the Treaty, must 
complement national policies and be directed  towards improving public health, preventing 
human illness and diseases, and obviating sources of danger to human health. The aim is to 
                                                 
1 Reference: 2005, Common Ground, weblink. 
EN 3   EN tackle the major health scourges by promoting re search into their causes, their transmission 
and their prevention, and to provide health information and education.  
 P UBLIC HEALTH BASIS  
The distribution of accurate, objective and timely in formation at all levels is critical in terms 
of minimising social disruption and economic consequences and maximising the success of 
the response. 
Communication is an essential element of cr isis management. As well as empowering the 
public to adopt protective behaviour, good comm unication can facilitate  case reporting and 
awareness, reduce confusion and make best us e of resources. Good co mmunication also helps 
maintain people's trust in the health authorities during an event.  
From a communication perspective it  is important to recognise that  every individual has a role 
to play in this outbreak. Social distancing rema ins an effective way of  reducing transmission, 
along with appropriate hygiene measures. 
The public (health) authorities cannot of cour se stop a pandemic. The European Commission 
will support the national authoritie s and facilitate coordination w ith a view to mitigating the 
consequences of the pandemic, communicating a nd sharing the messages to  the public, e.g. by 
way of regular audio-conferences and th e regular updating via its Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 
website. 
Conflicting messages or vaccination recommenda tions between Member States must be 
avoided, and any differing messages must be explained. It is e ssential to communicate factual 
information as soon as possible, to dispel a ny rumours, and regular updates must be provided 
as the situation unfolds and evolves.  
There is often a tendency to rush to curb a nxiety among the public. Just as important, though, 
is the need to curb complacency, i.e. giving pe ople realistic expectations  and a chance to take 
appropriate individual action. 
 EU  HEALTH SECURITY COMMITTEE ’S COMMUNICATORS ’ NETWORK — THE CORE 
OF THE EU COMMUNICATORS ' STRATEGY ON PANDEMIC (H1N1)  2009 
In June 2008 the Health Security Committee (HSC) endorsed the crea tion of the Health 
Security Committee Communicators’ Networ k. Composed of pr ess officers and 
spokespersons from national heal th authorities and EU agencies , this network held its first 
meeting in March 2009. Its mandate focuses on crisis communication in  response to health 
threats, including chemical, biological and radi o-nuclear threats, pandemic influenza and 
other major infectious diseases.  
A guidance document (known as the Red Book) is  intended to help members of the network 
to communicate better during normal and crisis ti mes. It lists the members of the network, its 
terms of reference, standard operating pro cedures, and a guide to  best communication 
practices. 
EN 4   EN The network provides a forum where crisis comm unication-related issues and practices can be 
exchanged, discussed and used for coordination purposes. All parties reta in their ability to 
communicate independently.  
The Commission stands ready to coordinate th e communication strategies and messages on 
the response to the Pandemic, in order to maximi se the impact of Member States activities 
and enhance coherence and clarity of the co mmunication efforts. Any Member State can 
request the Commission to  start a coordination process about an event. 
Training courses and practical exercises for expe rts in communication have focused on shared 
communication goals and on interdependence be tween Member States during an emerging 
situation. 
Since the beginning of the Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 outbreak at the end of April 2009, the HSC 
Communicators network has been active in shar ing information on media reports and giving 
advance warning to its members on press releases . As always happens in a health crisis, and 
has happened here too, the media ‘breaks’ storie s ahead of confirmation from the authorities. 
The network reacted quickly to keep memb ers informed of media reports and, more 
importantly, the reactions and plans of the na tional authorities to media stories. Recent 
months have shown that the network has a useful role to play in providing the EU scientific 
experts with information on the media and general public perception of national and 
international-level responses and decisions.  
 T ARGET GROUPS FOR THE EU COMMUNICATION STRATEGY ON PANDEMIC 
(H1N1)  2009 
It is essential for information to be provided to the general population and to specific groups 
such as journalists, priority groups for vaccina tion and travellers. They need both daily and 
long-term information on how the pandemic is e volving and how they can protect themselves 
from the virus. 
1. European citizens 
European citizens, including civil society or ganisations, NGOs, etc, will get information at 
national and European level. EU action on the Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 is essential to show 
that information management procedures are tr ansparent. The population at large will receive 
leaflets, produced nationally and based on the EU templates on the SANCO web-page.  
2. Journalists  
Journalists are constantly looking for inform ation on the way the situ ation is evolving. The 
media are the initial source of information, im pacting on the way people think and react, so 
the media's message must be as accurate as possible. Having an agreed message and transparency on available information are essential means of pointing up the response and coordination measures by EU and national auth orities. Similarly, ECDC is producing and 
circulating to the network ‘lines to take’ c overing its technical/scientific outputs and risk 
assessments. 
Journalists will get information and material  for onward communication via the SANCO web 
page and via social networks and video platforms.  
EN 5   EN 3. Young people 
Young people are an important target group. Thr ee new social media tool s will be used to 
share concerns and the appropriate preven tion measures: Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. 
A daily short message platform on the pandemic might be interesting if it could be updated 
quickly: the EU Health portal and a new page for DG SANCO on Twitter might be a good way of doing this. E-cards will be made available on the EU Health portal for people to send informal e-mails with information on the pandemic to their contacts.  
Podcasts and the pandemic clip competition will be announced and run on the SANCO Web 
pages. 
One of the most effective res ponses would have to have an EU celebrity (widely known and 
respected across Europe) speaki ng about protective measures. 
4. Priority groups 
The Staff Working Document on vaccination st rategy pinpoints the priority groups, including 
the essential services. 
Priority groups will be defined and addresse d differently depending on the context. Member 
States' approach will be based on specific national considerations. They will use whatever solutions they think best for protecting and info rming their priority groups, adapting the tools 
and solutions proposed in the Commission St aff Working Document on vaccination strategy. 
An item page on the SANCO web page will be dedicated to these priority groups, with 
information, advice and the latest news on the virus. 
5. Travellers 
Travellers are exposed in a different way to the pandemic and may require specific 
information on their country of destination. Here too, it is not specific travel that is being 
targeted, but rather links to validated websites across the EU. There will be leaflets available in airports and distributed by airlines. 
 S
TRATEGIC MESSAGE DEVELOPMENT  
While it is not feasible for Member States to  have identical message s on all aspects of the 
pandemic, it may be possible to agree some common strategic lines to take. These could 
include: 
• A common view about the general level of risk posed by the virus — e.g. most people 
infected will experience only mild illness, but so me will become seriously ill. There is no 
cause for undue alarm, but we should not be complacent. 
• A common view about the challenges all Member  States face — e.g. the pandemic is likely 
to cause some disruption and put significant pressure on hea lth systems this autumn. We 
need to be ready for this. 
EN 6   EN • A common view on the value of public health input — e.g. we cannot stop the pandemic, 
but the measures we are taking will le ssen its impact and help save lives. 
• A common view about the need  for EU cooperation — e.g. EU  countries are coordinating 
their efforts and sharing information on a daily basis. 
These messages reflect the state of play on the pandemic and its  health, social and economic 
effects; moreover, they mirror the existing coop eration at European and international level. 
For the sake of good cooperation among all the actors involved a nd to avoid high ly divergent 
messages vis-à-vis of the general public and the media, it would be helpful to highlight this 
common ground.. 
 E XISTING COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TOOLS  
There are already a range of communication tools for the public  health management of the 
pandemic influenza.  The national authorities, the Eu ropean Commission, the ECDC, the 
EMEA and their spokespersons have all si nce 26 April 2009 provided frequent situation 
reports, daily press briefings and interviews , key points and recommendations, updated case 
counts on the web and held numerous meetings and conference calls with public health authorities and national spokespersons, webcasts, etc. All partners in this process kept a 
regular check – several times a day – on the media environment, the resulting information 
being distributed through various channels a nd websites, both nationally and at EU level. 
SANCO Public Health website 
As soon as the Pandemic (H1N1)
 2009 started, SANCO started providing information and 
updates of the situation on its website, with a dedicated page on the pandemic 
(http://ec.europa.eu/h ealth/ph_threats/com/Influenza/novelflu_en.htm ). At the height of the 
crisis, the site was up-dated several times a da y, including weekends, w ith situation reports 
and news from the Commission, the ECDC, Member  States and the WHO. The site currently 
contains news, epidemiological information, pr ess material, a complete list of influenza 
websites in the Member States, videos a nd information on the Commission’s role in a 
pandemic. The page is in principle availabl e in 22 languages, alt hough many documents and 
news items are only issued in English to  speed up their publication on-line.  
The EU Public Health Portal 
On the homepage of the Portal , a logo and a link ha ve been created to  SANCO's dedicated 
website on H1N1 influenza. News published on th e website is also announced on the Portal.  
Portal Newsletter 
A special edition of the Health Portal electronic newsletter was issued in May, focusing in the 
Pandemic (H1N1)  2009. Subsequent newsletters have provi ded twice a month information to 
some 5000 subscribers. 
MedISys and HEDIS 
MedISys  (Medical Intelligence System) is a 24/7, web-based early warning and 
alerting system based on European Medi a Monitor technology. E-mails breaking 
news alerts to subscribers. 
EN 7   EN HEDIS (Health Emergency & Diseases Information System) is used for information 
exchange and awareness during infectious  outbreaks and health emergencies and 
response phases. It has a logbook of action ta ken, a repository, a database of models, 
maps and events. 
ECDC communication outputs 
ECDC also produces a number of  regular communication outputs: 
• ECDC dedicated web portal (updated regularly, with scientific evidence, guidance, news 
items, etc.) 
• Daily situation reports  
• Weekly pandemic surveillance report  
• Weekly Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 executive update 
• Daily strategic media monitoring 
• Key points to communicate /Lines to take (updat ed regularly) 
• Scientific and technical do cuments on various topics 
• Eurosurveillance  articles 
• Health education series documents and presen tations (targeting decision makers and the 
general public) 
• Webcasts (on various topics) 
• Occasional press conferences on specific scientific topics 
 P ROPOSALS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF COMMUNICATION AND 
INFORMATION TOOLS  
Some of the suggested proposal s will require substantial fi nances and human resources. 
Communication tools should be geared to the target audien ce and the message. Each target 
audience requires a separate communication plan. Language and style likewise need to be 
geared to the target audience. 
Promotion activities of the following proposals ar e a key to success, and potentially resource-
intensive needs will need to be consider ed when devising the communication plan. 
1. Web-based information 
With such rapid information turnover in the me dia and the widespread use of the internet and 
the new technology and communication tools, the EU  has to be more present in the social 
media and web-based communications if  it is to reach all communities. 
The dedicated SANCO web page on Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 will be strengthened to link 
directly to all the material produced and published on national websites (e.g. video clips, 
posters, leaflets, fact sheets, Q&As). It will be regularly updated so that the latest version is 
always available. It would help if the ‘E urope-direct’ service could call on the latest 
information for public callers. It is important fo r our national partners  and agencies to send 
information for uploading onto the website as soon as it is published.  
This strengthened website would have to be given a publicity boost within the EU institutions 
and throughout the European Union. A leaflet (distributed at air ports, major train stations and 
in airplanes) and a web-based publicity messa ge will be produced. Amassing communication 
EN 8   EN material from all over the EU, the website will be the prime ex ample of the EU’s coordination 
role.  
A day-to-day short message platform on the pandemic response may be interesting if it can be 
rapidly updated; the EU Health por tal will be used for this action . 
The numbers of users in the EU of social networks is exponentially growing. One of the 
biggest user groups of these new and tr endy communication tools is the young population, 
which will be a necessary target group fo r vaccination and school–related distancing 
measures. In particular Face book and video plat forms such as You Tube, are essential tools 
to target the young population. The EC could regi ster on it various me ssages, radio and TV 
spots on the pandemic and include the winner of the flu video-clip competition or spots made 
by MS. 
E-cards are another trendy comm unication tool and allow eas y and friendly information 
exchange. Citizens need to be made part of the information flow. By sending themselves e-
mail to their mailing list they may reach people w ho don’t have this kind of information. It’s a 
solution to diffuse quickly information on a subject by reaching a la rger population in its 
private sphere. Having E-cards av ailable on the EU health porta l seems to be a good way of 
diffusing information on the pandemic response to citizens. 
2. Coordination of information to call centres 
Member States have created call cen tres to deal with Pandemic (H1N1)  2009. Given the range 
and complexity of the questi ons, call centre workers must share the questions and answers 
and, where possible, issue the sa me messages to all citizens.  
Sharing of information between  MS call centres and giving sa me answers are essential to 
have an EU coordinated communication on the public health response to the pandemic. The 
information sharing of persistent rumours and their potential validity are of the utmost 
importance. 
A common platform must be deve loped to enable call centres to  search and input information 
and to allow accurate information or new concer ns to be circulated quickly. The HSC will be 
invited to supervise the process and give appropriate answers a nd templates to call centres by 
creating a web-based inform ation platform on HEDIS2. 
3. A collective response to Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 
To demonstrate that there is a coordinated res ponse across the EU, the Member States and the 
Commission might decide to have a specia l day dedicated to communicating specific 
messages on the H1N1  2009 situation, and protective measures. 
4. Eurobarometer 
If time allows, the European Commission woul d be prepared to launch a Eurobarometer 
survey on the way European ci tizens see Pandemic (H1N1) 2009. 
                                                 
2 Reference, link to webpage. 
EN 9   EN  R OLE OF PARTNERS  
Communicators in the Member States already use a common information exchange platform 
(on HEDIS, where they can share and coordina te messages and action with each other, the 
ECDC and the Commission). Through MediSys3 and other media monitoring sources they are 
able to keep track of the latest developments in the press worldwide. This information is updated every ten minutes and offers machine translation from over 42 languages. SANCO 
web pages will provide essential reference information and a link to national websites. Leaflets are the next step in circulating thes e web- addresses with these reference pages on a 
national level. Thought will be given to using the HSC communi cators’ network to agree on 
common dates/timing of when to issue coherent Pandemic (H1N1)
 2009 messages to the 
general public.  
The ECDC forms part of and supports the HSC Communicators Network. SANCO and 
ECDC will cross-reference each ot her’s websites to make it easier to share epidemiological 
reports and management issues. More detailed vaccination-related questions and answers will 
be linked to the website of the European Me dicines Agency (EMEA). The Health Security 
Committee will be kept informed of a ny issue requiring further validation.  
 C ONCLUSIONS  
This Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 outbreak poses complex comm unication challenges. Getting 
national communicators acros s the EU public health authoritie s to pool their resources is the 
best way to guarantee a transparent, shared a nd coordinated approach to the communication 
needs for the EU on the threat  posed by the Pandemic (H1N1)  2009 outbreak. 
The best response to a threat is a grass-roots, bottom-up, localised one, but there will always 
be some need for top-down, centralised efforts.  Financial and human res ources will be needed 
to ensure that the general pub lic and the journalists, along with other important groups, can 
count on getting reliable, up-to-date info rmation of good quality on the outbreak.  
Finally, this Commission Staff Working Document takes a first look at how, at EU level, and 
in close conjunction with all national comm unicators, we can provide Europeans with 
information that is transparent, coherent and consistent. The Eu ropean Commission will 
continue to work closely with the Member  States to ensure that this happens.  
                                                 
3 MediSys: weblink.