Community Engagement in Public Health: Strengthening Responses to Neglected Viruses

The absence of prioritization under-researched viral threats in global health agendas imposes substantial barriers in the form of inadequate resources, extensive misinformation, and poorly established healthcare infrastructure. This chapter proposes community engagement (CE) as a strategy to address these challenges by fostering collaboration among researchers, healthcare professionals, and affected populations. This chapter addresses the potential of CE to strengthen prevention, surveillance, and response mechanisms for under-recognized viral diseases. This is done through an emphasis on the need for interventions that respect local beliefs, cultural norms, and include effective communication and preventive practices. The chapter explores participatory models, particularly the role of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), as inclusive strategies for intervention design. It further highlights the importance of capacity building by outlining training processes that empower communities with knowledge in epidemiology, disease prevention, and public health advocacy. Effective communication tools, including two-way dialogue, multichannel outreach strategies, and crisis-specific messaging, have been developed to build trust and transparency between stakeholders and communities. Finally, this chapter discusses possible avenues for future studies, including the evaluation of CE interventions, optimization of participatory models, and integration of CE into health policy frameworks. In reaffirming the complex interaction between authorities for health and populations, CE has emerged as the cornerstone in the fight against neglected viruses and in advancing global health equity.