The role of communities in controlling the outbreak of disease was the focus among health experts and ministers at a parallel session of the 9th Global Conference on Health Promotion in Shanghai on Nov 22.

Chitalu Chilufya, Xambia's health minister recognized the role of residents in controlling regional diseases. He said the public in Zambia are encouraged to take an active role in disease control.                 

Mohammed Belhocine, former WHO Representative in Nigeria and UN Resident Coordinator in Tunisia shared his experience in combating the outbreak of Ebola in 2014. Belhocine said one of the key roles of the WHO during the outbreak was reducing misunderstanding among communities of prevention work via social mobility and enhancing information communication between communities.                                                

Collins Airhihenbuwa, dean of the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University in the USA regarded counter-strategies as the most important aspect of disease control, which he said require a comprehensive understanding of diseases. 

He also stressed the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation, which "benefits innovation and experience sharing."

Disease outbreaks are bringing new challenges. With development of information technology, information sharing between different parties is becoming increasingly important. Effective communication between government and communities are even more important, according to experts. 

Enabling communities to take part in the whole decision making process has been a priority in Australia, according to Wendy Southern, deputy secretary of the National Program Delivery at the Department of Health in Australia, who shared the country’s experience of addressing disease outbreaks over the years.