ABSTRACT
Disease outbreaks can lead to a breakdown in health systems and can deny people access to healthcare, vaccines and essential medicines. Community resilience uses local assets to allow people to better cope in a disease outbreak and complements the response to help make the transition from an emergency to longer term development. Disaster Coordinating Councils helped develop community disaster risk reduction plans and community early warning and evacuation plans. Health promotion can also help to build social support networks for the survivors of an outbreak and to counter stigma and isolation. Self-help groups organise around a specific personal concern such as rehabilitation after a period of poor health. The blood transfusion service should provide good care, refreshments, counselling and support to the survivors at the time of the donation. Several medical complications have been reported in survivors of disease outbreaks such as for the Ebola and Zika viruses.
