During Week 9, we had the Emory Outbreak Response Team and Dr. Melanie Thompson present on community engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that without public engagement and awareness of the COVID-19 Pandemic and HIV/AIDs Epidemic, we would not have been as successful as we are today.

With HIV/AIDS, the importance of education and prevention through affected communities made it possible to slow down the spread. Communicating with the public through commercials, videos, social media, newsletters, and other forms of media made knowledge much more accessible; this is done through community engagement. I feel like this generation is much more open to discussing topics deemed as ‘taboo,’ such as sex and STIs/STDs, which has been the most influential thing. The first time I heard and learned about HIV/AIDs was seeing a safe-sex condom commercial warning about HIV by Charlie Sheen. I remember googling what HIV/AIDS was, but still confused, I asked my mother what it was. This promoted a long conversation between us where I was told lots of misinformation. Even though pubic engagement is a tremendous positive for providing knowledge and spreading information, it is also a double-edged sword.

The spread of misinformation can be detrimental to communities because it significantly influences how communities engage and react. With HIV/AIDS, misinformation containing homophobia, racism, and incorrect information has debilitated those affected and has made the topic more taboo. With COVID-19, misinformation spread through the community through public figures, specialists, and other influencers have made the public uncertain or believe misinformation about the pandemic, causing more deaths and illnesses. 

During COVID-19, so many myths and misinformation were spread that most people believed something incorrect. I remember hearing conspiracy theories about the vaccine, such as it having chips put in by the government, the vaccine itself giving someone COVID, the vaccine as a form of population control, etc. Some are definitely more ridiculous than others, but with the help of people who debunk the myths and provide accurate facts and data, their ability to spread this info was successful. Through partnership and public engagement, the death and infection rates have decreased, and society has had the ability to shift to an in-person world.