Using Social Networks to Slow the Spread of Infectious Disease in South Asia

In 2017, Ending Pandemics initiated the South Asia One Health Disease Surveillance Network. The purpose of this network is to improve cross-sector and cross-border communication and collaboration related to disease surveillance and response across the eight countries in South Asia.

Engage R+D partnered with Ending Pandemics to help document baseline network metrics as they initiated the South Asia One Health Disease Surveillance Network. We used social network analysis to measure and map the existing relationships between individuals within the Disease Surveillance Network. The analysis showed how information flows between members and identified key players who could help build the network. Ending Pandemics shared this information with members of the newly formed network to help understand current network strengths, to identify areas where coordination between participants could be improved, and to generate ideas for how members could work together to end pandemics in South Asia.