Outbreak Signal Triage

Evidence tiers

• 0: unverified rumor
• 1: single media or social report
• 2: multiple independent public reports
• 3: local or official advisory
• 4: laboratory- or agency-confirmed signal
• 5: multi-source official pattern with operational relevance

Questions to record

What is known? What is unknown? Which geography, population, species, or system is affected? What source can verify the claim? What action is justified now?

Important limit

The tier describes evidence, not clinical severity, individual risk, or a prediction. Follow official public-health instructions.

A repeatable triage record

Preserve the original claim and URL, timestamp the assessment, identify the earliest available source, separate independent confirmation from repetition, state the relevant geography and population, and name the next accountable source to check.

Escalation without amplification

Share only with roles that need to verify or prepare. Use neutral wording, avoid screenshots without provenance, do not publish speculative attribution, and state what evidence would raise or lower confidence.

Decision discipline

Choose monitoring, verification, continuity preparation, or official escalation based on current evidence and consequence. Record actions that would be premature so urgency does not silently become certainty.

FAQ

Common questions