Governance of interorganizational health emergency networks: Facing the Zika pandemic

Global health is on the threshold of a new era, facing major threats such as infections, non‐communicable diseases, and the challenges of globalization itself (the effects of climate change, trade policies on health), in a multifaceted global context of diverse societies, norms, values, interests, and inequalities. However, facing the challenges presented by health crises requires high volumes of financial and human resources, and cooperation efforts between different actors, which makes the challenge even more complex for developing countries. In this context, the formation of interorganizational networks, involving individuals and public and private organizations, is fundamental to face various outbreaks. This study, based on the case of the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil in 2015, aims to analyze the governance of an interorganizational health emergency network. The results point out new perspectives to identify and deal with these interorganizational networks’ challenges, such as the coordination of institutional and individual actors, conflicts, issues related to the network's leadership, learning and mobilization regarding health emergencies – particularly in situations where there is little knowledge and evidence about the risks and effects of viruses and other pathogens, which makes the act of declaring emergency politically controversial.