SPARC trains to prepare for, contain infectious disease outbreaks

Health security is imperative for public health and international security. Infectious diseases can cross borders, disrupt societies and threaten global stability — as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Billy Fischer and Dr. David Wohl, researchers with the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases, say preparedness is essential as risks of disease outbreaks and high-consequence biological events increase.

For years, the two have contained diseases like Ebola virus, Marburg virus and Lassa virus in West Africa by setting up field treatment units during outbreaks to isolate and care for patients. They are applying what they learned in those settings to UNC Health to protect the health and well-being of North Carolinians.

UNC Medical Center is one of 13 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers in the U.S. — and the only one in the state — dedicated to the care of patients with high-consequence infectious diseases. As the U.S. prepares for large-scale events like the 2026 FIFA World Cup, national readiness for high-consequence infectious disease threats is more critical than ever.

“Becoming a treatment center bolsters the country’s preparedness and capacity to respond to emerging pathogens during medical and public health emergencies,” said Fischer, director of emerging pathogens and pulmonary medicine specialist. “UNC is perfectly situated to take on this responsibility and has been at the forefront of caring for infectious diseases patients for decades, starting with the HIV epidemic in the 1980s.”

The hospital recently tested North Carolina’s readiness in a national multiphase training exercise, coordinated with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response and North Carolina state agencies. The scenario began in June at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, where the UNC Special Pathogens Response Center team rehearsed procedures for safely moving a patient from a large aircraft to a Carolina Air Care ambulance, arriving in a biocontainment unit after being exposed to a dangerous pathogen like Ebola.

“As outbreaks of special pathogens increase in frequency and size, we will be able to safely provide care for the patient affected while maintaining the normal functioning of our healthcare system,” said Fischer, who co-directs SPARC with Wohl. “Leaning in during public health emergencies is part of the fabric of this University.”

SPARC is a team of experts in emergency medicine, critical care, infectious disease, trauma surgery, psychiatry, nursing, laboratory science and more, promoting a culture of preparedness and readiness. The team is also training frontline individuals across North Carolina, EMS, emergency departments and staff, and anyone who works on rural hospital response team.

The June exercise continued with the SPARC team receiving and managing the patient at UNC Medical Center. The team focused on interdisciplinary coordination among critical care specialists, infectious disease experts, laboratory workers and transport teams. The simulation also included a mock surgical procedure in the biocontainment unit, allowing the team to exercise infection control, communication and clinical workflows required to safely perform emergency interventions in a high-risk environment.

“The drill not only simulated routine biocontainment care, it included a surgical procedure within the unit, which was a critical test of our infection prevention protocols, interdisciplinary coordination and teamwork, and our ability to deliver complex medical and surgical care while maintaining the highest standards of teammate and patient safety,” said SPARC’s infection prevention program manager, Brooke Brewer.

Dawn Smith manages the self-contained SPARC laboratory, which can safely receive and test samples.

“We hope we never see anything like COVID again, or another infectious disease threat, but if we do, we’ll be prepared,” Smith said.

Read more about the SPARC team.