SPARS

Pandemic Scenario - SPARS

Scenarios have been regularly used, like a 'war game' to simulate a global event such as a pandemic, which would assist governments and organisations to identify requirements for resources, communications, medical supplies, personnel and facilities so that if such an event did occur the response could be better managed.

Scenarios like SPARS are not planning in the sense of a plan to unleash a disease but rather to assist planning for a naturally occurring disease outbreak.

SPARS - October 2017

In October 2017, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security published a book titled The SPARS Pandemic 2025 - 2028: A Futuristic Scenario for Public Health Risk Communicators

As the Disclaimer states:-

This is a hypothetical scenario designed to illustrate the public health risk communication challenges that could potentially emerge during a naturally occurring infectious disease outbreak requiring development and distribution of novel and/or investigational drugs, vaccines, therapeutics, or other medical countermeasures.

The infectious pathogen, medical countermeasures, characters, news media excerpts, social media posts, and government agency responses described herein are entirely fictional.

The scenario begins with a description of what 2025 might be like - more connected but more divided; new internet accessing technology (IAT); and emerging social media platforms.

A novel coronavirus emerges in Southeast Asia and is brought to the US with the first cases identified in St Paul, Minnesota. The disease is initially referred to as St. Paul Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SPARS-CoV, or SPARS). The full scenario evolves through the 89 page book, which could be used as the basis for a table-top exercise.

The SPARS Pandemic Scenario is described on the webpage Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security SPARS Pandemic Scenario

The SPARS Pandemic Scenario book can be downloaded from the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2017/spars-pandemic-scenario.pdf