SPARS
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.1)
About the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security works to protect people from epidemics and disasters and build resilient communities through innovative scholarship, engagement, and research that strengthens the organizations, systems, policies, and programs essential to preventing and responding to public health crises. The Center is part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and is located in Baltimore, MD.
Project Team
- Monica Schoch-Spana, PhD
- Senior Associate
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- Emily K. Brunson, PhD, MPH
- Associate Professor
- Texas State University
- Tara Kirk Sell, PhD, MA
- Senior Associate
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- Gigi Kwik Gronvall, PhD
- Senior Associate
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- Matthew P. Shearer, MPH
- Senior Analyst
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- Sanjana Ravi, MPH
- Senior Analyst
- Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
- MPH Candidate
- Columbia University
Recommended Citation
Schoch-Spana M, Brunson EK, Shearer MP, Ravi S, Sell TK, Chandler H, Gronvall GK. The SPARS Pandemic, 2025-2028: A Futuristic Scenario for Public Health Risk Communicators. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security; October 2017.
Response
Chapter One: The SPARS Outbreak Begins………………………..4
Chapter Two: A Possible Cure…………………………………8
Chapter Three: A Potential Vaccine……………………………11
Chapter Four: Users Beware…………………………………..14
Chapter Five: Going Viral……………………………………19
Chapter Six: The Grass is Always Greener………………………23
Chapter Seven: The Voice…………………………………….25
Chapter Eight: Are You Talking To Me?…………………………29
Chapter Nine: Changing Horses Midstream……………………….31
Chapter Ten: Head of the Line Privileges………………………34
Chapter Eleven: Standing in Line, Protesting Online…………….37
Chapter Twelve: Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket…………..40
Chapter Thirteen: Lovers and Haters…………………………..43
Chapter Fourteen: The Grass is Always Greener, Part II………….49
Chapter Fifteen: Are You Talking to Me, Part II………………..52
Chapter Sixteen: Antibiotics, HO!…………………………….55
Recovery
Chapter Seventeen: Vaccine Injury…………………………….59
Chapter Eighteen: Acknowledging Loss………………………….63
Chapter Nineteen: SPARS Aftermath…………………………….66
References & Appendices
References…………………………………………………67
Acronyms…………………………………………………..68
Appendix A: Response Scenario
Timeline…………………69 Appendix B: Response Scenario Communication
Dilemmas……………………………………………………73
Appendix C: Recovery Scenario Timeline…………………………75
Appendix D: Recovery Scenario Communication
Dilemmas……………………………………………………76 2)
1)
Schoch-Spana, M., Brunson, E. K., Shearer, M. P., Ravi, S., Sell, T. K., Chandler, H., & Gronvall, G. K. (2017, October). The SPARS Pandemic, 2025-2028: A Futuristic Scenario for Public Health Risk Communicators. Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. https://web.archive.org/web/20180330033845/https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/pubs_archive/pubs-pdfs/2017/spars-pandemic-scenario.pdf