Discover Background Data and Resources:

• Get introduced to NETEC through the interactive timeline of special pathogens below.* This timeline describes some significant special pathogen events in recent history.

• Find out more about the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the development of the ASPR/CDC-supported network of healthcare facilities preparing for the next outbreak through the Ebola timeline.

• This NETEC Repository helps to provide training and educational resources to prepare for future special pathogen events.

• Explore the files BELOW THE TIMELINE to discover and learn more about Ebola and other Special Pathogens, an overview of special pathogens, clinically managing patients affected, and readying healthcare teams and systems to keep everyone safe.

Timeline of Special Pathogens:

*Click for a screen reader accessible table of this timeline.

Collection Resources

• A Methodology for Determining Which Diseases Warrant Care in a High-Level Containment Care Unit

  Tags Ebola, Infection Prevention and Control, Isolate, Isolation/Biocontainment, R-Res&Pub, Research, Viral Hemorrhagic Fever
  Creator: Theodore J Cieslak, Jocelyn J Herstein, Mark G Kortepeter, Angela L Hewlett
  Subject: Treatment & Care
  Item Type: Publication
  Date Last Updated: 2019-08-22
  Description: Although the concept of high-level containment care (HLCC or ‘biocontainment’), dates back to 1969, the 2014–2016 outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) brought with it a renewed emphasis on the use of specialized HLCC units in the care of patients…

• The Evolution of the National Special Pathogen System of Care

  Tags Communications, Emergency Management, NETEC, Outbreaks, Pandemic, R-Res&Pub, Research, Special Pathogens
  Creator: Vikramjit Mukherjee, Lauren M Sauer, Aneesh K Mehta, Sophia Y Shea, Paul D Biddinger, Brendan G Carr, Laura E Evans, Shelly Schwedhelm, John J Lowe, John J Lowe
  Subject: Emergency Management
  Item Type: Publication
  Date Last Updated: 2022-05-31
  Description: Infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics have repeatedly threatened public health and have severely strained healthcare delivery systems throughout the past century. Pathogens causing respiratory illness, such as influenza viruses and…
• 

  Lassa Fever: What You Need to Know as Outbreaks Continue

  Tags Blog, Emergency Management, Identify, Lassa, Outbreaks
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: General
  Item Type: Hyperlink
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-06
  Description: This blog post covers the basics of what you need to know about Lassa Fever: Transmission, Symptoms, and Signs.Lassa fever is an animal-borne, or zoonotic, acute viral hemorrhagic illness endemic in parts of West Africa including Sierra Leone,…
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  Lassa Fever: Biocontainment and PPE for Patient Care

  Tags Blog, Intake, Internal Transport, Isolate, Isolation/Biocontainment, Lassa, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Treatment and Care
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Infection Control
  Item Type: Hyperlink
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-13
  Description: This blog post covers infection control, biocontainment, PPE, and related topics for Lassa Fever patients. Because of the high degree of mortality associated with infection, patients infected with or suspected to be infected with Lassa virus should…
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  Preventing Lassa Virus Infections in Health Care Settings

  Tags Blog, Healthcare Worker Safety, Infection Prevention and Control, Lassa, Occupational Exposure, Occupational Health, R-PM
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Infection Control
  Item Type: Hyperlink
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-21
  Description: This blog post covers information on stopping transmission of Lassa Fever with Infection Prevention and Control and Waste Management.
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  Lassa Fever: Testing and Treatments

  Tags Blog, Diagnosis, Identify, Laboratory Testing, Lassa, Treatment and Care
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Treatment & Care
  Item Type: Hyperlink
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-29
  Description: Lassa virus infection can result in a broad spectrum of clinical signs and symptoms, from asymptomatic or very minimal symptoms to the severe manifestation, a viral hemorrhagic fever. In addition, the early symptoms of Lassa fever are similar in…
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  A Clinicians Reference Guide to Lassa Virus

  Tags Blog, Clinical Care, Lassa
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Treatment & Care
  Item Type: Hyperlink
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-30
  Description: This blog post provides a Clinical Perspective on Lassa Virus from NETEC experts.
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  Mpox: Infection Prevention Controls and Waste Management

  Tags Blog, Infection Prevention and Control, Mpox, R-IPC, Waste Management
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Infection Control
  Item Type: Guide
  Date Last Updated: 2022-05-31
  Description: The following resource was developed and shared during the multi-country Mpox outbreak of clade II in 2022-2023. The current outbreak of Mpox clade I requires different considerations for patient management as clade I is considered a select agent. If…
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  Transmission Interrupted Podcast: Back to Basics: PPE and Mpox

  Tags Infection Prevention and Control, Mpox, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), R-PPE
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Infection Control
  Item Type: Webinar
  Date Last Updated: 2022-06-01
  Description: A recent European outbreak of Mpox has captured the global healthcare community’s attention. As cases overseas continue to rise, the first cases of Mpox in the United States have recently been confirmed. With healthcare organizations across the…
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  EMS Response to the Current Outbreak of Mpox

  Tags Blog, EMS, Identify, Isolate, Mpox, R-EMS, Special Pathogens
  Creator: NETEC
  Subject: Emergency Medical Services
  Item Type: Guide
  Date Last Updated: 2022-05-19
  Description: It is very unlikely that EMS clinicians will encounter a person infected with Mpox during routine operations, however EMS professionals should follow an identify, isolate, and inform strategy to prevent the spread of illness. This blog post covers…