Table 1.
Key disease features and implications.
| Scenario | Special Considerations |
|---|---|
| Natural vs. human-generated (e.g., terrorism, industrial incident) | Law enforcement in addition to public health investigation; crime scene investigation |
| Contagion vs. contaminant/toxin vs. neither | Mode of transmission; PPE type |
| Transmissibility from person to person (i.e., R0) | PPE requirements; need for declaration of PHEIC, need for surge capacity |
| Potential for mutations | Need for monitoring and updates on public health management guidance |
| Sensitivity and specificity of testing | Strategies for testing method and location (point-of-care, regional, national) |
| Contagious prior to symptom onset | Amenable to quarantine; types of public health interventions needed to prevent spread |
PHEIC, Public Health Emergency of International Concern; PPE, personal protective equipment; R0, Basic Reproduction Number: a mathematical prediction of disease contagiousness.