The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ new Portable Biocontainment Unit will enhance national special pathogen response.
In June, the U.S. reached a turning point in national health security with the successful testing of the Portable Biocontainment Unit (PBCU), the nation’s first domestic capability to safely transport patients with high-consequence infectious diseases such as Ebola and Marburg.
The PBCU is not just another tool; it is a strategic breakthrough in biopreparedness, closing critical gaps exposed during the 2014 Ebola outbreak when the U.S. had no standardized way to transport patients long distances. For the first time, we now have the ability to move multiple patients safely by air or ground while maintaining strict biocontainment, protecting healthcare workers, and safeguarding communities.
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Its debut during Tranquil Passport, the largest special pathogen patient movement drill in U.S. history, was more than a test. It was a proof of concept that the U.S. is building the infrastructure needed to confront future outbreaks head-on. With outbreaks no longer rare events but inevitabilities in our interconnected world, innovations like the PBCU are essential to ensuring rapid, safe, and coordinated national response.
This milestone represents a new chapter in America’s preparedness for tomorrow’s health threats, one where we are better equipped, better connected, and more resilient.
Read the full article published by The New York Academy of Science here
Written by Syra Madad, D.H.Sc., M.Sc., MCP, CHEP, Chief Biopreparedness Officer, NYC Health + Hospitals, Erfan Karim, MPH, Chief Operating Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Laura Hillard, MA, Director, Regional Preparedness at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Jory Guttsman, Director of Emergency Management at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD, Director, Critical Care Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
