On April 12, the Johns Hopkins Hospital simulated what it would be like to admit and care for Ebola patients travelling from Africa, during a full-scale multi-agency overseas exercise designed by the United States Department of State and the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response.

As a designated site to care for potential patients with Ebola virus disease, Johns Hopkins received two simulated patients who were flown from Africa in containment systems for highly infectious patients. Members of the Johns Hopkins Lifeline team picked them up from Washington Dulles International Airport and transported them to the hospital.

The drill continued in the hospital’s biocontainment unit and was a “tremendous success,” according to unit director Brian Garibaldi. About 100 faculty and staff members from Johns Hopkins participated in the drill, either by planning or carrying out the exercise.