Hospital surge capacity

Shobha S. Subhash and Lewis J. Radonovich, M.D., suggested that the threat of a severe infectious disease outbreak similar to the influenza pandemic in 1918 or a large-scale bioterrorist attack on the citizens of the US drove designers and engineers of buildings to remained to deal with w worst case scenarios. Preparedness was essential, complacency or inaction was irrational, and reckless in an era when lethal infectious disease outbreaks had occurred and were anticipated to occur again in the future. It is essential to be pre-pared to face new and emerging infectious disease outbreaks. The limitation of administrative infection control measures was evident during the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, when early in the course of the outbreak an alarming num-ber of health-care workers were infected. Robust engineering plans were equally important during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.