Operation Outbreak brings the science of infectious disease to life through classroom outbreak simulations that mirror the dynamics of real-world response. As a fictional pathogen spreads through Bluetooth technology, students develop symptoms, make decisions, and deploy protective interventions in real time. After the simulation, students explore data showing how the outbreak unfolded and how their individual and collective decisions shaped its course.
Operation Outbreak facilitates realistic and engaging outbreak preparedness trainings through its dynamic outbreak simulation technology. As a fictional pathogen spreads through Bluetooth technology, participants make decisions about testing, countermeasures, communication, and resource allocation.
Simulations can be adapted to a wide range of training objectives and scenarios, while the data generated during each exercise allow participants to examine how the outbreak unfolded and how their decisions shaped its course.
Our mission is to help individuals, communities, and the professionals who protect them build resilience to infectious disease outbreaks. We do this through immersive, technology-based simulations and interdisciplinary learning experiences that prepare people to understand and respond to health security crises.
Pathogens are only part of an outbreak. The choices people make together also shape what happens next.
Operation Outbreak began with a classroom question: what is it like to respond to an outbreak? Infectious Disease researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard helped turn this premise into a technology-enabled simulation experience. Today, Operation Outbreak is an independent nonprofit scaling this work across education, public health, and biosecurity.
At the heart of Operation Outbreak is a mobile app-based simulation that uses research-developed epidemiological models and Bluetooth proximity to simulate how a fictional pathogen spreads through a real group of people. With Outbreak Creator, facilitators can customize pathogen parameters, interventions, and other settings to fit their needs. Participants then develop symptoms, access protective measures, and make decisions as the outbreak unfolds. Afterward, Outbreak Visualizer reveals the contact network and transmission patterns generated by their interactions.
The simulation data gathered in the past few years foreshadowed what the entire world would experience in 2020, and replicated what people have experienced in outbreaks of the past. But this tool doesn’t only show the destructive possibilities of infectious disease. The team is leveraging the platform’s capabilities to better address this pandemic and prepare for the next one.Read more →
The students came away with a sense of how messy it is when scientists, government officials, and citizens try to work together against a common foe.Read more →
As part of the simulations, users can now toggle their epidemics to include diagnostic tests, masks, vaccines and other public health tools that curb and monitor the spread of infection. Eventually, schools and other organizations might be able to use the simulations as guides as they prepare to reopen for business.Read more →
The data revealed that while many students were being careful, there was a subset with a lot of social contacts—maybe even enough of them to fuel a larger outbreak.Read more →
The value of pandemic education was suddenly evident. The data generated by simulations could serve as a guide for COVID-19 mitigation measures. In theory, a pandemic simulation could help school administrators show students and families the danger of superspreader events, or it could reveal the times and places where students had trouble staying socially distant.Read more →
The activity guides hundreds of students on how to respond through a coordinated effort and use of technology while learning about biology and public health in the process.Read more →
Operation Outbreak is made possible by the institutions and partners that support our work. We collaborate with research institutions, technology partners, public health organizations, and funders to develop practical learning experiences that help students and professionals understand outbreaks and respond more effectively.
Run one for free, or tell us what you are planning.
Build one yourself, or bring us in to design and facilitate the exercise.
