U.S. Congress, Trump Administration Should Bolster Nation’s Biodefense Capability

The Hill: Trump must prevent the next biological attack before it strikes
Laura S.H. Holgate, senior nonresident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and Elizabeth E. Cameron, senior director for global biological policy and programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative

“…[B]iological threats must remain at the top of the national security agenda, and leaders must recognize that stopping outbreaks at the source requires strong global and domestic capacity to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to naturally occurring outbreaks and biological attacks. … As Congress and the Trump administration mull a new biodefense strategy, we urge them to use this time — the time in between biological crises — to get ahead of the curve before the next major biological event inevitably comes our way. Here’s how. Watch out for emerging threats in unstable regions … Fund and renew the Global Health Security Agenda … Replenish the budget to maintain global biosecurity … Keep laboratory assets for attributing biological attacks … Use biosurveillance to stop outbreaks before they start… ” (9/2).

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