Biosecurity

Biosecurity is our collective responsibility to safeguard the population from dangers presented by pathogenic microbes, whether intentionally released or naturally occurring.

COVID-19 information and resources, updated daily

Resources

• ASPR's Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) Novel Coronavirus Resources
• CDC COVID-19 Resources for Health Care Professionals
• NETEC, the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center
• WHO COVID-19 Technical Guidance
• WHO COVID-19 Situation Reports
• A pandemic, biosecurity expert breaks down what could work against the novel coronavirus
• The Threat of Infectious Disease and the Evolution of the Threat

Featured Article

Are we doing enough about biosecurity?

COVID-19 Clinical Rounds

Critical Care Resources

March 31

• Bellvue Presentation
• NCID Singapore Presentation
• NCID Singapore Pt 2 Presentation
• Session Recording (available soon)

March 24

• University of Minnesota Presentation
• Emory University Presentation

Emergency Department Resources

April 2

• University of Washington Presentation
• Mt Sinai Presentation

Education

Medicine and Public Health

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks: Readiness for 2030: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Jester BJ, Uyeki TM, Patel A, Koonin L, Jernigan DB. 100 Years of Medical Countermeasures and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness. Am J Public Health. 2018;108(11):1469–1472.

Morens, D et al. Influenza cataclysm, 1918. 
N Engl J Med 2018; 379:2285-2287

Boukhman Trounce M. “Potential Pandemics” In Health and the Changing Environment. Governance in an Emerging New World, with George Schultz, Lucy Shapiro, Kari Nadeau, Stephen Quake. April 8, 2019. Hoover Institution Publication.

Rebecca Katz. “Leading light in global health security”. 2019 Jun 22;393(10190):2483. Epub 2019 Jun 18

Bill Gates. “Innovation for pandemics”. N Engl J Med 2018; 378:2057-2060

Cohen, Jon (8 February 2016). "Zika's long, strange trip into the limelight". Science. American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Sikka, Veronica; Chattu, Vijay Kumar; Popli, Raaj K.; et al. (11 February 2016). "The emergence of zika virus as a global health security threat: A review and a consensus statement of the INDUSEM Joint working Group (JWG)". Journal of Global Infectious Diseases. 8 (1): 3–15.

Center for Health Security - Multimedia

Social science intelligence in the global Ebola Response. Abramowitz et al. Lancet 2015 Jan,3385 (3965). 

Drazen JM, Kanapathipillai R, Campion EW, Rubin EJ, Hammer SM, Morrissey S, Baden LR (November 2014). "Ebola and quarantine". N Engl J Med. 371 (21): 2029–30.

Frieden, T et al: "Ebola 2014 — New Challenges, New Global Response and Responsibility". N Engl J Med 2014; 371:1177-1180.

The Role of Vaccination, Antiorthopoxvirus Drug, and Social Cooperativity in a Mathematical Model of Smallpox Control by Peter Finin, Akhila Kosaraju, Eric Rose, and Harvey Rubin from 2013

Frenk, J, Moon, S. “Governance challenges in global health”. N Eng J Med 2013: 368:936-942

Eric Toner and Amesh A. Adalja, 2011: Preparing Hospitals for Large-Scale Infectious Disease Emergencies. Crossroads in Biosecurity.

Relman, D. “Bioterrorism- Preparing to Fight the Next War.” N Engl J Med 2006; 354:113-118

The Rise of Synthetic Biology

Ryan S. Noyce, Seth Lederman, David H. Evans; Construction of an infectious horsepox virus vaccine from chemically synthesized DNA fragments (2018)

Synthetic Biology: Designing our Existence? Synthetic Biology and “Amateur Science”: Dual-Use and Challenges of Regulation. Strategic Security Analysis. Puscas et al. Geneva Center for Security Policy. Feb 2016 (2). 1-6. 

The impact of life sciences on national security. George Poste, March 2011: Prepared remarks delivered by George Poste, Chief Scientist, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative, Arizona State University, at the conference Preserving National Security: The Growing Role of the Life Sciences.

Do-it-yourself biology (DIYbio); challenges and promises for an open science and technology movement. Landrain et al. Syst synth biol. V 7(3) 2013 Sept. 115-126.

Taking self-governance seriously: Synthetic Biology’s last, best chance to improve security. UC Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Jan 2012.

Franz DR, LeDuc JW. Commentary: Balancing our approach to the insider threat. Biosecur Bioterror 2011; 9(3)

Public Policy

Klein, R. “Politics and Pandemics” N Engl J Med 2018; 379:2191-2193
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1813905

Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense. Holding the Line on Biodefense: State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Reinforcements Needed. Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense: Washington, DC. October 2018.

Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism (U.S.). World at Risk: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. New York, UNT Digital Library. 

Bioterrorism: Assessing the Threat. Testimony before the US House of Representatives by Dr. Tom Inglesby. Committee on Homeland Security–Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications. Feb 11, 2014

Biosecurity in the Global Age: Biological Weapons, Public Health, and the Rule of Law.  David P. Fidler and Lawrence O. Gostin, 2008;
Biosecurity under the rule of law

Global Health Security Agenda and Global Health Security Agenda Fact Sheet

Kenneth W. Bernard. Health and National Security: a contemporary collision of cultures. Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense Strategy, Practice, and Science. June 2013, 11(2): 157-162

Global Health Security Agenda and the International Health Regulations: Moving Forward. Katz et al. Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Biodefense strategy, practice, and science 12(5):231-238. Sept 2014

Globalisation and multilateral public-private health partnerships: issues for health policy. In Health Policy in a globalizing world. Buse et al. ppg 42-62.

Historical Perspectives on Biowarfare, Bioterrorism, Pandemics

The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy. David E. Hoffman, 2009: Pages 184-253.

Seth Carus. “A Short History of Biological Warfare: From Pre-History to the 21st Century” Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction Occasional Paper, No. 12. National Defense University Press Washington, D.C. August 2017. 

Seth Carus (2017) A century of biological-weapons programs (1915–2015): reviewing the evidence, The Nonproliferation Review, 24:1-2, 129-153, DOI: 10.1080/10736700.2017.1385765.

Covert, Norman M. (2000), "A History of Fort Detrick, Maryland", 4th Edition: 2000.

In the News

Lena Sun. (2018). “Bill Gates calls on the U.S. to lead fight against a pandemic that could kill 33 million."

Microbes by the ton: Officials see weapons threat as North Korea gains biotech expertise.

Baumgaertner, E. (2018, May 14). As D.I.Y. Gene Editing Gains Popularity, 'Someone Is Going to Get Hurt'. Retrieved October 22, 2018, from

How Ready are we for Bioterrorism? Wyl S. Hylton. New York Times Magazine. October 26, 2011

Additional Educational Resources for Medical Aspects

Pandemics and Emerging Diseases

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Date Published: 3/28/2019

Format: Text

Annotation: This web page provides pandemic influenza information in general, and specifically about 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu Virus (Biologics); Influenza Virus Vaccine, H5N1 (for National Stockpile); and Questions and Answers about H5N1 Influenza Virus Vaccine, manufactured by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. [less]

Learn more here

Tools

Hospital Personal Protective Equipment Planning Tool. Source: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (US Dept of Health and Human Services- HHS ASPR). Dec 2018.

Info: This spreadsheet from TRACIE (Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange) provides a planning tool designed to help hospitals determine approximate minimum personal protective equipment (PPE) based on special pathogen category and a number of facility-specific variables. Calculators are included for Ebola virus disease/viral hemorrhagic fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome/severe acute respiratory syndrome, and pandemic influenza. [less]

Learn more here

Niche Educators and Responders

Milana Boukhman, MD MBA
Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine
Director, BioSecurity Program
Department of Emergency Medicine
Stanford Medical School
BioSecurity Chair, Disaster Medicine Section
American College of Emergency Physicians

Paul D. Biddinger, MD FACEP
MGH Endowed Chair in Emergency Preparedness
Director, Center for Disaster Medicine and Vice Chairman for Emergency Preparedness,
Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Medical Director for Emergency Preparedness, MGH and Partners Healthcare
Director, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Emergency Preparedness Research, Evaluation and Practice (EPREP) Program

Dr. Mitchell R. Moriber
Chairman, Catastrophic Guidelines and Triage Committee
Chairman, Taylor County Local Emergency Planning Committee
Medical Director, EMS/Fire/Education
Secretary, Disaster Section, ACEP
Disaster Preparedness and Response Committee, ACEP
EMS High Threat Emergency Care/Casualty Care Subcommittee,
Legislative Affairs Lead, ACEP
Texas Disaster Medical System Steering Committee, DSHS 
High Consequence Infectious Disease Workgroup, TDMS