This week’s Pandora Report includes discussion of the WHO’s draft pandemic agreement, UN OCHA staffing cuts, more chaos and uncertainty at HHS, updates on H5N1, and more.
Center for Health Security launches One Health website
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security this week launched a new One Health website, providing a hub for tools and strategies to promote integrated and sustainable health solutions across human, animal, and environmental systems. Zoonotic diseases—those that jump from animals to humans—are driving many recent outbreaks. The One Health tools developed by our team help governments and academic partners strengthen disease prevention, detection, and response. These tools have been successfully implemented in seven countries, providing governments with adaptable methods for improving One Health coordination globally.
WHO Pandemic Agreement Moves Forward
WHO Member States have concluded negotiations and made significant progress on the draft pandemic agreement. The negotiations have spanned more than three years and have resulted in a proposal that aims to strengthen global collaboration on prevention, preparedness, and response to future pandemic threats. The draft will be presented at next month’s World Health Assembly (WHA). Negotiators failed to finalize a draft last year before the WHA because of long-standing disputes between low- and high-income countries.
Further Reading:
- “WHO Member Countries Agree On a Draft ‘Pandemic Treaty’ to Try to Avoid COVID-19 Mistakes,” Maria Cheng, AP
- “Negotiators Finalize Terms for the Pandemic Agreement,” Chloe Searchinger, Thing Global Health
OCHA to Cut Staff by 20%
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced plans to cut its workforce by a fifth, marking yet more crisis for the humanitarian sector. The organization faces a $58 million funding gap this year, prompting OCHA to look to reduce its workforce from 2,600 staff in 60 countries down to around 2,100 staff in fewer locations. Locations set to see a reduction in OCHA presence and operations include Cameroon, Colombia, Eritrea, Türkiye, Iraq, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the organization will no longer have a presence in The Hague.
Hungary and Slovakia Claim FMD Outbreaks Are Related to Bioterrorism
Both Hungary and Slovakia have suggested, without evidence, that outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in the countries are linked to bioterrorism. FMD is incredibly contagious in animals like cows, pigs, sheep, and goats, typically requiring culling of flocks and establishment of exclusion zones to prevent further spread. Because of threats to animal agriculture, these outbreaks are incredibly serious. However, neither country has provided evidence to support its claims of linkage to bioterrorism, and experts have speculated the virus was likely transmitted by accident.
RFK Jr. Continues to Make Controversial Claims
Secretary Kennedy continued to make inflammatory statements over the last week, including at a welcome event at FDA. Over the course of forty minutes, Kennedy claimed that the “deep state” is real, referenced the CIA’s MKUltra project, and accused the very FDA staff he was addressing of becoming a “sock puppet” of the industries they regulate. Kennedy later said “President Trump always talks about the deep state, and the media, you know, disparages him and says that he’s paranoid. But the deep state is real. And it’s not, you know, just George Soros and Bill Gates and a bunch of nefarious individuals sitting together in a room and plotting the, you know, the destruction of humanity.”
Sec. Kennedy, who formerly chaired an anti-vaccine activist group, even said “every institution that is created by human beings” is inevitably captured by powerful interests. He then urged FDA employees to take advantage of his leadership under which he promised “the Department of Health and Human Services would not be subjected to undue influence and would listen to “dissidents.”‘
Kennedy also said during his remarks, “Because of my family’s commitment to these issues, I spent 200 hours at Wassaic Home for the Retarded when I was in high school,” referring to the Wassaic State School for the Mentally Retarded in Wassaic, New York. “So I was seeing people with intellectual disabilities all the time. I never saw anybody with autism.”
Kennedy’s fixation on people with autism was further showcased this week during a news conference about a new report from the CDC that shows that rates of autism have increased among 8-year-olds. Over the course of these remarks, Kennedy claimed autism is not caused by genetics, instead insisting there must be an “environmental toxin” involved. Kennedy also claimed that autism “destroys” children, while also saying that autistic people do not hold jobs, write poetry, play baseball, or go on dates, appearing to lump anyone with autism into the group of those with high support needs.
Kennedy portrayed the report as evidence for what he describes as the “autism epidemic” while claiming that the condition is “preventable”. However, the very CDC report he was presenting states that this increase seen in certain communities “…might be due to differences in availability of services for early detection and evaluation and diagnostic practices…Another reason for differences in prevalence could be whether children have insurance coverage or meet eligibility criteria for access to early intervention services.”
This all comes after Kennedy set an arbitrary deadline to find what is “behind” autism by September. This fixation, combined with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric and his obsession with the debunked link between vaccines and autism, paint a very grim picture for the future of the organization he oversees.
Further Reading:
- “Internal Budget Document Reveals Extent of Trump’s Proposed Health Cuts,” Lena H. Sun et al., The Washington Post
- “Women, Minorities Fired in Purge of NIH Science Review Boards,” Carolyn Y. Johnson, The Washington Post
- “Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump,” Rae Ellen Bichell and Rachana Pradhan, KFF Health News
Bird Flu On the Rise
By Meredith Fletcher, Pandora Report Managing Editor
Despite suggestions from California researchers, H5N1 shows no evidence of slowing down. This virus has a global threat potential, and American leaders are not doing enough work to slow it down. Bird flu continues to mutate in the direction of human to human transmission, starting in cattle and moving to domestic animals. As the HHS responds by allocating millions to the response, the federal government continues to fire scientists crucial to the efforts. While there is still no human transmission and public health leaders assure the public the risk remains low, scientists disagree and are urging for action. H9N2 (a subtype of avian influenza) also continues to rise, with three more cases appearing in China. These infections typically appear in children and cause mild to serious illness. Will we see the next pandemic with H5N1? Only time and mutations will tell.
Further Reading:
- “USDA’s $1B Bird Flu Plan Uses Money Intended for Schools, Food Banks,” Marcia Brown and Grave Yarrow, Politico
- “Can You Stop an Outbreak of a Contagious Disease?” Aatish Bhatia and Francesca Paris, The New York Times
“Fentanyl Should Not be Designated as a WMD. Period.”
Al Mauroni recently published this piece with West Point’s Modern War Institute, writing in part, “There are both legal and policy challenges in trying to regulate fentanyl analogues as chemical weapons and WMD. Let’s look at the legal aspects of the argument. The low lethal dose and high number of overdoses do not make fentanyl a chemical weapon under federal law. There are several federal laws that define what a WMD is, so that is a point of confusion in and of itself. The most applicable statue is 18 USC 2332a, which notes that a person who unlawfully uses, threatens, or attempts or conspires to use a WMD against any US person or property can face a significant prison term or even the death penalty. This includes any weapon that is designed or intended to cause death or serious injury through the release, dissemination, or impact of a toxic or poisonous chemical. There is no limitation as to the amount of chemical or the amount of people injured, as one might expect from a mass-casualty event. This is usually the go-to law when the FBI investigates a terrorist WMD incident.”
“Congressionally Established Commission Lays the Groundwork to Maintain US Leadership in Biotechnology”
Kyle Wilgus discuses NSCEB’s final report in this piece from the Council on Strategic Risks: “With its rapid pace of development and biotechnology’s convergence with artificial intelligence, this report comes at a pivotal moment for US security. Leadership in the development of biotechnologies and the norms guiding their use are reaching a convergence point. Failing to significantly prioritize the biotech field risks forfeiting America’s leading role in this industry to China. The Commission’s timely report highlights this risk and lays out an action plan for ensuring and maintaining American dominance in biotechnology by out-innovating China…Moreover, the fact that the Commission came to an extensive number of recommendations that its members unanimously endorsed is extraordinary. This should give Congressional leaders and other US policy makers high confidence that taking these actions would meet with widespread support.”
“Containing Ebola in a Shifting World”
Syra Madad interviews Henry Kyobe Bosa in this piece for the New York Academy of Sciences’ Blog: “In a world confronted with a growing tide of infectious disease threats, the 2025 Sudan virus outbreak in Uganda serves as a stark reminder that epidemic intelligence must evolve from being reactive to anticipatory.”
“Increased human encroachment into wildlife habitats, and shifting global health funding landscapes, means that diseases like Ebola, once considered rare and geographically isolated, are emerging with greater frequency and unpredictability.”
“To better understand the shifting dynamics of this outbreak and its implications for the future of global health security, I spoke with Henry Kyobe Bosa, PhD, Uganda’s National Incident Commander for Epidemics. A distinguished public health leader, Colonel in the Uganda People’s Defense Forces, and seasoned epidemiologist, Dr. Kyobe has led responses to some of the most complex health emergencies in the region, including Uganda’s COVID-19 response and the current Sudan Ebola outbreak.”
“In this timely and sobering conversation, Dr. Kyobe shares firsthand insights into the evolving trajectory of this year’s Ebola outbreak, the innovations and tools Uganda is using to contain it, and the global lessons we must heed. Dr. Kyobe’s remarks have been lightly edited for clarity and length.”
“Global Partnership led Signature Initiative to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa (SIMBA), a Driving Force to Advance Continental Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative”
Africa CDC’s Yenew Kebede and Brown’s Wilmot James recently published this piece discussing the Signature Initiative to Mitigate Biological Threats in Africa (SIMBA), writing in part “The positive impact of SIMBA in Africa in strengthening health security is seen during outbreak response. During the recent MVD response in Rwanda, biosafety and biosecurity and sample transportation training was organized quickly using the training curriculum already available and trained experts were deployed immediately to support the response. SIMBA also brought positive changes on the implementation of IHR as seen in the changes in the scores in the recent joint external evaluation, an increase by 20% in Nigeria for example (unpublished data). The launching of the Health Security in Africa (HSPA) under SIMBA will help strengthen the early warning surveillance and leadership and coordination mechanisms. Continued investment is key in this continental initiative to strengthen key public health functions to mitigate the impact of biological threats in Africa.”
🎧 What We’re Listening To
Transmission Interrupted: Pathogens in Pop Culture: Fungal Pathogens and The Last of Us
From NETEC: “Could a fungus cause the next pandemic? If you’ve watched HBO’s hit series ‘The Last of Us’ or played the popular video game, then you may be familiar with the concept: a mass outbreak of an infectious fungus turns humans into zombies. But could the scenario played out in ‘The Last of Us’ actually happen in real life? Join hosts Lauren Sauer and Rachel Lookadoo and special guest Dr. Arturo Casadevall as they take a closer look at the science behind fungal pathogens and separate myth from reality.”
Listen here.
NEW: Assessing Research Security Efforts in Higher Education, A Workshop
“The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine cordially invites you to attend a workshop to consider potential measures of effectiveness and performance, and the data needed, to assess research security and protection efforts in higher education by a range of Federal agencies.”
“The workshop will be held on Thursday, May 22, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM U.S. Eastern and Friday, May 23, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM U.S. Eastern at the National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20418. A remote participation option is available.”
Learn more and register here.
Digital Technologies for Epidemic Intelligence
From ACHS: “How do risks change during an emerging infectious disease threat? Traditional surveillance methods demonstrate specific limitations when applied to complex or rapidly evolving outbreak situations. Newer digital technologies and event-based surveillance can provide early alerts, data from blind spots or novel ways to integrate data…Dr. Oliver Morgan, Director of the WHO Hub in Berlin, will discuss the potential applications and limitations of emerging digital technologies in strengthening multidisciplinary strategies for epidemic prevention, prediction, and preparedness.”
This webinar will take place on April 22 from 7-8 pm (GMT+8:00). Learn more and register here.
Advancing Biotechnology for a Secure Tomorrow
On April 24, MITRE and the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) will host a conference that will explore the economic and national security implications of emerging biotechnologies. Join us to discuss the NSCEB’s final report and recommendations followed by a series of in-depth discussions on the promotion and protection of the US bioeconomy. Register now!
What Everyone Should Know About Bird Flu (H5N1)
From NASEM: “It’s been a little over a year since H5N1 avian influenza or “bird flu” was first detected in U.S. dairy cows, and many questions remain about the highly pathogenic virus.”
“In response, the National Academies’ Health and Medicine Division and Division on Earth and Life Studies are holding a special edition “Healthy Exchange” webinar series addressing the topic. The first webinar in the series, “What Everyone Should Know About Bird Flu (H5N1),” will take place on April 29, 2025. Subject matter experts will provide general information about the virus and explain how we got here, who’s at risk, and what’s at stake. ”
Learn more and register here.
NACCHO Preparedness Summit-Pathway to Recovery in the Aftermath of Disasters
From NACCHO: “The Preparedness Summit is the place for you to reenergize while gaining the knowledge, resources, and relationships necessary to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies. Join more than 2,500 attendees—who work in all levels of the government (federal, state, and local), emergency management, volunteer organizations, healthcare coalitions, and academia—to share best practices, build partnerships, advance your skillset, and take away innovative solutions and practical strategies to address the vulnerabilities in our country’s health security system.”
This year’s summit will take place April 29-May 2 in San Antonio. Learn more and register here.
Astrobiodefense: Biological Threats and the Next Frontier
From the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense: “This Commission meeting, Astrobiodefense: Biological Threats and the Next Frontier, will be held on May 8, 2025. The focus of this meeting will be to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of how to strengthen international astrobiodefense and planetary protection efforts through: (1) current government astrobiodefense efforts; (2) new scientific and technological advances for astrobiodefense; and (3) collaborative efforts and public-private partnerships to improve astrobiodefense. More information will be provided as the event date approaches.”
This event will take place on May 8 from 10 am-3:40 pm ET in Washington, DC. Register here.
International Pandemic Sciences Conference
“Representatives from academia, industry, civil society and policy are invited to gather in Oxford, UK, and online from 30 June – 1 July 2025 for the International Pandemic Sciences Conference 2025.”
“This year’s conference theme, Getting Ahead of the Curve, will explore how we can work together to predict, identify and control epidemic and pandemic threats globally. ”
“Over two days of plenary, parallel and networking sessions, stakeholders from different sectors and communities will have the opportunity to share ideas, experiences and strategies on prediction, early detection and control of pandemic threats. ”
“The International Pandemic Sciences Conference 2025 is hosted by the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the University of Oxford.”
Learn more, register, and submit abstracts here.
SBA.4 International Synthetic Biology and Biosecurity Conference in Africa
From SynBio Africa: “The SBA 4.0 conference will serve as a platform for fostering connections among industry, academia, community groups, and policymakers. It will showcase innovative applications of synthetic biology and AI, and highlight ongoing efforts in biomathematics, biomanufacturing, one-health, biosafety and biosecurity. It will also facilitate networking and information exchange. Key focus areas include tackling agriculture, health, environmental management, and industry challenges. In Africa, synthetic biology is poised to drive the national development agenda by promoting a sustainable bioeconomy, supporting health and agricultural systems, and aiding environmental conservation and restoration. This event will provide a vital opportunity for stakeholders to discuss and strategize the integration of synthetic biology innovations, address policy, legal frameworks, and communicate the benefits of the technology.”
This conference will take place July 23-25 in Kigali. Learn more and register here.
CTD-SPECTRE 2nd Annual Symposium
“The CTD-SPECTRE Symposium on Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases for Clinicians and Translational Scientists 2025 offers a unique opportunity to connect with global experts, gain cutting-edge insights, and collaborate with peers dedicated to infectious disease research and treatment.”
“Taking place September 16 -19, 2025, at the historic Grand Galvez in Galveston, TX, this immersive symposium will unite clinicians, translational investigators, and trainees to explore the latest breakthroughs in tropical and emerging infectious diseases.”
Learn more and register here.
NEW: NTI|bio Hiring Program Associate/Program Officer, Global Biological Policy and Programs
“NTI – a global security organization driving systemic solutions to nuclear, biological, and emerging technology threats imperiling humanity – is seeking a Program Associate/Program Officer (title to be determined based on candidate experience) to join the Global Biological Policy and Programs (NTI | bio) team.”
“This position reports to the Vice President, or other senior manager, of the NTI | bio team. This is a full-time hybrid position, working a minimum of three days per week in our Washington, DC office.”
“NTI | bio is focused on reducing catastrophic biological risks, and we are working toward this goal by strengthening biotechnology governance; bolstering biosecurity in countries around the world; strengthening international capabilities to uphold the norm against bioweapon development and use; driving progress in global health security; and building the biosecurity field.”
Learn more and apply here.
Call for Experts: Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG)
From WHO: “The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Health-Security Interface Technical Advisory Group (HSI-TAG). This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.”
The deadline to express interest is May 5.
The Pandora Report 