This week’s Pandora Report incudes discussion of H5N1, a lawsuit filed by professional organizations against HHS and RFK Jr. over COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, measles cases in the US, and more.
Updates on the Administration
Medical, Public Health Societies File Lawsuit Against Kennedy, HHS Over COVID-19 Immunization Recommendations
A group of six major medical and public health organizations have filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., challenging the removal of COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for both pregnant women and healthy children. Plaintiffs include the American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American College of Physicians, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and the Massachusetts Public Health Alliance. They are joined by a Jane Doe, who is a pregnant physician and says she fears she will be unable to be vaccinated for COVID-19.
The lawsuit argues Kennedy and HHS acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” in making changes recently to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. It also highlights Kennedy’s previous promises to not do anything “that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking vaccines,” as well as his statements that people should not take medical advice from him. It further states, “The Directive is but one example of the Secretary’s agenda to dismantle the longstanding, Congressionally-authorized, science- and evidence-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of untold millions of Americans.” Though this lawsuit focuses on COVID-19 vaccines, others may be added later.
Senate Committee Advances Monarez Nomination
The Senate Help, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee advanced Susan Monarez’s nomination to lead the CDC in a party-line vote. Monarez has been serving as interim CDC director, and she was previously Deputy Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. While some on the HELP Committee, including Senator Bill Cassidy, expressed confidence in Monarez and her ability to restore public trust in the CDC, others were troubled by her refusal to answer questions about any disagreements she may have with Sec. Kennedy.
For example, in a statement explaining his vote, Sen. Bernie Sanders said, “n my view, we need a CDC director who will defend science, protect public health, repudiate Secretary Kennedy’s dangerous conspiracy theories about safe and effective vaccines that have saved over the years millions of lives…Unfortunately, after reviewing her record, I do not believe that Dr. Monarez sees that person.”
Further Reading:
- “Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.,” Jeneen Interlandi, The New York Times Magazine
- “Fewer Clinics, Unhealthier People, Less Warning: The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Will Make the US Less Prepared for Pandemics,” Arush Lal, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
- “Symbolic ‘Science Fair’ Showcases Research Cut by Trump Team,” Jenna Ahart, Nature
- “‘It’s a Nightmare.’ U.S. Funding Cuts Threaten Academic Science Jobs at All Levels,” Kate Langin, Science
- “NIH Restores Grants to South Africa Scientists, Adds Funding Option for Other Halted Foreign Projects,” Jocelyn Kaiser, Science
- “Farewell to USAID: Reflections on the Agency that President Trump Dismantled,” Ari Daniel, NPR
- “USAID Lost: Stories from Colombia, Kenya, and Nepal,” Thoai D. Ngo, Think Global Health
- “The UN Warns Millions Will Die by 2029 if US Funding for HIV Programs Isn’t Replaced,” Maria Cheng, AP
- “President Trump’s Dangerous Executive Order On “Dangerous Gain-Of-Function Research,”‘ Alexandra Finch and Lawrence O. Gostin, Health Affairs
- “Oversight of Gain-of-Function Research with Pathogens: Issues for Congress,” Todd Kuiken, Congressional Research Service
US Records Highest Number of Measles Cases in 33 Years
The United States has recorded its highest annual number of measles cases in 33 years, reaching more than 1,280 confirmed cases this week. The cases come from 38 states and the District of Columbia, though Texas continues to account for the bulk of cases. Nationally, 155 people have been hospitalized and three have died, two of whom were children. The CDC reports that 92% of cases are in people who are either unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
Further Reading:
- “Schumer Urges Kennedy to Declare Public Health Emergency Over Measles,” Teddy Rosenbluth, The New York Times
- “Spurred by Outbreak, Measles Cases Hit Record High in the U.S.,” Sandy Cohen, UCLA Health
- “The Diseases That Could Return as Vaccination Rates Decline — and Why You Should Care,” Katia Hetter, CNN Health
Avian Influenza Updates
By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor
To Cull or Not to Cull, Is It Even a Question?
A coalition of virologists, veterinarians, and health security experts emphatically assert that, yes, culling should remain a critical component of bird flu (H5N1) control. In a Policy Forum published July 3 in Science, researchers directly challenged suggestions by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to let the virus spread through flocks unchecked to identify naturally resistant birds. Their scientific verdict is that this approach is both “dangerous and unethical” and could hasten the start of a new viral pandemic.
The administration’s alternative approach of allowing widespread infection to hopefully identify survivor birds fundamentally misunderstands both virology and agricultural reality. H5N1 kills nearly 100% of domestic chickens it infects, and any survivors are unlikely to be healthy enough for productive egg laying. Furthermore, commercial chickens don’t breed themselves anyway, making genetic resistance irrelevant. The U.S. poultry industry relies on a pyramid structure. A small number of multinational primary breeding companies (e.g. Aviagen, Cobb-Vantress, Hubbard) develop and maintain the genetic lines through controlled breeding programs in specialized high-biosecurity facilities. These companies then sell breeding stock to production companies and integrators (e.g. Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms) who raise the commercial meat birds and laying hens. The birds at the bottom of the pyramid, the animals most likely to be affected by flu outbreaks, are genetic endpoints that don’t contribute to future generations.
According to lead author Erin Sorrell, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, “poultry infected with H5[N1] shed a tremendous amount of virus. If effective controls designed to mitigate the quantity of viral shedding and known transmission pathways are removed, the exposure risk for other animals and humans on site and on neighboring farms will increase, and the opportunity for H5[N1] to evolve to be a more effective poultry pathogen increases.” Uncontrolled viral circulation not only allows for unnecessary suffering of birds in infected flocks, but it also creates ideal conditions for dangerous viral adaptation. Every new infection provides H5N1 with opportunities to mutate and potentially gain the ability to spread human-to-human. Prolonged farmworker exposure combined with increased viral evolution could create reservoirs of infection that raise pandemic risk substantially.
CDC Ends H5N1 Emergency Response Despite Ongoing Surveillance Concerns
The CDC has officially ended its H5N1 bird flu emergency response, citing a lack of new human cases since February and a decline in animal infections. Surveillance, readiness, and response for influenza, including bird flu, will continue as per usual under the CDC’s influenza division, and the number of people monitored and tested for H5N1 will be updated monthly. CDC will also no longer report on detection of H5N1 in animals, although this data can still be found through USDA APHIS. Former CDC principal deputy director Dr. Nirav Shah, who resigned his position earlier this year, says he agrees with the decision, assuring the public that this was initiated by career scientists at CDC and not imposed by the administration.
However, the timing raises significant concerns about surveillance adequacy and national preparedness for another outbreak. With the recent announcement that HHS cancelled a $766 million federal contract with Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines for bird flu, early detection in both animals and humans will be critical if the virus mutates to allow for person-to-person transmission. The virus continues to circulate amongst birds and mammals in the United States, with a confirmed outbreak of nearly 30,000 birds at a commercial game bird farm in Pennsylvania on July 2 and a herd of dairy cattle in Arizona on June 24. The majority of human infections thus far have occurred in agricultural workers in close proximity to infected animals. However, given ongoing fears for mass immigration raids across the country, voluntary testing for is much less likely in this group. Experts worry that reduced testing may create dangerous blind spots, particularly as seasonal flu patterns typically intensify in fall. Without robust surveillance detecting mild cases among exposed workers, the transition from emergency to routine response may prove premature if H5N1’s pandemic potential materializes.
Human H5N1 Infections Surge in Cambodia
Cambodia has now reported 12 laboratory-confirmed cases of human H5N1 infection in 2025, with six fatalities, primarily linked to direct contact with infected backyard poultry. Seven of these cases occurred since early June, signaling an unusual surge in human infections. The most recent case, announced July 3, is a five-year-old boy who is currently hospitalized in the intensive care unit. H5N1 is known to circulate in Cambodian poultry, but a new reassortment was detected containing genes from an older Cambodian clade and from the global 2.3.4.4b clade also involved in the outbreak in dairy cattle and poultry in the U.S. The WHO currently assesses the risk to the general population as low; however, the uptick of cases in Cambodia serves as a reminder that the threat of zoonotic disease transmission remains ever relevant.
Further Reading:
- “Where Has All the Bird Flu Gone?,” Angela Rasmussen, Rasmussen Retorts
- “The Consequences of Letting Avian Influenza Run Rampant in US Poultry,” Sorrell et al., Science
- “Bird Flu Emergency Response Ends in US as Infections Decline,” Jessica Nix, Bloomberg
- “As Bird Flu Evolves, Keeping it Out of Farm Flocks is Getting Harder,” Tina Hesman Saey, ScienceNews
“When the Mosquitoes Bite, the Biomedical Research Lab Bites Back”
Sarah Holland discusses GMU’s Biomedical Research Lab’s work to combat mosquito-borne diseases in this piece for the university: “It’s summer, and with those longer days come backyard cookouts, outdoor activities and—ouch!—bug bites. Mosquitoes love Northern Virginia’s infamous hot and humid summers. And as the world’s deadliest animal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they’re more than just a nuisance at the family barbeque: They’re a health hazard….But in partnership with Prince William County, George Mason University’s Biomedical Research Laboratory (BRL) is working to prevent outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases.”
Read more here.
“Securing the Biotechnology Frontier: Three Targeted Technical Interventions to Strengthen US Biodefense in the Post-Pandemic Era”
Anemone Franz authored this report for the Belfer Center: “While the COVID-19 pandemic initially brought the extreme human and economic costs of natural infectious diseases to the public’s attention, the ongoing lab leak debate has shifted the focus to an equally concerning threat: the possibility of engineered pandemics. Rapid advancements in biotechnologies have democratized capabilities once limited to high-resourced laboratories, creating an urgent need for governance frameworks that balance competitive innovation with strong national and global biosecurity. As technological advances continue to outpace regulatory oversight, the post-pandemic world faces a critical inflection point where our choices about biosecurity governance will shape our defences against future threats and our ability to harness biotechnology’s life-saving potential.”
“The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered attitudes toward biological research governance. While determining the origins of SARS-CoV-2 remains important, the central debate often misses a more crucial point: the mere possibility of a laboratory release, regardless of whether it occurred in this instance, reveals critical vulnerabilities in our biosecurity and biosafety systems.”
“This policy brief proposes three targeted technical interventions to strengthen America’s resilience to biological threats and safely develop and deploy cutting-edge biotechnologies:
1. Enhance DNA Synthesis Screening and Verification: Strengthen and build upon existing frameworks to establish comprehensive federal screening requirements for all DNA synthesis orders to prevent misuse of this critical technology.
2. Advance Pathogen Early Warning Systems: Deploy cutting-edge surveillance technologies and unified data platforms that can detect emerging biological threats earlier and more reliably than current systems.
3. Improve Genetic Engineering Detection and Attribution Capabilities: Develop technical forensic capabilities to determine if pathogens have been engineered and potentially trace them to specific laboratories.”
“These technical interventions would collectively strengthen America’s biodefense capabilities to prevent, detect, and attribute biological threats, creating a defense against natural outbreaks and engineered pathogens. By investing in these critical technologies, the United States can establish global technical standards, create new high-value industries, and ensure that biotechnology’s transformative potential benefits humanity rather than threatening it.”
“Report on the Global Arbovirus Surveillance and Response Capacity Survey 2021-2022”
From WHO: “In 2021-2022 the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a survey to assess current surveillance and response guidelines and practices across WHO Member States to identify critical areas that require strengthening. WHO gathered data from 167 countries and territories on the structure and coverage of their arbovirus surveillance systems, laboratory and entomological capacity, clinical management capacity, epidemic preparedness, access to expertise and staffing. The survey findings confirmed that preparedness and response system attributes and stages of development differ between countries, often reflecting surveillance and response measures developed in response to endemic or epidemic Aedes-borne arbovirus circulation. In many low-resourced settings, in particular, surveillance infrastructure is unlikely to detect transmission even though competent vectors are known to be present. In 2022 WHO launched the Global Arbovirus Initiative (GLAI) for Aedes-borne arboviral diseases to strengthen the coordination, communication, capacity-building, research, preparedness and response needed to mitigate the growing risk of epidemics due to arboviral diseases. The findings of the survey have informed the objectives and priority activities of the GLAI and will serve as a baseline against which progress can be measured.”
Read here.
“Landscape Analysis of the Opportunities and Challenges for Neurotechnology in Global Health”
From WHO: “This report provides a detailed examination of the current landscape of neurotechnology, specifically exploring both its potential benefits and challenges from a global health perspective. The landscape analysis focuses on four emerging subcategories of neurotechnology, namely: neuroimaging, the braincomputer interface (BCI), neuromodulation, and neurological devices.”
Read here.
“UK Biological Security Strategy Implementation Report June 2023 – June 2025”
From the UK Government: “The 2023 BSS provides the overarching strategic framework to make the UK resilient to a spectrum of biological threats and a world leader in responsible innovation by 2030. This report presents some of the key achievements from across the UK government and devolved governments since the launch of the BSS in June 2023, summarising the progress in delivering flagship commitments, and setting out what we hope to deliver in the next 12 months.”
‘“There’s a Real Urgency to Be Ready When That Bioconvergence Happens.”’
From Issues in Science and Technology: “Senator Todd Young shares his vision for how emerging biotechnologies can revolutionize agriculture, industry, and warfighting.”
Read here.
“The Australia Group at 40: Making the AG Fit for an Era of Geopolitical Competition”
Kolja Brockman authored this piece for the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium’s Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Papers: “The Australia Group (AG) is a cornerstone of states’ efforts to curb the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW). It is an informal group of states that coordinates and harmonizes export controls on CBW and related dual-use items. The AG guidelines and common control lists provide de facto international standards for export controls on CBW and related dual-use items. However, the AG has become the subject of renewed criticism and faces a range of challenges related to implementation of its key functions, rapid scientific and technological advances, and its future role in an era of geopolitical competition. Despite calls for modernization or structural reform of the regime to address structural challenges, the spread of the chemical and biotechnology industry and research and development within the industry, as well as the changing political and geoeconomic context, there has been no major reform of the AG in the past 10 years. To overcome these challenges and maintain the appeal of participating in and engaging with the AG, it needs to be strengthened and undertake meaningful reforms. Building on their like-mindedness, AG participants should develop a vision for membership, adherence and outreach, strengthen transparency and the provision of public goods, including publication of good practices documents, take steps to manage the impact of geopolitics and strengthen perceptions of the legitimacy of the AG.”
NEW: Mirror Biology: Global Risks, National Security Concerns, and Practical Actions
From Brown’s Pandemic Center: “On July 17th at 12:00PM ET the Pandemic Center will host a webinar titled: Mirror Biology: Global risks, national security concerns, and practical actions.”
“Last year, a group of scientists including two Nobel Laureates and 16 members of national academies from around the world published a warning against building a technology that some of them had spent years working toward: mirror bacteria, hypothetical synthetic organisms built from mirror-image forms of the proteins, amino acids, DNA, and other biomolecules used by life on earth.”
“In an analysis published in Science, the group argued that such organisms could be built within the next 10 to 30 years and could pose an extraordinary threat if they were: theoretically resistant to many mechanisms of immunity in humans, nonhuman animals, and possibly plants and potentially resistant to the predators that keep populations of wild bacteria in check.”
“While the threat is not imminent—scientists cannot yet make mirror-image versions of all the components that would be needed to create a mirror bacterium—the questions raised by mirror biology are pressing. What are the risks and challenges posed by mirror biology to global health, national security, and international collaboration and what practical steps can be taken to stop those risks from developing?”
Learn more and register here.
Biodefense in Crisis: Danger and Opportunity
“This Commission meeting, Biodefense in Crisis: Danger and Opportunity, will be held on July 22, 2025. As a new Administration begins to develop its policy priorities and realigns federal offices and programs, the government must maintain and strengthen federal capabilities to address the biological threat. The focus of this meeting will be to provide the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense with a better understanding of (1) core requirements for effective national biodefense; (2) Administration biodefense priorities; (3) impacts of department and agency realignment; and (4) strategies for addressing future biological threats. More information will be provided as the event date approaches.”
This event will take place on July 22, 10 am-4 pm ET in Washington, DC. Register 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 Symposium, “Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases for Clinicians and Translational Scientists”
“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.”
“Hosted by the Division of Infectious Diseases at UTMB, Center for Tropical Diseases (CTD) and Special Pathogens Excellence in Clinical Treatment, Readiness, & Education (SPECTRE) Program.”
Learn more and register here.
Applied Biosafety Call for Papers
“The Editors of Applied Biosafety are pleased to announce a forthcoming Special Issue focused on the myriad of topics associated with global biosafety management. This special issue will showcase examples of innovative approaches, creative solutions, and best practices developed and used around the world for managing risks associated with the handling, use, and storage of infectious biological agents, toxins, and potentially infectious materials in research and clinical settings.”
Learn more and submit by November 1 here.
Request for Proposals: Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Strengthening in Support of the 100 Days Mission
From CEPI: “This Request for Proposals (RfP) will support the establishment of a group of implementation partners to enable successful implementation of CEPI’s Biosecurity Strategy, focused on objectives associated with capacity strengthening, equity, and health-security partnerships, as described in CEPI’s Biosecurity Strategy Implementation Plan. The selected applicants will sign a Framework Agreement under which CEPI can make “call-offs”, i.e. requests for services, related to specific tasks. At CEPI’s direction, services rendered under this Framework Agreement may be provided to CEPI internally, or to a partner organization (e.g. partner countries, affiliates within CEPI’s laboratory and manufacturing networks particularly in the Global South, international organisations, etc.); such partners may govern aspects of the content of the work, but the legal agreement remains with CEPI.”
Learn more and submit proposals by July 30 here.
The Pandora Report 