Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights reflections on the 2026 G20 Youth (Y20) Summit culminating in the G20 Youth Communiqué, emerging infectious disease threats including H5N5 and human screwworm infections, lessons from the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Africa Health Security Index on strengthening health capacity and resilience, and the evolving landscape of biosafety, biosecurity, and AI-enabled biology.
Reflections on the 2026 G20 Youth (Y20) Summit: Realities, Global Consensus, and the Future of Diplomacy
By Carmen Shaw, U.S. Head Delegate for Food Security and Global Health (Y20 2026) | Biodefense PhD Student and Managing Editor, The Pandora Report
Over a week ago today, more than 100 global delegates came together for the 2026 G20 Youth (Y20) Summit in Washington, DC. As the U.S. Head Delegate for Food Security and Global Health, anchoring this summit on American soil during a period of profound political and economic transformation was both an honor and the responsibility of a lifetime. Hosted by Globally and the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP), our rigorous, months-long negotiations culminated in the publication of the 2026 G20 Youth Communiqué, which has now been officially presented to G20 leaders.
Containing 81 actionable policy recommendations, this communiqué offers a precise, unvarnished snapshot of our generation’s global priorities. We deliberately did not shy away from hard, uncomfortable conversations and chose to confront the raw friction of contemporary geopolitics head-on. Across our tracks, we debated frameworks for ethical AI governance, mapped concrete pathways to secure energy supply chains, and pushed hard for Universal Health Coverage while prioritizing resilient healthcare financing. We even tackled deeply polarizing geopolitical issues, openly debating whether tariffs and economic sanctions can—and should—be used as tools of coercion in international affairs, and contemplated the legal protections required for displaced populations.
Throughout these intense negotiations, my objective was to ensure that high-level policy remained tethered to local and structural realities on the ground. International frameworks are meaningless unless they protect the human capital that drives these global systems –farmers, factory and market workers, researchers, engineers, journalists, and frontline healthcare operators. These G20 youth leaders have shown that in order for multilateral forums to be impactful, deep empathy and strategic cooperation are not signs of diplomatic weakness, but the very foundations of geopolitical resilience.
There is no shortage of noise today about how divided our world has become, and America’s shifting role within it. However, when you sit down at the negotiating table with young leaders from across the globe—doing the hours-long, painstaking work of reaching a unified, common consensus across deep ideological divides—a very different story starts to emerge. The future of international diplomacy and policy is made more secure when young, intelligent, empathetic, and deeply pragmatic leaders step forward to navigate these complex global realities together.
The channel to our leaders is open, our voices are unified, and the work to translate these words into necessary diplomatic action begins now.
Transmission Risk of Human H5N5
By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor
In a study published last week in the Journal of Virology, researchers evaluated the transmission risk of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) A(H5N5) following the world’s first confirmed human infection and fatality in November 2025. The patient, an older adult in Washington State with underlying health conditions, developed fever, confusion and worsening respiratory illness that required hospitalization and ultimately resulted in death. The patient kept a mixed backyard poultry flock, and environmental samples from the property tested positive for the H5N5 virus. No person-to-person spread was identified.
Testing the virus stain in human bronchial epithelial cells and in a ferret model, researchers found that the isolate replicated efficiently at human airway temperatures and caused fatal systemic disease but showed no capacity for airborne spread. Limited transmission occurred only with direct contact. Collectively, the results underscored the heterogeneity among clade 2.3.4.4b HPAI H5Nx viruses and the need for genotype-by-genotype evaluation of newly emerged influenza viruses to understand the public health risk.
The potential public health risk of HPAI is also at the forefront of the ongoing outbreak in Australian wildlife. Dr. Frank Wong, a Senior Research Scientist with the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness (ACDP) said the risk of bird flu spreading to humans within the country remains very low. He noted an “ecological perfect storm” would be required for the virus to spill over, though that does not mitigate the need to stay on high alert. Clinicians should still inquire about recent contact with potentially infected animals and should strongly encourage seasonal influenza vaccination, particularly as national flu vaccine coverage has fallen from 45.6% in June 2020 to 26.2% in June 2026.
Human Screwworm Infections Climb in Mexico
More than 500 people in Mexico have been infected with New World screwworm (NWS), a sharp rise in infections from last year. A recent study in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases examined 202 confirmed Mexican cases from April 2025 to March 2026 and found that reporting rose from roughly three cases a week in 2025 to more than nine a week in 2026. Legs or feet were affected in 55% of cases, with others involving the nose, mouth and eyes. Six patients died, though only one death was directly attributed to the infestation.
Although Mexico was declared free of NWS in 2003, this recent rise in human cases is not unexpected given the northward spread of the parasite, which re-emerged in animals in Mexico in 2024. The same obligate parasite affects livestock, wildlife, companion animals, and humans, so a rise in animal cases indicates local circulation of the fly and an increased risk for concurrent human infestation. Thus, NWS is both a public health and animal health problem and calls for a One Health approach. Since the spread of NWS is expected to continue for the foreseeable future, the authors urge surveillance, diagnostic preparedness, animal movement controls, and fly-suppression activities to be implemented proactively at the leading edge of expansion, rather than only after human cases are detected. Coordination between human health, animal health, wildlife, and agricultural sectors will be essential to guide prevention and control measures.
Further Reading:
- “Cambodia confirms human H5N1 avian flu case as H5N1 hits more Utah egg farms,” Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP
- “Australia to roll out bird flu vaccines for most vulnerable native birds,” Lana Lam, BBC
- “Penguins and dolphins among nearly 400 Australian species under threat from bird flu as ‘true extent of disaster’ revealed,” Graham Readfearn, The Guardian
- “US farm agency says Texas sterile fly facility to open in spring 2027,” Leah Douglas, Reuters
- “Newly identified Juárez screwworm case threatens plans for cattle trade,” AG Daily
Exploring Global Health Security Policy: My Summer Internship Experience with the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)
By Alex Kyabarongo, MS Biodefense Student, George Mason University
As the Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outpaces containment efforts, with over 4,600 cases and more than 2,100 confirmed deaths as of August 12, the world remains more vulnerable to infectious disease threats than ever before. This outbreak—which experts say might be the deadliest Ebola outbreak yet due to its rapid spread—should serve as a stark reminder of the need to strengthen global health security programs. It should be a call to focus on improving disease surveillance capacities, biosafety and biosecurity, and other prevention, preparedness, and response efforts across the globe. Yet, this outbreak has occurred at a time when global health security financing remains fragmented, with shifts in international development assistance severely affecting health security programs in many countries, while the World Health Organization (WHO) Member States continue to face challenges in operationalizing the Pandemic Agreement.
It is such concerning global health security challenges that inspired me to enroll in the Master of Biodefense program at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, with the intention of deepening my knowledge and understanding at the intersection of health and security. With the same aspirations, this summer, I joined the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s Global Biological Policy and Programs (NTI | bio) team for a 10-week internship. This internship came at an important point in my graduate school journey, as I remain with only one semester left before graduation. It was an important time to put my classroom experience into practice, and many topics explored during the previous semesters helped me transition smoothly to working in this important field during the internship period.
With the NTI | bio team, I gained hands-on experience working on projects focused on countering health security threats and emerging technology risks. It was such a unique opportunity to learn from the NTI | bio team and contribute to ongoing projects such as AIxBio and DNA synthesis screening. Importantly, it was great timing that I joined when the team was working on the Africa Health Security Index (AHS Index). The AHS Index, which was jointly developed by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the Brown University Pandemic Centre, and the Science for Africa Foundation, builds upon the previous Global Health Security Index framework to assess African countries’ health security capacities. Working on this project after having taken Dr. Scott Wollek’s BIOD 710: Health Security Preparedness class during the spring semester was highly relevant and enabled me to put the class theoretical principles learned from class into practice. For the AHS Index, I specifically worked on the risk environment category, exploring why its regional scores have continuously declined over the last three Index issues and the implications of this trend for the implementation of Africa’s health security capacities.
The AHS Index scores show that Africa’s health security capacities have improved by 9.1 points from 2021, with strong improvements in disease surveillance, prevention, and response capacities. The region has expanded laboratory capacities but still struggles with biosafety and biosecurity systems, which increases the risks of laboratory accidents and the potential misuse of biological materials. Similarly, dual-use research oversight and the culture of responsible science remain critically low, at 1.9 out of 100 across the region, which ultimately serves as an alarming call for regional health security leaders to strengthen Dual-Use Research of Concern (DURC) governance. Most importantly, the region’s political and security risks, infrastructure inadequacies, and environmental risks remain areas of vulnerability. For more on the Index launch, explore my recently published blog article, and to explore the details of the Index data, results and the recommendations, visit the Index website.
Internship programs are an important aspect of students’ professional development. I am glad that the Schar School of Policy and Government has such a supportive career development team that continuously supported me throughout my internship period. I even got academic credit for the internship! The internship was very enriching, and I gained invaluable practical experience, which ultimately complements and enhances my current graduate program experience and prepares me for new challenges. I benefited from the excellent mentorship and support of the NTI | bio team, who provided me with an opportunity to explore the topics they were working on, guided me, and provided important feedback.
One important lesson I gained was the importance of collaboration and teamwork, which were central components of the AHS Index project. I deepened my understanding of health security policy, the research needed to identify gaps to be addressed, the importance of partnerships, and how these elements come together to address global health security challenges. The current Ebola crisis in Central Africa serves as a significant reference point of how important it is to invest in health security preparedness, improve capacity, and, most importantly, make health security an integral component of national security. It is internship programs like this that build the next generation of global health security leaders.
Further Reading:
- “Tracking Health Security Progress and Building Resilience in Africa,” Alex Kyabarongo, NTI
NIH Releases a Draft Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards for Public Comment
The NIH has released a Draft Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards (Biosafety Policy) for public comment as part of its effort to strengthen and modernize biosafety oversight. In September 2025, NIH announced plans to strengthen and modernize biosafety oversight and has since engaged stakeholders to inform the development of an oversight framework that addresses risk. NIH invites stakeholders to provide feedback on the Draft Biosafety Policy and associated templates via its online portal, with comments accepted until October 19, 2026.
IN OTHER NEWS
Vaccines, Immunization Policy, and U.S. Public Health
- “Trump Signs Executive Order Calling for Fewer Childhood Vaccines,” Apoorva Mandavilli and Dani Blum, NY Times
- “Fact Checked: U.S. Vaccine Recommendations are Appropriate for Children in the United States,” American Academy of Pediatrics
- “WHO defends childhood immunization schedules after Trump reduction order,” Sarah Davis, The Hill
Ebola and Other Infectious Disease Emergencies
- “‘Ebola is winning’: Epidemic now killing one person every 30 minutes,” United Nations
- “Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of the Congo now deadliest in country’s history,” Nadeem Badshah and Rachel Savage, The Guardian
- “Ebola cases top 4,000 in DRC as WHO urges Ervebo vaccine trial,” AFP and Reuters, Aljazeera
AI, Bioweapons, and Emerging Biological Threats
- “AI and the New Age of Bioweapons,” Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Foreign Affairs
- “AI-designed viral genomes,” Thomas V. Inglesby and Moritz S. Hanke, Science
- “This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature,” Carl Zimmer, NY Times
- “Trump races to prepare for new strains of deadly viruses after cutting biosecurity experts,” Ian Duncan, WP
- “Generative design of bacteriophages with genome language models,” Samuel H. King, Claudia L. Discoll, David B. Li, Daniel Guo, Aditi T. Merchant, Garyk Brixi, Max E. Wilkinson, and Brian L. Hie, Science
Biosecurity, Resilience, and Defense Strategy
- “Deterrence by Resilience: Securing the United States and Promoting Innovation in the Age of Bioconvergence,” Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
- “Building a Defense-in-Depth Biosecurity Strategy for the AI Era,” Steph Guerra, Aurelia Attal-Juncqua, John P. Tarangelo, Casey Aveggio, Katie Dammer, and David Glickstein, RAND
- “Countering Biological Weapons Disinformation,” GPWMD Counter Disinformation
- “Mirror Biology Research: Implications for Operational Governance,” Sana Zakaria, Matthew L. Nicotra, Alec Ross, Rachel Steratore, Chris Carter-Gordon, Tyler Hoard, Gerald L. Epstein, RAND
- “Realising the 100 Days Mission: Accelerating Defence and Health Capabilities for Medical Countermeasures Readiness,” Daniela Rodriguez-Rincon, James A. Ward, Sarah Parkinson, John Tarangelo, Oluwatosin Akande, Henry H. Willis, Cindy Friedman, Claire J. Standley, Zoe Adler, Andrew M. Hebbeler*, Elizabeth (Beth) E. Cameron*, and Sana Zakaria, RAND, CEPI, Brown Pandemic Center
NEW: International Bio-Responsibility Conference 2027
Organized under the Bio-Responsibility Initiative at the Centre for Society and Policy (CSP), the conference brings together people to advance dialogue, build partnerships, and promote safe, secure, and responsible life science research, development, and innovation. The conference will host experts, policymakers, and practitioners around the world to discuss emerging biological risks and ways to strengthen responsible governance.
The deadline to register is September 30. Learn more and register here.
Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB)
From the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH): “The 28th PACCARB public meeting will explore how microbiome science can support AMR prevention, drive novel interventions, and build public awareness and understanding of microbiome-focused health measures. The meeting will focus on innovative and emerging topics in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the microbiome.”
This hybrid meeting will take place on September 9-10 from 9:00 AM–5:00 PM ET. Learn more and register here.
Exponential AI and Biotech Growth: Translating Technical to Policy – Workshop
From AI for SynBio: “The continued acceleration of agentic artificial intelligence (AI), Biological Design Tools (BDTs), and Biological AI Models (BAIMs) has transformed the technological landscape, enabling tremendous benefits and potential misuse that could massively impact national security, defense, health, and economy. Mitigating this risk will require collaboration across Government, Industry, and Academia with both technical and policy focuses. Significant effort, especially at the federal level, has been made to raise awareness of this challenge, yet additional discussion is necessary to keep pace with the ever-evolving speed of this global technology.’
This workshop will take place from September 15-17 at the Hopkins Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC. Learn more and register here.
Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats
From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.”
This in-person event will take place from August 27-28. Learn more and register here.
Data and Situational Awareness for Medical and Public Health Preparedness and Response: A Workshop Series
From the National Academies: “The Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Disasters and Emergencies workshop series will explore how medical, public health, emergency management, and critical infrastructure data are collected, integrated, analyzed, and translated into real-time information to support timely, coordinated decision-making before, during, and after disasters and emergencies.”
This workshop series will take place on September 23. Learn more and register here.
Training Course on ‘Biotechnology Innovation and Biosecurity’
From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit: “This training focuses on strengthening capacities in biosecurity, biosafety, and biological risk management in the context of rapid advances in biotechnology with an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to manage biothreats at the intersection of humans, animals, plants and the environment. It addresses the governance, technical, and operational dimensions of preventing, detecting, and responding to biological threats, while promoting responsible and peaceful scientific research and innovation in accordance with article X of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).”
This in-person event will be held from October 12-16 in New Delhi, India. Learn more and apply here.
Biomanufacturing for Defense & Security Summit
From Diversified Solutions Incorporated (DSI Groups): “This event will bring together senior thought leaders and stakeholders from across DoW, Military Research Labs, Federal Government, Commercial Industry, & Academia to discuss how each are advancing biomanufacturing to enhance national security objectives, produce critical materials for defense applications, and strengthen the overall U.S. bioindustrial manufacturing base. Biomanufacturing is crucial for U.S. national security because it enables domestic production of critical materials, medicines, and defense supplies, reducing reliance on foreign adversaries, which in turn creates resilient supply chains for the military and economy.”
This event will take place from October 27-28 at the National Harbor, MD. Learn more and register here.
Researcher, Built Environment Team – Job Opening
From Blueprint Biosecurity: “The built environment encompasses the indoor spaces where people work, learn, gather, and receive care. Equipping these spaces with additional layers of protection against infectious airborne pathogens can help reduce risk in these spaces and support safer, more resilient communities. This work will focus on identifying and advancing promising interventions to mitigate pathogen transmission in occupied indoor spaces and strengthen society’s ability to contain outbreaks before they become widespread. Blueprint Biosecurity is hiring up to two Researchers to work directly with the Built Environment Program Director to lay the groundwork for new areas of interest and expand Blueprint’s portfolio.”
Learn more and submit your application here by August 21.
Respiratory Protection Program Officer, PPE Team – Job Opening
From Blueprint Biosecurity: “One of the most impactful ways to suppress pathogen transmission and save lives in a future outbreak is to ensure that highly protective respiratory PPE can be deployed to millions of critical workers on day one. Despite this, if a pandemic occurred tomorrow, U.S. stockpiles and supply chains would be unable to meet the demand. This problem motivated the development of the Blueprint for Pandemic PPE and has shaped our efforts to mobilize tens of millions of dollars toward advancing its goals. To build upon this momentum, Blueprint Biosecurity is hiring up to two Program Officers to expand our PPE team. These program officer roles are structured into two distinct tracks: Research Management or Grant Evaluation. Both positions will work closely with the PPE Program Director to help build a more resilient future in which critical workers have access to respirators during emergencies.
Learn more and submit your application here by August 21.
Horizon Fellowship
From Horizon Institute for Public Service: “Through our fellowship, we place fully-funded fellows at host organizations to help tackle policy challenges related to artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and other emerging technologies. Fellows selected for our program receive policy-focused training, mentorship, and support in matching with a host organization for a full-time, fully-funded fellowship based in the Washington, DC area. Fellows join a collaborative, close-knit community of public service-oriented experts. Potential host organizations include executive branch offices, congressional offices, national laboratories, and think tanks.”
Learn more and submit your application here by August 30.
Asia Centre for Health Security (ACHS) Fellowship Programme
From ACHS: “The ACHS Fellowship Programme aims to inspire and connect the next generation of health security leaders and innovators. Launched in 2025 by ACHS, based at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health (SSHSPH), National University of Singapore (NUS), the ACHS Fellowship Programme is a highly competitive, part-time fellowship that provides graduate students and early- to mid-career professionals with an opportunity to deepen their expertise, expand their professional network, and build leadership skills through educational opportunities and project work.”
Learn more and submit your application here by August 31.
WHO Internship Programme
From WHO: “A competent and dynamic health workforce at the heart of each health system is essential to advance global health goals. Countries need a pool of health professionals trained and exposed to the systems and processes in the health sector and who understand how stakeholders interact within the international health arena. WHO’s Internship Programme offers a wide range of opportunities for students and recent graduates to gain insight into the technical and administrative programmes of WHO and enrich their knowledge and experience in various areas, thereby contributing to the advancement of public health.”
Learn more and apply here.
OpenAI Bio Bug Bounty Program
From OpenAI: “As part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen our safeguards for advanced AI capabilities in biology, we’re evolving our GPT‑5.5 Bio Bug Bounty to become an ongoing private program—the OpenAI Bio Bounty Program. The program will remain focused on universal jailbreaks that can defeat our predefined biosafety challenge against OpenAI’s frontier models, starting with GPT‑5.6 and going forward. The reward for a universal jailbreak for the OpenAI Bio Bounty Program has been raised from $25,000 to $50,000 for both GPT‑5.6 and GPT‑5.5. Smaller awards may be granted for partial wins at our discretion.”
Learn more and submit your application here.
Disarmament and non-proliferation of WMD – Training Program
From Asser Institute and OPCW: “By 2026, pressure on the international arms control system has reached a point few experts anticipated would arrive so quickly, driven largely by intense geopolitical fragmentation. There is a critical need for professionals who possess the legal, technical, and diplomatic expertise to navigate these modern complexities. This intensive five-day training provides a comprehensive, practical overview of the international non-proliferation and disarmament framework.”
This program will take place from October 26-30 in The Hague, the Netherlands. Learn more and register here.
The Pandora Report 