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Pandora Report 7.25.2025

July 25, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

Fiscal Year 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act Emphasizes Biotech as National Security Priority

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence recently passed the FY 2026 Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA), which places a significant emphasis on biotechnology as a national security priority. This IAA incorporates recommendations from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s April 2025 report, in addition to underscoring the role of biotechnology in threat preparedness, innovation, economic resilience, and defense of agriculture, health, and industry. Read the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology’s statement on this year’s IAA here.

Updates on the Administration

US Rejects Amendments to IHR

The United States has rejected a series of amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) that will help the international community more effectively prevent and respond to global health threats. In a joint statement from Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the pair listed various reasons for the rejection. Kennedy said in part of the statement, “The proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations open the door to the kind of narrative management, propaganda, and censorship that we saw during the COVID pandemic. The United States can cooperate with other nations without jeopardizing our civil liberties, without undermining our Constitution, and without ceding away America’s treasured sovereignty.”

Rubio added, “Terminology throughout the amendments to the 2024 International Health Regulations is vague and broad, risking WHO-coordinated international responses that focus on political issues like solidarity, rather than rapid and effective actions. Our Agencies have been and will continue to be clear: we will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy, or personal liberties.”

WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that the United States’ decision is rooted in “inaccuracies.” He corrected the Secretaries’ inaccuracies in a post on his official X account.

Kennedy Rescinds Flu Vaccine Endorsements

Sec. Kennedy has formally rescinded all federal recommendations for influenza vaccines that contain thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that has been disproven to be connected to autism. Kennedy, who dismissed the entirety of CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices back in June before refilling the body with members more closely aligned to himself, acted following a vote by the body to discontinue use of thimerosal in flu vaccines. Presently, a small percentage of flu vaccines in the US contain this reversative, yet public health experts are concerned this decision may weaken vaccine confidence and cause issues with access to vaccines, especially in areas dependent on multi-dose vials.

Further Reading:

“Anti-Vaccine Group that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Founded Files Lawsuit Against Him Over Vaccine Safety Task Force,” Brenda Goodman, Meg Tirrell, Sarah Owermohle, CNN
“RFK Jr. Wants to Change a Program That Stopped Vaccine Makers From Leaving the U.S. Market. They Could Flee Again,” Patricia Callahan, ProPublica
“‘You Could Throw Out the Results of All These Papers’,” Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic

Further Reading on the Administration:

“E.P.A. is Said to Draft a Plan to End Its Ability to Fight Climate Change,” Lisa Friedman, The New York Times
“Stripping the Strategic National Stockpile,” Al Mauroni, Nuclear Weapons (and Other WMD)
“Federal Preparedness Programs Support Health Departments,” Catherine Murphy, ASTHO
“Trump’s Plan to Slash Global Health Spending Rejected by Key Spending Panel,” Jon Cohen, Science
“CBO Finds Health Agency Cuts Would Result in Fewer New Drugs,” Ariel Cohen, Roll Call
“U.S. Quietly Drafts Plan to End Program That Saved Millions From AIDS,” Stephanie Nolen, The New York Times
“William H. McRaven: Cutting the State Department and USAID Will Put Every American at Risk,” William H. McRaven, The Washington Post
“Amid Fear of Retaliation, N.S.F. Workers Signs Letter of Dissent,” Alexa Robles-Gil, The New York Times

Avian Influenza Updates

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor

New H5N1 Transmission Routes Identified in Dairy Cattle

Although detection of new bird flu outbreaks in U.S. dairy cattle herds and poultry flocks is currently at low levels, likely due to a seasonal drop in cases, scientists continue to investigate how the virus spreads on farms. Early in the outbreak, movement of infected animals and contaminated equipment were thought to play major roles in virus spread. However, even despite augmented biosecurity measures, outbreaks continued to occur, prompting suspicion for additional or alternative routes of intra-farm transmission. Scientists have now identified two possible routes of viral spread: flies and milk.

H5N1 sequence samples from a housefly in California uploaded to GISAID, the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data, matched the same B3.13 subtype of the 2.3.4.4b clade spreading in cattle, suggesting insects may be part of bird flu’s complex transmission pathway. While not capable of infecting animals directly, flies appear to act as effective mechanical vectors, picking up viral particles from contaminated surfaces and depositing them elsewhere on the property.

Perhaps even more significant is the revelation that normal cattle behavior facilitates mammary gland infections. The phenomenon of “milk snatching”, where lactating cows nurse from themselves and their herd-mates, creates direct mouth-to-teat contact that allows the virus to enter into mammary tissue. In a paper published earlier this month in National Science Review, a team of Chinese scientists demonstrated that this may be the primary pathway for udder infections, as respiratory exposure doesn’t result in mammary gland contamination. Their research also found that cattle possess abundant viral receptors in their oral tissues, making them particularly susceptible to infection through contaminated feed and water sources.

These findings emphasize the need for comprehensive and holistic biosecurity measures to combat H5N1 in dairy operations, including addressing both environmental contamination and natural animal behaviors that may facilitate viral spread.

One Health Gets the Spotlight in New Lancet Commission Report

Last week, the Lancet One Health Commission published a comprehensive framework to address interconnected global health challenges through an integrated approach that recognizes the fundamental links between humans, animals, plants, and environmental systems. The report provides a cutting-edge appraisal of where One Health started, where it is now, and what a viable future should be.

The Commission emphasizes that current global threats, from infectious disease pandemics to the “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss, exceed the capacity of any single sector to address effectively. Key focus areas include enhanced disease surveillance systems that integrate data across sectors, comprehensive approaches to antimicrobial resistance that address environmental drivers, and expanded focus on non-communicable diseases sharing common risk factors across species. The Commission also advocates for significant governance reforms, including a “One Health in All Policies” approach with collaboration across disciplines and sectors at all levels of government.

The Commission was first convened in 2019 and includes 40 multi-disciplinary experts across medicine, economics, veterinary science, social science, and environmental research. The full report can be found here.

Hospitalization with COVID-19 Linked to Cognitive Impairment

A two-year follow-up study conducted in Portugal recently found that 19.1% of those who survived being hospitalized with COVID-19 showed cognitive impairment two years onward, in contrast with just 6.8% who were hospitalized for other reasons, 10.7% in those infected but not hospitalized, and 3.2% in the control group. After adjusting for factors like age, education, and history of anxiety, COVID-19 hospitalization was associated with a greater than five-fold increased risk of cognitive impairment in comparison to hospitalization for another reason. Longer periods of hospitalization and ICU admission were also associated with even further risk of impairment.

CIDRAP has published a detailed summary of the study here.

Further Reading:

“Accelerated Brain Ageing During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Mohammadi-Nejad et al., Nature Communications
“From Long Flu to Long COVID: A Brief History of Postviral Illness,” Emily Mendenhall and Philip Finkelstein, Think Global Health
“New Surveillance Tool Can Predict COVID Variants of Concern,” Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP

“The 1984 Rajneeshee Bioterrorism Attack: An Example of Biological Warfare by Violent Non-State Actors”

Matthew D. Turner, Kimberly Marinconz, and Griffin Shimp recently published this article in Cureus: “With the advancement of technology and the life sciences, bioterrorism poses a unique and ever-evolving challenge to public security. In this article, we discuss one of the largest incidents of bioterrorism in the history of the United States. This attack highlights the unique threat that even resource-limited, small-scale bioterrorism poses to wider society when in the hands of small and highly motivated organizations. Physicians, scientists, and legislators should be well aware of the potential risk this poses in the coming years.”

“A Roadmap of Primary Pandemic Prevention Through Spillover Investigation”

Gurley and Plowright recently published this article in Emerging Infectious Diseases: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, attention and investment in pandemic preparedness have increased. Although there are many valiant plans around pandemic preparedness, they typically involve slowing the spread or mitigating the effects of a pathogen after it has already entered the human population. The task of stopping the pathogen from entering the human population in the first place, spillover prevention, remains a neglected area in discussions and planning for pandemic risk mitigation. Every spillover offers an opportunity to learn about an emerging public health threat and the conditions that aligned to enable spillover occurrence. In this article, we outline One Health approaches for use in spillover investigations, drawing from our experience investigating Hendra and Nipah virus spillovers. We present a roadmap for how findings from those investigations can lead to the development of interventions for spillover and ultimately pandemic prevention.”

“Preparedness and Response Considerations for High-Consequence Infectious Disease”

Chan et al. published this article in Emerging Infectious Diseases: “High-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) are acute human infectious diseases with high illness and case-fatality rates, few or no available effective treatment or prevention options, and the ability to spread in the community and within healthcare settings. Those characteristics lead to significant risks to patients and their close contacts, healthcare workers, laboratory personnel, and communities exposed to an outbreak. We describe aspects of healthcare system preparedness for and response to HCIDs, including the role of high-level isolation units, ensuring safe clinical laboratory capabilities and waste management, increasing availability of medical countermeasures, coordinating with stakeholders and systems of care, and communicating with the public. Finally, we discuss priority areas for further investment in HCID preparedness, care, and research. Effective and equitably disseminated medical countermeasures for HCIDs are urgently needed.”

“Disseminating In Silico and Computational Biological Research”

From NASEM: “Current policies on dual-use research of concern (DURC) and pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential (PEPP) typically focus on physical laboratory work. In light of the fast-evolving advances in artificial intelligence and computational modeling, these frameworks do not effectively inform risk and benefit evaluation and assessment related to the information and resources generated from computational studies.”

“To address these concerns, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation on April 3-4, 2025, to explore the benefits and biosecurity risks of communicating and publishing biological research using in silico modeling and computational approaches. The workshop brought together multi-sectoral experts to discuss current policies and safeguards related to DURC and PEPP, as well as lessons learned, and considered the challenges and opportunities for promoting the benefits of computational and AI-driven approaches in biology while mitigating potential biosecurity risks. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop, including suggestions from participants on tiered oversight approaches, early-stage risk evaluations and assessment, and incentivizing norms through training and publication standards.”

“Recommendations to OSTP for Gene Synthesis Screening Framework”

From Americans for Responsible Innovation: “America stands at a critical inflection point in biotechnology leadership, where our nation’s dominance in nucleic acid synthesis represents both a significant competitive advantage and one of our most vulnerable frontiers. The Trump Administration’s bold May 5th Executive Order, Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research, takes a forward-looking approach that puts America First by making it more difficult for bad actors both domestically and globally to access genetic material that would allow them to produce deadly pathogens. Without proper screening and oversight, synthetic biological materials could create major national security risks. The following recommendations build upon the Administration’s decisive leadership to ensure that America maintains its biotechnology edge while implementing the commonsense nucleic acid synthesis screening safeguards necessary to protect American citizens and preserve our national security advantage.”

ICYMI: Mirror Biology: Global Risks, National Security Concerns, and Practical Actions

Watch the recording of this event hosted by the Brown Pandemic Center here.

“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. Mirror bacteria are 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.”

“The analysis is that mirror bacteria could be resistant to many mechanisms of immunity in humans, nonhuman animals, and possibly plants. They could also be resistant to the predators that keep populations of wild bacteria in check. It’s plausible, then, that mirror bacteria could act as an invasive species, causing fatal infections as they spread and irreversibly disrupting ecosystems in the process.”

“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, and no researchers have successfully booted up a normal bacterium from entirely nonliving parts—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?”

NEW: BWC Working Group Friends of the Chair Webinar Series: Rolling Text

From UNIDIR: “The Chair of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), in collaboration with UNIDIR and the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs, is organizing an informal webinar to stimulate reflection and discussion ahead of the sixth session of the Working Group.”

“The event will focus on the rolling text being prepared by the Chair for the sixth session, taking into account comments received on his non-paper dated 6 May. The webinar will have a particular emphasis on the proposed mechanisms for science and technology and for international cooperation, as well as measures on compliance and verification. It will feature an expert panel followed by a moderated question-and-answer session with the audience.”

This event will take place on August 5, 12:15-14:45 CEST via Zoom. Register here.

Accelerating Biosecurity Networking Event

“Join us for an evening with Ginkgo Biosecurity and SecureBio as we explore how we can accelerate biosecurity efforts in the next 1-3 years. With momentum building around initiatives like HHS’s potential $52 million investment in a new “Biothreat Radar Detection System”, and Ginkgo expanding its global pathogen surveillance network, there’s a clear opportunity to push the field forward. SecureBio’s Nucleic Acid Observatory is also scaling wastewater sequencing across the US, contributing to this growing biosecurity landscape.”

”This is your chance to connect with fellow innovators and experts, share ideas, and brainstorm solutions to improve biosecurity in a rapidly evolving landscape. The evening will feature two short lightning talks from senior biosecurity leaders, followed by plenty of time to mingle and discuss ideas.”

This event will take place on July 31 at 6 pm in Boston. 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.

Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction

From the World Organisation for Animal Health: “In October 2025, WOAH is hosting its third Global Conference, with the goal of galvanising advocacy efforts to manage the rising risk of biological threats from across the world.”

“The Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction – which will take place in Geneva on 28-30 October 2025 – will bring together top minds in the fields of
health-security, emerging technologies, and biothreat reduction policies, from the public and private sectors – to focus on the latest strategies, challenges and innovations in combating biological threats to our interconnected ecosystems.”

“The Conference will bring together approximately 400 participants from different sectors, including animal health, law enforcement and security, public health, international and regional organisations, investment and development partners, private sector and industry representatives, research, academia and regulatory authorities, youth organisations.”

“Attendees will engage in thought-provoking discussions and innovative technical presentations aimed at strengthening prevention, preparedness and response capabilities across the world.”

“The event will be guided by a narrative that traces WOAH’s commitment to biological threat reduction and the increasingly relevant role it plays at the health-security interface. Against the backdrop of an uncertain future, WOAH believes that synergies between sectors can drive positive change – making the world a safer and healthier place. ”

Learn more and register 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.

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.

64th ISODARCO Course

From ISODARCO: “In recent years, the global security landscape has become increasingly volatile, shaped by a convergence of geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, and evolving nuclear doctrines. The post-Cold War order that once provided a measure of predictability in global security has eroded. Conflicts such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, and strategic competition between major powers have reshaped alliances and strategic postures.”

“At the same time, disruptive technologies including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonic missiles, and cyber threats – are adding new layers of complexity to both nuclear and conventional deterrence dynamics. These technologies are not only distorting the information landscape but also compressing decision-making timelines and complicating signaling mechanisms, increasing the risk of miscalculation.”

“Effectively managing nuclear escalation risks in this environment will require a combination of innovative diplomacy, technological safeguards, and renewed dialogue mechanisms to rebuild trust, reduce misperceptions, and stabilize strategic relations.”

“The ISODARCO 2026 Winter Course presents an invaluable opportunity for students and experts to discuss and examine these dynamics in depth and explore approaches to re-establishing strategic stability and reducing nuclear dangers in a volatile world.”

This course will take place January 11-18, 2026, in Andalo. Learn more and apply here.

Pandora Report 7.18.2025

July 18, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report includes more updates on avian influenza, discussion of recent cuts and layoffs in the US federal government, discussion of Israeli airstrikes in Damascus and what they mean for efforts to destroy Syria’s CW stockpile, and more.

US Wastes Hundreds of Thousands of Vaccines Pledged to Africa

The United States has failed to deliver hundreds of thousands of mpox vaccine doses pledged to African countries, according to recent reporting from Politico. While the doses are still currently good, they will expire within six months, making them ineligible to be delivered now, according to Africa CDC officials. The US has so far sent about 91,000 of the more than one million mpox vaccines pledged by the Biden administration, and 220,000 doses have enough shelf life left to still be shipped if the Trump administration allows it. However, cuts by this administration have caused the rest to effectively be wasted. Using UNICEF numbers, Politico estimates these vaccines cost about $65 a dose.

This comes alongside broader concerning news about global vaccine coverage. Officials from the United Nations recently reported that 14 million children globally did not receive a single vaccine last year. While there was some good news (For example, about 85% of children who started completed the three-dose series of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine, up from 84% in 2023.), officials say that the collapse of international aid this year will make it much more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children globally. This is likely to worsen as vaccine skeptics continue to gain key positions within US government organizations, including HHS, and as the US continues to make cuts to foreign aid. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement about this analysis, “Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress.”

Other Vaccine News:

“Nipah Vaccines Set to Enter Human Trials,” Priya Joi, Gavi
“3 Years in, Flu Vaccine R&D Project Reports Substantial Progress,” Mary Van Beusekom, CIDRAP
“National Academies Presidents Express Alarm Over Unnecessary Suffering and Deaths Caused by Measles Outbreak; Call for Widespread Sharing of Evidence-Based Information on Vaccine Safety and Effectiveness,” National Academies

PEPFAR Survives Proposed Cuts

PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, has emerged unscathed by a package of billions of dollars worth of funding cuts Congress sent to President Trump’s desk today. The original recissions package called for $400 million in cuts to the program that was established by former President George W. Bush in 2003. Senate Democrats and a number of Republicans rejected the proposed cuts. The package aims to claw back $9 billion in congressionally-approved funding for foreign aid and public media funding. It passed the Senate on Thursday, 51-48, after overcoming several hurdles, before passing the House.

Further Reading:

“What the Rescissions Package Passed by Congress Means for PEPFAR,” Hannah Johnson, George W. Bush Presidential Center
“Trump Official Accused PEPFAR of Funding Abortions in Russia. It Wasn’t True,” Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times
“The UN Warns Millions Will Die by 2029 if US Funding for HIV Programs Isn’t Replaced,” Maria Cheng, AP News
“Countries to Budget More for HIV/AIDS Measures as U.S. Withdraws Aid,” Jon Cohen, Science
“Donor Government Funding for HIV in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in 2024,” Adam Wexler, Jennifer Kates, and Eric Lief, KFF

Cuts and Layoffs Continue to Abound in the Federal Government

HHS finalized this week 10,000 layoffs across federal health agencies, including NIH, FDA, and CDC, following a Supreme Court ruling allowing the administration to move forward with the lay offs. Laid off employees included people who helped coordinate travel for overseas drug facility inspectors, communications staff, public records officials, and employees who oversaw contracts related to federal research. Their terminations were previously announced in March, with many only finding out they had been laid off when their work badges stopped working on April 1. The NIH is also now set to dismiss dozens of grant reviewers, reportedly to more closely align the agency with the administration’s priorities.

The State Department also fired more than 1,300 employees late last week in a move the administration says will cut back on “bloat” and inefficiencies. Offices impacted include the Office of Global Women’s issues, as well as others, such as those focused on diversity and inclusion and Syria. Layoff notices were sent to more than 1,100 civil services employees (who largely have a 60 day separation period) and 240 Foreign Service employees, who will be placed on paid administrative leave then lose their jobs 120 days after notice. An FAQ document provided to fired employees said this action was taken to “focus the Department’s resources on policy priorities and eliminate redundant functions in order to better deliver for American taxpayers.”

In a statement defending the firings, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was necessary to overhaul what has been described as the Department’s sluggish decision-making processes and redundancies. Rubio said in May, “There were 40 boxes on this piece of paper,” referring to the policy approval process. “That means 40 people had to check off ‘yes’ before it even got to me. That’s ridiculous. And if any one of those boxes didn’t get checked, the memo didn’t move. That can’t continue.”

Further Reading:

“Exclusive: NIH to Dismiss Dozens of Grant Reviewers to Align with Trump Priorities,” Max Kozlov, Nature
“Health Cuts Would Result in Fewer Drugs for Americans, Budget Office Reports,” Benjamin Mueller and Christina Jewett, The New York Times
“Trump Admin to Revoke Dozens of Food Product Standards,” Sarah Zimmerman, Food Dive
“Trump Officials Halt ‘Dangerous’ Research, Overriding NIH Career Scientists,” Hannah Natanson, Carolyn Y. Johnson, and Joel Achenbach, The Washington Post
“As US Cuts Research Funding, UK Plans to Invest Billions in New Biosecurity Center,” Gabrielle Masson, Fierce Biotech

Avian Influenza Updates

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor

Invisible Pandemic: How H5N1 is Decimating Global Wildlife

While headlines focused on rising egg prices and concerns for a human pandemic, H5N1 bird flu has been quietly ravaging global wildlife populations. Wildlife scientists have monitored avian influenza for decades, mostly watching out for potential spillovers into commercial poultry or humans. The many variations of circulating bird flu virus typically have minimal effect on wild birds. However, since the emergence of the 2.3.4.4b clade in 2020, scientists have noted an unprecedented impact on bird and mammalian species across six continents, with little attention from the general public. Stephanie Avery-Gomm, a conservation scientist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, estimates nearly 40% of Canada’s Northern Gannet population died as a result of a months-long H5N1 outbreak in 2022. In 2023, Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian at the University of California, Davis, observed as a breeding colony of southern elephant seals in Argentina lost 96% of the year’s pups, approximately 17,400 animals. Similar reports are coming in from wildlife experts around the world: 24,463 Cape Cormorants in South Africa, 21 California Condors in the western U.S., 5,500 Peruvian Pelicans. With one in six affected bird species and 25% of affected mammals already considered threatened, H5N1 pushes vulnerable populations toward potential extinction. Recovery timelines stretch decades, and some populations may need a century to rebound.

The tallies of known dead animals and the estimation of missing animals in breeding colonies is heartbreaking, but what’s even more concerning is the number of invisible deaths. Scientists can only account for losses in monitored populations, but a significant amount of wildlife mortality occurs where no one is watching, such as out at sea or in vast swaths of wilderness with no humans around to see. The bottom line is that the true scale of H5N1 in wildlife populations is unknown and hard to determine. However, the impact extends far beyond just the losses in individual species; large animal die-offs could throw entire ecosystems into disarray. Northern Gannets, as apex ocean predators, help regulate fish populations. Their significant decline could trigger cascading effects throughout marine food webs. Similarly, the virus has impacted scavenger species like vultures and skuas, disrupting natural cleanup systems. In India, similar vulture losses increased disease transmission and human death rates by 4% when carcasses accumulated without scavengers for to remove them. This crisis underscores a fundamental One Health reality: wildlife health and human health are inseparably linked through shared ecosystems. Although scientists have detected protective antibodies in some animals, the virus continues to spread to new species and monitoring is still limited. The invisible wildlife crisis represents not just an environmental tragedy, but a critical blind spot in our pandemic defense systems.

Further Reading:

“The Invisible Toll of Bird Flu on Wildlife,” Meghan Bartels, Scientific American
“A looming global threat: H5N1 virus decimates wildlife, disrupts ecosystems and endangers human health,” Sergio Lambertucci, Andrea Santangeli and Pablo Plaza, Phys.org

UF Tackles Bird Flu Misinformation

The University of Florida (UF) has established an H5N1 Coordination Group to combat bird flu misinformation through science-based education. Although the number of human cases remains low, the illness is still being detected regularly in migratory birds, wildlife, and livestock, including a new outbreak in a U.S. dairy cattle herd in California confirmed July 9^th. UF expects transmission risks to increase during the fall migration season. The group has published educational guides targeting consumers and backyard chicken owners, covering topics like transmission methods, precautions, and infection signs. They emphasize that properly handled eggs, milk, and chicken are safe; however, raw milk and poultry products are not safe for human or animal consumption. Extension personnel are also completing professional training to be able to respond to concerns from local farmers and consumers, and the group is helping develop biosecurity guidelines for county fairs and livestock shows to mitigate potential outbreaks. The ultimate goal of these outreach efforts is to support a well-informed public that is capable of making smart health decisions related to this potentially serious health issue.

COVID-19 Updates

The CDC reported late last week that cases of COVID-19 are likely rising across 25 states as this year’s summer wave gets going. The rise in cases is in many states in the Southeast, Southern, and West Coast regions. However, national COVID-19 activity is still considered “low” based on wastewater sample data, up from “very low” the week prior. The Pacific Northwest has seen a sharp rise in ER visits for COVID-19, and rates are also rising in the Southeast.

Further Reading:

“Charges Dropped Against Utah Doctor Accused of Throwing Away $28,000 in COVID Vaccine Doses,” Mark Thiessen, AP News
“Florida Surgeon General Reiterates Stance Against COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines, Praises RFK Jr.,” Ryan Burkett, Fox 13 News

Syria Official: Israeli Strikes on Damascus Hinder Efforts to Destroy CW Stockpile

Ibrahim Olabi, who is the legal adviser to Syria’s Foreign Ministry tasked with the chemical weapons file, said this week that Israel’s airstrikes on Damascus are hindering the country’s efforts to find and destroy chemical weapons stockpiled under the Assad regime. He explained further that a planned visit by OPCW inspectors has already had to be postponed. The Organisation will reportedly hold an urgent meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the country. Israel’s airstrikes on Wednesday damaged the defense ministry, which Olabi says provides the institutional infrastructure necessary to organize and secure visits by OPCW inspectors.

Further Reading:

“Syria Acts to Adhere to Chemical Weapons Convention, While Russia Doubles Down on Non-Compliance,” Andrea Stricker, FDD

“Predators at the Viral Gate: Multi-Species Foraging at a Marburg Virus Reservoir”

Atukwatse et al. recently published this preprint: “Understanding how zoonotic viruses spill over from wildlife to humans requires direct ecological observation at reservoir-host interfaces — yet such events remain rare in the literature, and no such interface has been documented at scale. As part of a broader long-term study on African leopard (Panthera pardus) population ecology in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, we deployed camera traps on animal trails and at Python Cave, a known roost site of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and a confirmed Marburg and virus reservoir. This serendipitous deployment yielded the first visual documentation of a multi-trophic predator and scavenger guild interacting at a filovirus reservoir site. Over a five month period (February 16th – June 5th 2025) across 304 trap nights, we recorded at least 14 different vertebrate species, including leopards, primates, raptors, and small carnivores, engaging in bat predation, scavenging on bat remains, guano foraging, or cave exploration across 261 temporally and spatially independent events (>1 hour apart). These instances were structured, repeated and the species continuously made contact with the bats or entered their roosting space. Camera traps also recorded an estimated 400 human individuals visiting the cave — including school groups, tourists, and local trainees — the majority with no personal protective equipment. The shallow, accessible structure of Python Cave appears to collapse the typical spatial buffers between reservoir species and both predators and humans. These observations constitute the first ecological confirmation of a dynamic, multispecies exposure network at a known Marburg virus site, and may represent a Rosetta Stone for interpreting the real-time mechanics of zoonotic spillover.”

Read more about this paper in this article from The New York Times.

“Priorities to Uphold European Biosecurity in 2025”

This is a joint briefing by Pandemic Action Network, RAND Europe, IBBIS, Pour Demain, and the Centre for Future Generations that concludes, “For the EU to appropriately balance both the tremendous promises and challenges of biotechnology, it is critical to advance the comprehensive planning, structures, and investments to respond to the risks we know now and stay attuned to risks of the future. A concerted effort to embed priorities to uphold European biosecurity will enable Europe to embrace and shape the future technological landscape.”

“International Experts Urge Collective Action to Address Emerging AIxBio Risks”

This NTI post explains that more than 35 leading experts have called for urgent and coordinated global action to address risks emerging from the convergence of AI and the life sciences. It notes that, while these technologies promise important breakthroughs, they also heighten the risk of accidental or intentional release of harmful biological agents. It provides further discussion of the Statement on Biosecurity Risks at the Convergence of AI and the Life Sciences and NTI’s recommendations for addressing these threats.

NEW: Accelerating Biosecurity Networking Event

This event will take place on July 31 at 6 pm in Boston. Learn more and register here.

NEW: Global Conference on Biological Threat Reduction

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”

“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.

NEW: Open Call: Experts for the Collaboratory Technical Advisory Group

“The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Collaboratory Technical Advisory Group. This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.”

Read more and express interest by July 24 here.

NEW: 64th ISODARCO Course

This course will take place January 11-18, 2026, in Andalo. Learn more and apply here.

Request for Proposals: Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Strengthening in Support of the 100 Days Mission

Learn more and submit proposals by July 30 here.

Applied Biosafety Call for Papers

Learn more and submit by November 1 here.

Pandora Report 7.11.2025

July 11, 2025July 11, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

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.”

Pandora Report 7.4.2025

July 4, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report includes alumni news, H5N1 updates, discussion of the new BIOTech Caucus, new publications, and more.

Biodefense PhD Alumna Named George Mason Senior VP and COO

Julie Zobel, an alumna of George Mason University’s Biodefense PhD Program, was recently named the university’s senior vice president and chief operating officer (COO) following a nationwide search. Joining George Mason in 2000, Zobel began as a health and safety engineer focused on chemical, biological, and radiation safety for George Mason’s instructional and research laboratories, serving in an escalating progression of leadership roles before becoming George Mason’s first chief risk officer in February 2024. Zobel provided operational stewardship of the university’s response to COVID-19, for which George Mason was recognized as a national leader in pandemic management. She also served as interim SVP beginning in August 2024 and was selected for this new role in April 2025 following a nationwide search.

Read more about her selection and experience here.

Updates on the Mess at HHS

World Leaders Pledge $9 Billion in Support to Gavi Following RFK Jr.’s Announcement of US Funding Withdrawal

Following the announcement that the US will halt its funding to Gavi, the vaccine alliance, world leaders at the Global Summit: Health & Prosperity through Immunisation pledged more than €7.7 billion (about $9 billion in USD) towards Gavi’s target budget of €10.2 billion (≈$12 billion) for 2026-2030. The summit also concluded with €3.8 billion (≈$4.5 billion) in complementary financing from development finance institutions, up to €170.6 million (≈$200 million) in cost savings for Gavi-supported programs announced by vaccine manufacturers, and other innovations and supply commitments that includes a €34.1 million (≈$40 million) anchor commitment towards a new Innovation Scale-Up Fund.

The summit saw a record number of new donors emerge to support Gavi’s next strategic cycle. Furthermore, some existing donors were unable to announce new commitments due to their own domestic budgetary cycles, demonstrating the broad base of support Gavi has in meeting its target budget. Furthermore, Gavi’s implementing countries are expected to invest a record €3.4 billion (≈$4 billion) towards their own immunization programs over the next five years.

President of the European Commission Usrula von der Leyen said in a statement, “Investing in health is investing in our shared future. Our work with Gavi saves lives. For over 20 years, we have stood side by side, with the European Union contributing over EUR 3.2 billion to vaccinate more than 1 billion children against deadly diseases. But millions still need this vital protection. Today, Team Europe is pledging more than EUR 2 billion. The EU remains committed to this mission so that children across the world are safer, healthier and stronger. This is global solidarity in action.”

Further Reading:

“World Leaders Pledge $9 Billion to Support Gavi’s Vaccine Initiatives,” Jim Wappes, CIDRAP
“Joint Press Release: World Leaders Recommit to Immunisation Amidst Global Funding Shortfall,” European Commission
“US Makes Deadly Decision to Withdraw Funding for Gavi,” Médecins Sans Frontières
“RFK Jr.’s Intellectually Dishonest Excuse for Defunding Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance,” Tom Frieden, STAT News
“RFK Jr. Singled Out One Study to Cut Funds for Global Vaccines. Is That Study Valid?” Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR

ACIP Fallout Continues

Following June’s meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), public health experts continue to sound the alarm about both Secretary Kennedy’s replacement of the 17 sitting ACIP members and the outcomes of the recent meeting. They warn that ACIP’s decision to recommend only single-dose flu vaccines (the thimerosal-free presentations), and the promise to revisit the entire childhood vaccine schedule and certain other routine vaccines, were driven by politics rather than science. They further fear this will only further undermine public confidence in vaccines. Criticism of the platforming of anti-vaccine advocates like Lyn Redwood by ACIP has also continued.

Further Reading:

“Vaccine, Public Health Advocates Warn of Fallout from ACIP Meeting,” Chris Dall, CIDRAP
“Flawed ACIP Process Leads to Confusion and Distrust,” National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
“ACIP’s Thimerosal Vote: The Committee Has Lost Its Value to Medicine,” Amesh Adalja, MedPage Today
“Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisers Sow Doubts as Scientists Protest US Pivot on Shots,” Arthur Allen and Sam Whitehead, KFF Health News
“Anti-Vaccine Activist Presents Data to Kennedy’s Reshaped CDC Advisory Panel,” Aria Bendix and Erika Edwards, NBC News
“Gold Standard of Plagiarism: How a CDC Slide Deck Recycled Discredited CHD Claims,” InfoEpi Lab
“Who is in Charge at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?” Melody Schreiber, The Guardian
“Poll: Amid Multi-State Measles Outbreak, 79% of Americans Support Routine Childhood Vaccine Requirements,” Maya Brownstein, Harvard T.H. Chan SPH

CDC Grants Moving Behind Schedule

CDC has reportedly not yet received its full FY 2025 funding, operating instead with just 30-days worth of funding at a time. The impact of this has been severe, with potential to cause even greater damage soon. Because CDC does not have its funding, it is running behind on providing notices of awards to state and local health departments, agencies that overwhelmingly depend on federal funding and that use much of that funding to contract with local organizations. Many health departments have received no communication about why this process is delayed, making it risky for them to continue work without knowing they will be reimbursed for it. CDC staffers told NPR that the funding is now months late, and, if it is not dispersed soon, it will be too late to do so.

Prasad Overrode FDA Staff Experts on COVID-19 Vaccines

Vinay Prasad, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at FDA, rejected broad uses of the Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine from Novavax and Moderna’s next generation mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for those 12 and older. Prasad cited unknown risks or injuries in doing so, despite assurances of their safety from dozens of FDA experts. In fact, documents (linked below) reveal that vaccine staff members at FDA had already signed off on approving both vaccines. Prasad overruled both recommendations, instead advising restricting the use of both vaccines. Prasad wrote in the memo about Nuvaxovid, “Even rare vaccination-related harms, both known and unknown, now have a higher chance of outweighing potential benefits in non-high-risk populations.”

Further Reading:

Center Director Decisional Memo, NUVAXOVID, Vinayak Prasad
Center Director Override Memo, MNEXSPIKE, Vinayak Prasad
“Long COVID Rates Higher in Women: Evidence Grows,” Claire Sibonney, Medscape
“‘It’s Not Over’: New Mexico Doctor Discusses the Lasting Effects of COVID-19,” Austin Fisher, Source NM
“Quality of Life and Mental Health in Children with Long COVID,” Noij et al., Nature

RIP USAID, 1961-2025

The administration has officially dissolved the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), destroying an agency that for nearly 65 years served as a symbol of US generosity, leadership, and strength globally while advancing the national interests of the United States. USAID was established by President Kennedy in 1961 specifically to counter the USSR’s soft power globally. As a Congressional Research Service report explains, “USAID has sought to provide assistance to countries that the U.S. government has deemed to be strategically important and countries in conflict; lead U.S. efforts to alleviate poverty, disease, and humanitarian need abroad; and assist U.S. commercial interests by supporting developing countries’ economic growth and building countries’ capacity to participate in world trade.”

USAID did just that spectacularly, saving an estimated 91 million lives from 2001 to 2021 alone, 30 million of whom were children. The same analysis estimates that 14 million more will die in the next five years, 4-5 million of whom are expected to be children, and that was just if USAID cuts continued, not if the agency was completely shuttered. Despite this, the administration claims the agency “has little to show since the end of the Cold War.”

USAID’s work did not just save and improve lives in low- and middle-income countries. It directly improved the safety, security, and prosperity of the US itself. The Challenge Accepted report from 2022 detailed how USAID investments in resilience and adaptation were critical to preventing instability and conflict, and how they helped the US maintain a competitive edge against China. That report was signed by 79 national security leaders, including a former DNI, a former CIA director, and eight retired four-star officers. Furthermore, since 2006, the US has embraced the 3 Ds of national security–defense, diplomacy, and development. For many countries around the world, development is the most effective tool the US has in its toolbox, making USAID’s work vital to national security. The agency also helped cultivate goodwill towards the US around the world, something that takes a long time to build, a lot of effort to maintain, and is invaluable when conflicts do arise.

USAID did all of this on a comparatively small budget. While the agency’s budget fluctuated from year-to-year, it spent $21.7 billion in FY 2024. While USAID accounted for the majority of US foreign aid spending, that was still just .3% of federal spending in that fiscal year. Polling suggests that many in the US believe foreign aid accounts for around 25% of the federal budget, and many of those polled also said that number should be closer to 10%. When the government spent $71.9 billion total on foreign aid in FY 2023, that was still just 1.2% of that fiscal year’s budget. Of that, USAID received $40 billion in combined appropriations, less than 1% of the total federal budget. In fact, the average US taxpayer has contributed just 18¢ per day to USAID’s budget. In contrast, the average US taxpayer paid about $4.79 per day toward Pentagon contractors alone in 2023.

With more than 80% of USAID’s former programs terminated, most of its staff fired, and the Department of State now overseeing US foreign assistance, the future of US foreign aid is unclear at best. In a statement about USAID’s dissolution, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “Foreign assistance programs that align with administration policies — and which advance American interests — will be administered by the State Department, where they will be delivered with more accountability, strategy, and efficiency.”

Rubio further claimed the US is abandoning a “charity-based model” of foreign aid, saying “We will favor those nations that have demonstrated both the ability and willingness to help themselves and will target our resources to areas where they can have a multiplier effect and catalyze durable private sector, including American companies, and global investment.”

Further Reading:

“USAID Cuts May Cause 14 Million More Deaths in Next Five Years, Study Says,” Kelsey Ables, The New York Times
“Evaluating the Impact of Two Decades of USAID Interventions and Projecting the Effects of Defunding on Mortality Up to 2030: A Retrospective Impact Evaluation and Forecasting Analysis,” Cavalcanti et al., The Lancet
“I Worked at U.S.A.I.D. for Over 8 Years. This is Our Biggest Failure,” William Herkewitz, The New York Times
“In Sudan, Where Children Clung to Life, Doctors Say USAID Cuts Have Been Fatal,” Katharine Houreld and Hafiz Haroun, The Washington Post
“Uniting Forces for Global Impact: How USAID’s Office of Civilian-Military Coordination Drives Development on the World Stage,” Maximillian Hauffe, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
“Bush, Obama — and Singer Bono — Fault Trump’s Gutting of USAID on Agency’s Last Day,” Ellen Knickmeyer, AP News
“USAID at a Crossroads: Dr. Bronner’s Experience with the US Agency for International Development,” Dr. Bronner’s
“Thank You, America: The Impact of USAID on My Life,” Anna Johns

Brain Drain, Global Decline, and Death: Further Reading on the Consequences of Cuts to US Science, Global Aid, and More

“American Science to Soon Face Its Largest Brain Drain in History,” Ethan Siegel, Big Think
“Europe, with Ambitions to Poach American Scientists, Faces Pressures of Its Own,” Andrew Joseph, STAT News
“The Impact of NIH Cuts Ripples Beyond U.S. Borders,” Frieda Klotz, Undark
“Turmoil at US Science Academy as Trump Cuts Force Layoffs,” Jeff Tollefson and Dan Garisto, Nature News
“5 Ways Trump’s Megabill will Limit Health Care Access,” Galewitz et al., NPR
“How to Wreck the Nation’s Health, by the Numbers,” Steven H. Woolf, The New York Times

Bird Flu Updates

By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor

A Deep Dive into Bird Flu with Scientific American

Scientific American’s Science Quickly podcast released a compelling three-part series examining the H5N1 bird flu outbreak that continues to keep public health officials on their toes. The investigation traces the virus’s complex journey from wild birds to domestic poultry, dairy cattle, and ultimately humans.

The series begins on the beaches of Delaware Bay, where virus hunters from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital collect excrement from migrating shorebirds to monitor avian viruses. Part one explores the evolution of bird flu over the last few decades, tracing how H5N1 transformed from isolated outbreaks, like the 1997 Hong Kong incident that killed six people, into today’s globally circulating pathogen.

Part two shifts the focus to dairy farms, revealing how cattle became unexpected intermediaries of bird flu virus transmission. After Texas farmers noticed lethargic cows producing discolored milk, genetic analysis revealed H5N1 contamination, a shocking development that caught the dairy industry unprepared.

The final installment takes listeners inside a high-security BSL-3 laboratory in San Antonio where scientists are developing vaccine candidates against potential pandemic flu strains. The series offers engaging insights into the history of bird flu and why it poses such a potential risk to humans, concluding with the unsettling question of whether we’re sufficiently prepared if an influenza pandemic comes home to roost.

Further Listening:

“How Bird Flu Became a Human Pandemic Threat (Part 1),” Science Quickly, Scientific American
“Why Dairy Farmers Were Surprised by Bird Flu Cases in Their Herds (Part 2),” Science Quickly, Scientific American
“This is How We Fight Bird Flu If H5N1 Becomes the Next Human Pandemic (Part 3),” Science Quickly, Scientific American

Feline Avian Flu Cases Highlight Surveillance Gaps

Since December 2022, USDA has confirmed over 130 feline cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 across the United States affecting barn and feral cats, big cats in zoos and in the wild, and pet cats living exclusively indoors. Although cats are typically dead-end hosts for the virus, there are rising concerns that they may serve as a bridge for zoonotic spillover of H5N1 to humans or allow for the emergence of mutated strains capable of spreading from cat-to-cat. In fact, such a situation occurred in a New York City shelter in 2016 with a strain of low pathogenic avian influenza H7N2, marking the first documented cat-to-human transmission of influenza A virus infection. Experts like Dr. Meghan Davis from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health advocate for more active testing and surveillance of HPAI in domestic species to mitigate pandemic risk, particularly in farm and shelter environments where epidemiological data is in short supply. However, such recommendations raise pressing questions about who would pay for these programs. Currently, the government does not reimburse veterinarians for H5N1 testing in cats, and the volume of tests and man-hours needed for active surveillance would be significant.

Further Reading:

“Feline avian influenza cases spark concerns,” R. Scott Nolen, AVMA News
“Herding cats: It’s past time to include pets in disease surveillance,” Meghan F. Davis, Ellen P. Carlin, Erin M. Sorrell, and David Stiefel, STAT News

Representatives form Bipartisan BIOTech Caucus

Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Stephanie Bice (R-OK) recently announced the formation of the bipartisan BIOTech Caucus. The mission of this caucus is to “…advance bipartisan policy solutions to keep the United States at the forefront of global biotechnology leadership, to engage and learn from sector leaders, and to build awareness and bioliteracy among Members of Congress.”

Houlahan and Bice will serve as co-chairs and be joined by Representatives Ro Khanna (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) and Pete Sessions (R-TX). According to the press release about this from Houlahan’s office, “The Caucus recognizes the strategic economic and national security imperatives of federal policy investments in emerging biotechnology. The Caucus’ founding comes after the release of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB)’s comprehensive report to Congress in April of this year. The NSCEB report showed that China is surging ahead in key areas of emerging biotechnology, and Congress must act now to ensure the United States regains and retains its competitive edge. Failure to respond urgently to this and other national vulnerabilities risks the United States falling dangerously, and potentially irrecoverably, behind. Ceding biotechnology leadership will also cripple the robust industry job growth in America. On a national scale, the bioscience industry had a $2.9 trillion impact on the economy in 2021, supporting 2.1 million jobs.”

“The Mpox Response: African Leadership, Global Responsibility”

This editorial from The Lancet emphasizes the critical role African institutions are playing in responding to mpox outbreaks on the continent. It explains that a continent-wide Incident Management Support Team is being led by both Africa CDC and the WHO’s Regional Office for Africa and is coordinating vaccine deployment, surveillance, testing, and infection control efforts, However, these efforts are being made under very challenging conditions, which includes overlapping outbreaks of different mpox variants, the cholera epidemic, widespread poverty, and ongoing conflicts (particularly in the DRC).

The editorial criticizes the global response to mpox in Africa despite these efforts, arguing that they are insufficient and marked by complacency, and that a similar situation in high-income countries would likely instill much more urgency globally. It argues that this situation is a test of lessons learned in responding to COVID-19 and whether or not the world can now meaningfully cooperate in response to this kind of emergency. Thus, while public health institutions in Africa have demonstrated their capacity to lead well, sustained international support is still lacking. The editorial calls for the WHO Pandemic Agreement to be strengthened so it can deliver on its promises and ensure that improved global health cooperation comes to fruition.

“Advancing the Global Agenda for Pandemic Risk Assessment (June 2025)”

From the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response: “On 20 May 2025, The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response hosted a roundtable titled ‘Advancing the Global Agenda for Pandemic Risk Assessment’, co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations Office at Geneva. This report provides the context and summarises the themes, ideas and questions emerging from an open discussion on the concept of a multisectoral scientific synthesis to inform pandemic risk priorities and investments.”

“Data and AI-Enabled Biological Design: Risks Related to Biological Training Data and Opportunities for Governance”

From the RAND Corporation: “Artificial intelligence models trained on large volumes of biological data (AI-bio models) have demonstrated the growing abilities to support of basic scientific research goals. But some AI-bio models may be dual use, providing both beneficial capabilities and potentially dangerous ones. A nefarious actor with access to a frontier AI-bio model might be able to use it to design a pathogen with harmful phenotypic characteristics that enhance transmissibility. But model capabilities are closely linked to the data used to train them, and much less attention has been devoted to the relationship between dangerous capabilities and biological training data. The data that are included (or excluded) in model training heavily influences the models’ capabilities and limitations. Governance of data used to train AI-bio models could be a useful way to allow beneficial scientific research while safeguarding against potentially dangerous capabilities.”

“The authors of this paper assess current knowledge about the link between biological data and AI-bio model capabilities, describe the anticipated impacts of new biological data sources, and outline potentially dangerous capabilities that could come from broad availability of certain types of biological data. They then recommend strategies to limit the potentially dangerous capabilities arising from biological data, including options for governance of experiments and data creation, governance of curation and aggregations of data, controls on access to collections of data, and governance of the use of data for model training.”

“Hospital Attacks in Gaza and Israel: What Counts as a War Crime?”

Leonard S. Rubenstein and Feroze Sidhwa published this article in Think Global Health, in which they open with discussion of an Iranian missile hitting Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, Israel, and the Israeli Air Force bombing Farabi Medical Center in Kermanshah, Iran. They build off of Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz’s statement calling Iran’s strike a war crime, writing in part, “Whether the attacks on Soroka and Farabi were war crimes is ultimately a question for investigators. But Katz’s point is correct: Attacks on hospitals, which are subject to special protections under international humanitarian law, are war crimes of the most serious kind.”

“That is why we—along with American and British health-care workers who’ve worked in Gaza, American senators and representatives [PDF], lawyers and civil servants [PDF] in the Joe Biden administration and the UK, UN experts, and Holocaust and genocide scholars—have been begging the United States to stop providing the weapons Israel has used not just to attack one hospital in Gaza but to demolish the strip’s entire health-care system. Indeed, over the past 20 months Israel, fully backed by the United States, has abandoned any pretense of respecting the protections enjoyed by hospitals under international law.”

Biodefense in Crisis: Danger and Opportunity

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

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”

“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

Learn more and submit by November 1 here.

Request for Proposals: Biosafety and Biosecurity Capacity Strengthening in Support of the 100 Days Mission

Learn more and submit proposals by July 30 here.

Call for Applications: Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship (2025)
“…the Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) is continuing to develop and cultivate creative solutions to help address biological threats, including a particular focus on reducing risks of the deliberate misuse of infectious diseases and other biological materials, processes, and products. As part of this work, CSR is announcing an open call for applications for our new Mid-Career Biodefense Bootcamp Fellowship, which follows an early-2024 beta run of the program.”

“In this “bootcamp” fellowship, successful applicants will learn from leading experts committed to biological threat reduction and biosecurity, including current and former government officials who helped dismantle Cold War-era biological weapons capabilities, advance international biological cooperation, and drive policy progress. They will interact with leading current and former experts as well as public and private sector innovators.”

Learn more and apply by July 7 here.

Pandora Report 6.27.2025

June 27, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This edition of the Pandora Report provides update on this week’s meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Secretary Kennedy’s announcement that the US will withdraw its funding to Gavi, and more.

Newly-Appointed ACIP Member Withdraws, Citing Conflicts of Interest

Michael Ross, one of eight people appointed to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has reportedly already removed himself from the body following a conflict of interest review. Ross notably also claimed to be a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at both George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University, though NBC’s affiliate News 4 Washington found he had not worked at either institution in years.

An HHS spokesperson said of Ross’ departure, “Yesterday, Dr Michael Ross decided to withdraw from serving on ACIP during the financial holdings review.” In his announcement of the removal of all 17 members who previously sat on ACIP, Sec. Kennedy specifically cited conflicts of interest as a key motivation behind his decision to overhaul the body. Notably, other conflicts of interests new ACIP members have, such as leadership positions with anti-vaccine organizations or having been paid expert witnesses against pharmaceutical companies, were not disclosed during the conflict of interest review process.

Further Reading:

“Vaccine Panel Gutted by Kennedy Loses a Member Ahead of First Meeting,” Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times

ACIP Holds First Meeting Since Overhaul

This week, ACIP held its first meeting since Sec. Kennedy dismissed all 17 previous members from the body, stirring up yet more controversy along the way. The controversy began before the meeting was even held on Wednesday when a presentation set to be shared at the meeting was found to cite non-existent studies. The presentation was given to ACIP on the second day of the meeting by Lyn Redwood, president emerita of Children’s Health Defense (the anti-vaccine group RFK Jr. founded), and claimed that the non-existent study found that use of thimerosal in vaccines can have “long-term consequences in the brain.” The presentations reportedly bypassed normal review processes. Interestingly, Redwood is set to be hired to work in CDC’s Immunization Safety Office.

Thimerosal is a preservative that has been used in vaccines since the 1930s, and it is especially useful for its antimicrobial properties, which has allowed it to make multi-dose vaccine vials safer. This is important because thimerosal, by preventing harmful microbe growth inside multi-dose vials, means immunization campaigns can be more effective by delivering more usable, safer product to communities that need it. Use of thimerosal in FDA-licensed vaccines has declined broadly in large part because of reformulation and development of vaccines presented in single-dose containers.

Notably, thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in the US in 2001. This was a precautionary measure aimed at growing public trust in vaccines, with there being no evidence of harm caused by the small amount used in some vaccines apart from minor reactions at the injection site. Today, only a handful of vaccines contain thimerosal, including some influenza vaccines (again, specifically multi-dose presentations). Furthermore, the mercury in thimerosal is metabolized or degraded to ethylmercury, which does not accumulate in the body. This is in contrast to methylmercury, which is naturally occurring in different animals (including certain fish like tuna, swordfish, and king mackerel), does accumulate in the body, and is toxic at high levels.

Redwood repeatedly made false or misleading claims during her presentation, including claiming at one point that ethylmercury has a greater potential to be maintained in the brain than methylmercury, which is false. She also emphasized the lack of studies on thimerosal toxicity in humans, demonstrating apparent ignorance of how vaccine safety is evaluated. Thimerosal is just one component of some vaccines. Therefore, relevant studies aim to determine whether vaccines that contain thimerosal are safe, which has been well established in the literature.

However, this was just one part of the ACIP meeting. The meeting was riddled with inaccuracies, apparent mis- or lack of understandings of how vaccines are produced, and arguments or statements that lacked necessary context. Martin Kulldorff, who was appointed ACIP chair, was incorrectly listed as having an MD on the slide deck (Kulldorff holds a PhD) and made multiple misleading comments about MMR/MMRV vaccines, hepatitis B birth doses, and test-negative designs for COVID-19 vaccines. Restef Levi made inaccurate statements about COVID-19 vaccines and spike proteins while also implying that COVID-19 vaccination makes people more likely to need hospitalization if infected. Robert Malone claimed that certain COVID-19 vaccine lots cause more adverse events. Vicky Pebsworth expressed concern about high numbers of VAERS reports for COVID-19 vaccines, seemingly ignoring the higher number of COVID-19 vaccines given in comparison to any other vaccine during the same period of time and other issues. The list goes on and on, with experts with The Evidence Collective documenting 50 falsehoods shared over the course of the meeting.

Ultimately, ACIP did maintain the general flu vaccine recommendation for those over six months old. It did pass three motions recommending single-use vials only for all adults, children 18 years and younger, and pregnant women for flu vaccines. ACIP did also vote to recommend the RSV shot. Specifically, Clesrovimab is a monoclonal antibody created by Merck, and it is recommended for use in infants younger than eight months who are born during or entering their first RSV season. Both Kulldorff and Malone have been paid to serve as expert witnesses in civil litigation against Merck, which they did not disclose during the conflict of interest review. Furthermore, members who voted against recommending this treatment (Levi and Pebsworth) later voted for its inclusion in the Vaccines for Children program.

Amid concerns about what this new version of ACIP might do, professional medical societies, vaccine manufacturers, state health officials, and many others are working to do what they can to protect access to vaccines. Some are discussing the possibility of ordering vaccines directly from manufacturers, ways to give greater weight to vaccine recommendations that come from medical associations, and asking insurance companies to continue providing coverage based on those associations’ recommendations, rather than those of ACIP. Others are looking to create alternative bodies to provide sources of unbiased information it seems ACIP no longer can provide. One such group is the Vaccine Integrity Project, launched by Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP.

Meanwhile, representatives of the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) refused to participate in the ACIP meeting, saying it was “illegitimate.” AAP President Susan J. Kressly, MD, FAAP, said that the creation of federal immunization policy is “no longer a credible process,” and that “We won’t lend our name or our expertise to a system that is being politicized at the expense of children’s health. But we’re not stepping back, we’re stepping up. The AAP will continue to publish our own immunization schedule just as we always have, developed by experts, guided by science, trusted by pediatricians and families across the country.”

While the votes taken by ACIP this week did not end as poorly as they could have, the future of this body is grim, especially as vaccination rates already are lagging and pandemic preparedness continues to erode under the current administration. Predictably, much of the commentary and other content at this meeting did lend credibility to debunked claims about vaccines, their production, and their development.

Further Reading:

“Vaccine Policy Meeting: The Essentials,” Katelyn Jetelina, Your Local Epidemiologist
“Six Former CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee Chairs Warn: U.S. Risks Losing Access to Life-Saving Immunizations,” Grace Lee, Nancy Bennett, Jonathan Temte, Carol Baker, Myron Levin, and José Romero, STAT News
“AAP Will Continue to Publish Its Own Vaccine Recommendations After CDC Advisers Sow Distrust,” American Academy of Pediatrics
“4 in 5 Americans Support Childhood Vaccine Requirements, Poll Finds,” Jim Wappes, CIDRAP
“The Good News (154 Million Deaths Avoided) and Bad News About Childhood Vaccines,” Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR
“Childhood Vaccination Coverage was Falling Across the Globe Even Before Covid,” Veronica Paulus, STAT News
“The World’s Only Twice-a-Year Shot to Prevent HIV Could Stop Transmission — If People Can Get It,” Lauren Neergaard, AP News

US to Withdraw Its Funding for GAVI

In remarks made to a Gavi pledging summit in Brussels, Secretary Kennedy announced that the US will halt all contributions made to the organization, claiming that is has “ignored the science” in its work to vaccinate children globally. Kennedy further accused Gavi’s leadership of being selective in their use of science in choosing vaccines, and that “When vaccine safety issues have come before Gavi, Gavi has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem.” Kennedy neglected to provide evidence or examples for these claims.

Kennedy says that the US will not provide the $1.2 billion it has pledged to Gavi unless the organization changes its practices. Gavi issued a statement rejecting Kennedy’s claims. While the organization will not implode without US funding, there are concerns about Gavi’s ability to maintain its operations at their current scale. Fewer vaccines in low- and middle-income countries will impact everyone, including the United States, especially as the US withdraws so much of its other commitments to global health and international aid.

Further Reading:

“The Costs to Global Health,” Carrie Arnold, Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health
“Missteps, Confusion and ‘Viral Waste’: The 14 Days That Doomed U.S.A.I.D.,” Christopher Flavelle, Nicholas Nehamas, and Julie Tate, The New York Times
“What Remains of U.S.A.I.D.?,” Amy Schoenfeld Walker, Malika Khurana, and Christine Zhang, The New York Times

“Assessing Readiness of International Investigations into Alleged Biological Weapons Use”

Brackmann et al. published this article in Emerging Infectious Diseases: “Without clarity if an outbreak is natural, accidental, or deliberate, infectious disease outbreaks of unknown or ambiguous origin can lead to speculation of a purposeful biological attack. Outbreaks in conflict settings are particularly prone to suspicions and allegations. In an increasingly confrontative global geopolitical landscape and with active information manipulation, outbreaks of ambiguous origin are likely to increase concerns of the deliberate use of biological agents. The United Nations General Assembly has agreed on and the United Nations Security Council has endorsed a mechanism to investigate allegations of deliberate use titled the United Nations Secretary-General’s Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical or Biological Weapons. A recent full-scale field exercise evaluated the deployment readiness of the mechanism and found it is well placed to investigate suspicious disease outbreaks, with room for continual improvement.”

“Dismantling CDC’s Global Work is Dismantling Our First Line of Biodefense”

Stephanie Psaki and Nikki Romanik authored this Just Security article, in which they write, “Over the last few months, the Trump administration has weakened or eliminated the layers of the U.S. biodefense system – dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development’s programs around the world, eroding the National Security Council’s real-time coordination capability during threats, eliminating the White House pandemic office, and most recently, cancelling proactive investments in safeguards like pandemic influenza vaccines. Amid those changes, one of our strongest defenses against biological threats abroad has been the enduring partnerships and systems maintained by the CDC. However, with the release of President Trump’s budget request earlier this month, the administration signaled an intent to weaken — if not entirely dismantle — this critical safeguard that allows the U.S. to detect outbreaks at their source, leaving Americans and the world more vulnerable to biological threats.”

“Health Emergency Research Preparedness: An Analysis of National Pre‑COVID Research Activity and COVID Research Output”

Peter H. Kilmarx and Shirley Kyere published this article in Annals of Global Health: “Background: Research capacity is a critical element of health emergency preparedness, but metrics are not readily available for many countries. The COVID‑19 pandemic provided an opportunity to use publicly available data to assess correlations between national pre‑pandemic research activity, pandemic research response, and other national socioeconomic characteristics.”

“Methods: National pre‑pandemic (2018–19) research activity was defined as the average of percentile rankings of (1) the average annual number of health science publications in Scopus and (2) the average annual number of clinical trials in the International Clinical Trials Research Platform (ICTRP). National pandemic research response (2020–21) was defined as the average of percentile rankings of (1) average annual number of COVID‑19‑related publications in Scopus and (2) average annual number of COVID‑19‑related clinical trials in ICTRP.”

“Findings: During 2018–19, the median (interquartile range [IQR]) of national annual average health science publications was 415 (108–3,398) and of clinical trials was 21 (4–273). During 2020–21, the median (IQR) of national annual average COVID‑19‑related publications was 85 (18–798) and that of COVID‑19‑related clinical trials was 1.5 (0–11). National COVID‑19‑related research output was strongly correlated with pre‑pandemic research activity (R‑squared 0.89) and much less correlated with Human Development Index (0.26), COVID‑19 case number (0.16), case rate (0.14), gross domestic product (0.11), or population (0.10). In a multivariable linear regression analysis, national pre‑COVID‑19 research activity was the only factor with substantial or statistically significant contribution to explaining variations in COVID‑19‑related research output.”

“Interpretation: National pandemic research responses were most strongly correlated with pre‑pandemic research activity, much more so than with other country characteristics. These findings strongly support global efforts to strengthen research capacity as a critical element of preparedness for health emergencies.”

“Behind Shuttered Borders: A view into North Korea’s COVID-19 experiences”

Victor Cha, Katrin Fraser Katz, and Seiyeon Ji recently published this CSIS report: “This report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, in cooperation with the George W. Bush Institute, is to our knowledge the first published review of human rights abuses inside North Korea associated with the Covid-19 global pandemic. Between January 2020 and August 2023, the regime imposed one of the world’s most extreme lockdowns—sealing its borders and halting all exchanges related to trade, tourism, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid, and enforcing rigid internal travel restrictions—under the guise of “anti-epidemic” measures. With no independent reporting possible during this period, the regime claimed a flawless record, denying any Covid-19 cases for the first two years and reporting only 74 deaths when it finally acknowledged an outbreak in May 2022.”

“This report is based on the voices of 100 ordinary North Korean residents amplified through micro-surveys conducted in the second half of 2023, just as the country’s lockdown restrictions and border controls were lifted. While the report’s findings should not be interpreted as a complete representation of views in North Korea, they still provide rare insights into the lived experiences of ordinary North Koreans and expose key patterns of government culpability and negligence in managing the pandemic. Drawing on these findings, the authors discuss policy implications and offer recommendations for governments and international organizations seeking to improve the welfare of the North Korean people.”

“5 Years Later: America Looks Back at the Impact of COVID-19”

From Pew: “The most significant pandemic of our lifetime arrived as the United States was experiencing three major societal trends: a growing divide between partisans of the left and right, decreasing trust in many institutions, and a massive splintering of the information environment. COVID-19 did not cause any of this, but these forces fueled the country’s divided response. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in October 2024 found that nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults (72%) say the pandemic did more to drive the country apart than to bring it together. Fundamental differences arose between Americans over what we expect from our government, how much tolerance we have for health risks, and which groups and sectors to prioritize in a pandemic. Many of these divides continue to play out in the nation’s politics today.”

Pandora Report 6.20.2025

June 20, 2025June 20, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report discusses updates from the Schar School, the Geneva Protocol’s 100th anniversary, federal rulings against HHS to terminate employees and funding, and more.

Schar School Hosts Counterterrorism Summit 2025

George Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government recently hosted this year’s Counterterrorism Summit at its campus in Arlington, VA. This conference was organized by Schar School associate professor Mahmut Cengiz, who is also the PI of the Global Terrorism Trends and Analysis Center at GMU’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center. The event brought together an international array of experts to probe the threats the world faces, to illuminate the weapons needed to combat terrorism, and, perhaps most crucially, to hear the stories that make the effort to thwart terrorism so crucial. It also included panels hosted by different Schar School faculty members, including Cengiz and Gregory Koblentz, director of the Biodefense Graduate Program.

Pandora Report 6.13.2025

June 13, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report covers the dismissal of the entirety of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, RFK Jr.’s new appointees to that committee, the arrest of another PRC national accused of attempting to smuggle unauthorized biological materials to the University of Michigan, and more.

Secretary Kennedy Dismisses All ACIP Members, Appoints Eight New Members

On Monday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the entire 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in a move he describes as one “to restore public trust in vaccines.” This came just one week after announcing his department changed the vaccine schedule without ACIP’s input. This body advises the CDC on the vaccine schedule and required coverage of immunizations.

Kennedy claimed that many of the panel’s members were “last-minute appointees” of the previous administration, and that “Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028.” He further argued that the group was rife with conflicts of interest, despite ACIP recently publishing details on its members’ conflicts and disclosures from 2000-2024 and when these members abstained from votes where potential conflicts of interest did exist.

During his confirmation hearing, Kennedy pledged to Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican and current chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, that he would consult with him on filling key roles on vaccine advisory boards. He also promised the senator he would not make changes to ACIP, as revealed by Cassidy in a February speech.

Sen. Cassidy posted his response to Kennedy’s sudden action on X, writing “Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.”

Kennedy said on Tuesday, just before announcing who he later appointed to ACIP, “We’re going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel – not anti-vaxxers – bringing people on who are credentialed scientists.” His picks include:

H. Cody Meissner, MD, FAAP-Professor of Pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine and Head of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Service at Tufts Medical Center; former ACIP Member
Martin Kulldorff, PhD-Former Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School from 2003 until his dismissal in 2024; co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration, which claimed shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic caused irreparable damage and that other public health measures were harmful
Vicky Pebsworth, PhD, RN-Regional Director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses; board member and volunteer director for the National Vaccine Information Center, a widely-criticized group infamous for spreading vaccine misinformation
Robert Malone, MD-former mRNA researcher, close adviser to Kennedy who runs a wellness institute and blog, and rose to prominence for sharing false claims about COVID-19 on programs like “The Joe Rogan Experience”
James Hibbeln, MD-a psychiatrist who formerly led an NIH group that focused on nutritional neurosciences, including intake of Omega-3 and other fatty acids
Restef Levi, PhD-Professor, Operations Management at MIT who, in 2023, called for the end of the COVID-19 vaccination program, writing “The evidence is mounting and indisputable that MRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, especially among young people. We have to stop giving them immediately!”
James Pagano, MD-an emergency medicine physician in the Los Angeles area
Michael Ross, MD-an OBGYN who formerly served on a CDC breast and cervical cancer advisory committee; described in his bio as “…a serial CEO and physician leader with over 35 years of executive experience in leading private healthcare and life science companies.”

Voting ACIP members are supposed to possess clinical or scientific expertise regarding immunization, except for one lay member who can serve as a consumer representative. According to CDC, “This position is held by a technically qualified person knowledgeable about consumer perspectives and/or social and community aspects of immunization programs.”

The ACIP is set to convene its next meeting June 25-27, in Atlanta, GA.

Further Reading:

“RFK Jr.: HHS Moves to Restore Public Trust in Vaccines,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., The Wall Street Journal
“Firing of CDC’s Vaccine Advisers Puts Spotlight on RFJ Jr.’s Promises to Cassidy,” Chelsea Cirruzzo and Alex Hogan, STAT News
“A Closer Look at the New Members of the CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel,” STAT Staff, STAT News
“Two of Kennedy’s New ACIP Picks Were Paid Expert Witnesses in Merck Vaccine Case,” Tristan Manalac, BioSpace
“Outed CDC Vaccine Adivser Says RFK Jr.’s Message is Clear: ‘Scientific Expertise is No Longer of Use,'” Helen Branswell, STAT News
“Colorado Doctor Fired by RFK Jr. from Federal Vaccine Committee: “This Decision is Really Going to Undermine Public Trust,”‘ John Ingold, The Colorado Sun

Organization Statements:

American Academy of Family Physicians: “AAFP Responds to Removal of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Members”
American Academy of Pediatrics: “AAP ‘Deeply Troubled and Alarmed’ by Ousting of CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee”
American Academy of Physician Associates: “Statement from AAPA on Removal of CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Members”
American College Health Association: “Statement on the Changes to CDC ACIP”
American Association of Nurse Practitioners: “National Nursing Organizations Express Concern Over Dismissal of ACIP Representatives”
American College of Physicians: “American College of Physicians Highly Concerned About Dismissal of Vaccine Experts from ACIP”
American Medical Association: “AMA Statement on Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices”
American Pharmacists Association: “APhA Alarmed by Elimination of ACIP Voting Membership”
American Public Health Association: “Trump Administration Attempts Coup of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices”
Biotechnology Innovation Organization: “BIO Statement on HHS Dismissal of CDC Advisory Committee Members”
California Immunization Coalition: “Response to HHS Secretary Kennedy’s Removal of ACIP Members”
Infectious Diseases Society of America: “Statement on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices”
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: “Official Statement Regarding Changes to ACIP”
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: “NFID Statement on the Importance of Federal Advisory Committees in Protecting Public Health”
National Health Council: “NHC Letter to HHS Re: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (APIC)”
National Medical Association: “NMA Statement on Removal of Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Panel”
Science and Families Engaging Communities Coalition: “Statement from SAFE Communities Coalition on Dismissal of ACIP Members by HHS”
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America: “SHEA Affirms Trust in ACIP and Supports Science-Based Vaccine Policy”
Vaccinate Your Family: “Statement from Vaccinate Your Family on the Removal of ACIP Members and the Threat to Vaccine Coverage”
Voices for Vaccines: “Voices for Vaccines’ Statement on the Termination of ACIP Memberships”

340+ Employees Release Statement on Politicization of Science at NIH

More than 340 scientists and other staff members at the NIH released a statement this week claiming that leadership at the agency has politicized science while also imploring them to reverse cuts and freezes on external grants. In it, the authors emphasize NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya’s stated dedication to free speech and scientific dissent at NIH. The authors also explain in their introduction that, “For staff across the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we dissent to Administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe. Keeping NIH at the forefront of biomedical research requires our stalwart commitment to continuous improvement. But the life-and-death nature of our work demands that changes be thoughtful and vetted. We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety and faithful stewardship of public resources.”

According to Science, “The declaration organizers write that they modeled their protest after the Great Barrington Declaration, a 2020 statement written by Bhattacharya and others that decried COVID-19 lockdowns and other public health restrictions. The health economist, then at Stanford University, and his two co-signers argued instead to focus on protecting only the most vulnerable groups from SARS-CoV-2. Bhattacharya has said his pandemic views were suppressed by the mainstream medical establishment and, since arriving at NIH in April, vowed to foster a culture of “dissent” at the agency.”

A second letter has been published supporting the first that has been signed by at least 19 Nobel Prize winners and two former NIH directors.

Further Reading:

“The Bethesda Declaration: A Call for NIH and HHS Leadership to Deliver on Promises of Academic Freedom and Scientific Excellence”
“NIH Scientists Call on Director to Protect Biomedical Research,” Rob Stein, NPR
“‘We Dissent’: NIH Workers Protest Trump Policies That ‘Harm the Health of Americans,'” Rachana Pradhan, KFF Health News
“Senators Grill NIH Director in Budget Hearing: 4 Takeaways,” Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech, The Hill

JAMA Article Outlines New FDA Priorities

A recent article authored by FDA Commissioner Martin Makary and Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Vinay Prasad and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association lays out the FDA’s new priorities. One of these includes using AI to “radically increase efficiency” in the process of approving drugs and medical devices, in what Makary and Vinay Prasad describe in the article as “unleashing AI.” The pair also explain that the agency has “developed a road map to reduce animal testing using AI-based computational modeling to predict toxicity-leveraging chip technology.” Other priorities discussed in the article include accelerating cures, harnessing big data, and removing additives like petroleum-based dyes and talc from foods and medications.

Further Reading:

“Makary, Prasad Lay Out Mission for FDA in Journal Kennedy Called ‘Corrupt,'” Heather McKenzie, BioSpace
“F.D.A. to Use A.I. in Drug Approvals to ‘Radically Increase Efficiency,'” Christina Jewett, The New York Times

CDC to Rehire 450+ Fired Employees

The CDC will rehire hundreds of terminated employees from the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention, the National Center for Environmental Health, the Immediate Office of the Director, and the Global Health Center. These employees were initially fired as part of HHS’ large reorganization and downsizing efforts that included terminations of about 2,400 CDC employees. In a statement about the rehirings, HHS said, “The Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services—whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through [the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health], safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases.”

Lighting The Way: A Commentary on A Blueprint for Far-UVC

June 11, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Commentary

By: Sally Huang

June 6, 2025

Sally Huang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biodefense Program at George Mason University researching the use and adoption of environmental decontamination technologies (EDT) in healthcare settings. She has a professional background in biomedical sciences, science policy, biodefense, public health, CWMD, and global health and works in the field of countering threat reduction.

In healthcare settings where infection control is paramount, far-UVC light presents a transformative opportunity to enhance patient and staff safety by continuously reducing airborne pathogen transmission. Emitting ultraviolet light at 200-235 nanometers [nm] that is both germicidal and safe for human exposure, far-UVC offers a promising solution for mitigating the spread of respiratory diseases in high-risk environments such as hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities. As the latest addition to a broader suite of environmental decontamination technologies (EDT)—including UV-C robots, hydrogen peroxide vapor systems, and HEPA filtration—far-UVC represents a novel approach with unique potential for continuous use in occupied spaces. Far-UVC technology has found utility across multiple sectors, including the food and beverage, water treatment, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. Among its earliest and most impactful applications is its role in addressing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and reducing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), which are responsible for nearly 100,000 deaths annually in the U.S.—a figure that has risen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientific research has demonstrated its efficacy in deactivating viruses and bacteria in the air while ongoing studies continue to support its safety for use in occupied spaces. Despite this potential, the adoption of far-UVC in healthcare still faces multiple barriers, slowed by limited public health innovation and scientific and technical analysis, regulatory uncertainty, absence of standardized safety and performance guidelines, and inconsistent implementation strategies. Effective implementation will require careful planning around far-UVC systems that are well designed, installed, and maintained to ensure reliable performance in complex healthcare environments. Taken together, these public health, scientific, regulatory, and logistical considerations underscore both the areas in need of development and the vital role that far-UVC could play in advancing infection control in healthcare settings.

Blueprint Biosecurity is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary institute dedicated to achieving pandemic prevention and mitigation through innovative research, actionable roadmaps, and practical tools. The group works at the intersection of science, technology, and policy to address emerging biological threats, improve biosafety and biosecurity standards, and inform governance of healthcare technologies and tools. Their efforts aim to ensure that life science advances are developed and applied responsibly. As part of this mission, they published a report titled Blueprint for Far-UVC report, which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future potential of far-UVC systems as a scalable intervention for reducing airborne disease transmission. Drawing on the latest scientific research, policy analysis, and implementation strategies, the report is a strategic roadmap aiming to guide decisionmakers, researchers, industry stakeholders, and public health officials in understanding how far-UVC can be safely and effectively integrated into shared indoor environments. As the world grapples with the ongoing threat of pandemics and seeks resilient infrastructure solutions, this report is significant for its clear articulation of far-UVC’s capabilities, the regulatory and technical challenges to overcome, and the strategic roadmap it proposes to advance this technology and facilitate widespread acceptance and adoption. The report positions far-UVC not as a speculative innovation, but as a near-term, actionable tool in the global effort to improve public health.

The Blueprint for Far-UVC report outlines ten key recommendations to guide the safe, effective, and equitable deployment of far-UVC technology, particularly in settings where the risk of airborne disease transmission is high. These recommendations are organized around core-domains—scientific research priorities, safety and consensus standards, and long term research and implementation strategy—each reflecting the multifaceted considerations necessary for scaling a novel health intervention. Alongside listing technical specifications, the report frames each recommendation as part of a broader system change, where scientific validation, regulatory clarity, and operational readiness must align.

The recommendations begin with calls to strengthen the scientific evidence base, urging continued investment in research to further validate far-UVC’s long-term safety and efficacy in real-world conditions. This is followed by a focus on developing exposure guidelines and safety standards, which the report identifies as critical bottlenecks preventing broader adoption in healthcare settings. Without formal exposure limits or unified product standards, hospitals and other high-risk facilities lack the regulatory confidence needed to deploy the technology at scale. The report also emphasizes the importance of cross-sector collaboration, recommending coordinated efforts among public health officials, scientists, industry leaders, and policymakers. Additionally, it proposes a public procurement strategy to lower costs and support early implementation in settings like hospitals, nursing homes, and transportation hubs—where the public health benefit is most immediate. Other recommendations include designing for equity and accessibility, integrating far-UVC into building codes and infrastructure plans, and launching public communication campaigns to foster trust and awareness. Collectively, these ten recommendations form a comprehensive roadmap—not only for implementing far-UVC safely and effectively, but also for embedding it within a broader public health strategy. By presenting actionable steps across research, policy, engineering, and communication, the report makes a compelling case for treating far-UVC as a viable tool in the long-term fight against airborne infectious diseases.

These recommendations also pave the exploration of additional, alternative applications of far-UVC technology. As a complementary infection prevention and control (IPC) measure, far-UVC can enhance traditional strategies like ventilation, HEPA filtration, and surface disinfection by providing continuous, passive inactivation of airborne pathogens in occupied spaces. However, successful integration requires careful coordination with HVAC infrastructure, consideration of room layout and airflow patterns, and technical expertise to ensure optimal device placement and efficacy. In older hospitals or clinics with outdated mechanical systems, retrofitting far-UVC may pose engineering hurdles that necessitate customized solutions and upfront capital investment. Despite these challenges, the potential for far-UVC to reduce nosocomial infections and protect healthcare workers makes it a valuable addition to multilayered IPC strategies.

From a broader perspective, far-UVC also holds promise as a scalable tool for global health security and pandemic preparedness. As the COVD-19 pandemic underscored the critical need for non-behavioral, infrastructure-based interventions, far-UVC showed it is a promising candidate for resilient, long-term airborne disease control. As stated in the Blueprint for Far-UVC report, preliminary analyses suggest that far-UVC could prove highly cost-effective across various dimensions (e.g., settings and environmental factors). Its utility in low-resource settings could be particularly impactful, provided that affordable and easy-to-maintain devices are made available. To realize this potential globally, countries would need to develop harmonized standards, ensure equitable access, and support far-UVC deployment through global health initiatives. In doing so, far-UVC could become an essential component in a domestic and worldwide strategy to mitigate future airborne epidemics.

The Blueprint for Far-UVC report presents a strong and detailed framework for advancing this emerging technology; however, it could be strengthened by more explicitly addressing the growing challenge of AMR and HAI and the critical need to reduce HAI. For instance, the report mentions the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Program, which financially penalizes hospitals that underperform on infection control metrics by reducing their Medicare reimbursements. While this program creates a strong incentive for healthcare facilities to improve IPC practices and reduce HAIs, it lacks clarity and support mechanisms for the adoption of healthcare technologies, like far-UVC systems. Specifically, the program does not offer explicit guidance, funding pathways, or technical assistance to help hospitals evaluate, implement, and maintain advanced environmental decontamination tools. As a result, facilities may struggle to invest in or justify the use of such technologies, even when they align with the program’s overall goals of improving patient safety and reducing infection-related costs.

The report could also benefit from a broader consideration of the systemic challenges that have historically hindered the adoption of other EDT in healthcare. Although technologies like UVC disinfection robots, hydrogen peroxide vapor systems, and advanced air filtration have demonstrated strong efficacy in reducing environmental contamination and airborne pathogens, they remain significantly underutilized across healthcare settings. This limited uptake is not due to a lack of evidence regarding its efficacy, but rather stems from a complex web of barriers seen in previous healthcare technology adoption such as fragmented regulatory oversight, procurement hesitation, operational complexity, and lack of sustained funding for implementation and maintenance. Other technologies have been developed to perform the same basic decontamination purpose as far-UVC, however these technologies are not widely deployed either. Drawing on my own research into EDT use and adoption in healthcare settings, these persistent gaps suggest that far-UVC could face comparable obstacles unless a comprehensive policy framework is developed to address these factors. The Blueprint for Far-UVC report represents meaningful progress in the healthcare technology realm and may offer useful direction for policymakers aiming to advance deployment. It highlights opportunities to pair implementation with targeted funding for pilot programs, the development of accreditation pathways for healthcare technologies, and the integration of far-UVC alongside other healthcare technologies. These measures could go a long way in reinforcing and sustaining emergency preparedness well beyond the immediate context of pandemic preparedness.

Pandora Report 6.6.2025

June 6, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report covers the Trump administration’s FY 2026 budget request and what it may entail for global health, public health, scientific research, and US nuclear weapons. Further updates on HHS and a federal case against a Chinese couple accused of smuggling a toxic fungus into the United States are included as well.

Trump’s Budget Request, Recission Plan Aim to Further Cut Global and Public Health Funding

The Trump administration’s recission package and FY 2026 budget request both aim to slash global and public health funding even further while giving conflicting reasons for cutting funding for some programs while increasing it for others. Some examples of these proposed cuts include ending US funding for Gavi, cuts to PEPFAR and the President’s Malaria Initiative, and a proposal to eliminate CDC’s Global Health Center as part of a 25% reduction in discretionary funding for HHS. The proposal reads in part, “The request eliminates funding for programs that do not make Americans safer, such as family planning and reproductive health, neglected tropical diseases, and nonemergency nutrition.”

Later, in its section about CDC, the proposal states, “The Budget eliminates duplicative, DEI, or simply unnecessary programs, including: the National Center for Chronic Diseases Prevention and Health Promotion; National Center for Environmental Health; National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; the Global Health Center; Public Health Preparedness and Response, which can be conducted more effectively by States; and the Preventive Health and Human Services Block Grant, the purposes for which can be best funded by States. The Budget refocuses CDC on emerging and infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigations, preparedness and response, and maintaining the Nation’s public health infrastructure. The Budget maintains more than $4 billion for CDC.”

This request requires congressional approval, but it represents an incredibly short-sighted and misinformed move on the part of the administration. Slashing global and public health funding, including within CDC, in a bid to “refocus” CDC on emerging and infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and preparedness and response is nonsensical. Outbreaks do not have to start in the US to affect people in the US, as is evidenced by the current measles outbreaks in the US, which began with international travelers who were infected.

Furthermore, it will be incredibly difficult to be prepared for these threats when the administration is constantly cutting domestic public health and research funding. This budget proposal, as currently written, would also slash HHS’ by 25%, from $127 billion down to $95 billion. The administration would also like to cut NIH funding by $18 billion down to $27.5 billion.

At the same time, the proposal calls for $500 million funding for “Make American Healthy Again (MAHA),” which it describes as “Building on the work of the President’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission and Executive Order 14212, “Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission,” the Budget provides $500 million for the MAHA initiative, which would allow the Secretary to tackle nutrition, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, over-reliance on medication and treatments, the effects of new technological habits, environmental impacts, and food and drug quality and safety across HHS.”

While the proposal aims to continue HHS efforts to terminate and reduce offices and programs the administration deems duplicative, it also would give the proposed Administration for a Healthy America a $14 billion budget while combining OASH, HRSA, SAMHSA, ATSDR, and NIOSH. This is all while cutting funding for the US Preventative Services Task Force and the ACA Prevention and Public Health Fund.

This budget proposal represents more MAHA nonsense that pays yet more lip service to the idea of improving Americans’ health while continuing to cut funding for programs that actually help do that. Furthermore, it continues the Trump administration’s efforts to end US involvement in global health and international development, something that is already proving detrimental both for the United States itself as well as countless others around the world.

Further Reading:

“The Disappearing Funds for Global Health,” Irena Hwang, Jon Huang, Emily Anthes, Blacki Migliozzi and Benjamin Mueller, The New York Times
“Trump Budget Request and Rescission Plan Slashes Global Health Funding,” Sara Jerving, Devex
“Sudden Impact: When Health Programs End,” Elna Schütz, Public Health
“The U.S. Slashed HIV/AIDS Funding. Here is How Countries That Relied on it Might Adapt,” Simar Bajaj, STAT News
“Deep Cuts Erode the Foundations of US Public Health System, End Progress, Threaten Worse to Come,” Laura Ungar and Michelle R. Smith, AP
“New HHS Document Details Deep NIH Cuts as Part of Trump Budget Request,” Jonathan Wosen and Daniel Payne, STAT News
“Exodus of USDA Veterinarians and Others Drives Fears that U.S. Farms Are at Risk,” Andrea Hsu, NPR

Trump Administration Requests Budget Increase for NNSA, DOD Nuclear Programs

The same budget request that would continue to slash funding for public health and critical scientific research also asks for a significant increase in funding for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The request is for $25 billion, up from $19 billion this year, a 29% increase. $15.6 billion of this would be for the agency’s weapons accounts. This would support modernization efforts, infrastructure revitalization, and other S&T investments. The request also includes increases for DOD nuclear programs, which total about $28.9 billion in the request. Meanwhile, funding for the National Science Foundation would plummet 55% under this proposal, from $8.8 billion this year to $3.9 billion the next.

When asked about this, a spokesperson for the White House said, “The president’s budget strengthens U.S. leadership in research and development by ensuring that federal funding goes to legitimate research, not woke waste.”

Further Reading:

“Why We Should Worry About Nuclear Weapons Again,” Jon B. Wolfsthal, Hans Kristensen, and Matt Korda, The Washington Post
“The U.S. Can’t Afford to Lose the Biotech Race with China,” Eric Schmidt and Dawn Meyerriecks, Time

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Lead Resigns

Lakshmi Panagiotakopoulos, a senior official at CDC overseeing the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), resigned recently following a directive from Secretary Kennedy to update CDC’s recommendations for COVID-19 vaccinations. Panagiotakopoulos was with CDC for over a decade. In an email to ACIP’s COVID-19 vaccines work group, she wrote, “My career in public health and vaccinology started with a deep-seated desire to help the most vulnerable members of our population, and that is not something I am able to continue doing in this role.”

RFK Jr. Announces Moderns Will Test Its COVID-19 Vaccine Against Placebo

Sec. Kennedy announced this week that Moderna has agreed to conduct a placebo-controlled trial for its new COVID-19 vaccine, mNEXSPIKE. This came after the FDA’s limited approval of the vaccine for adults aged 65 and up and people aged 12-64 with at least one underlying health condition, a departure from previous FDA approvals for COVID-19 vaccines. Efforts to require placebo-controlled trials are considered by many experts to be both unnecessary and unethical for established vaccines like those for COVID-19 because of the risk of exposing people to preventable illness while delaying vaccine availability and potentially undermining public trust.

PRC Nationals Charged with Smuggling Pathogen into US

Two PRC nationals, Jian Yunqing and Liu Zunyong, have been charged with conspiring to smuggle Fusarium graminearum (Gibberella zeae), a toxic fungus, into the United States. The fungus is known to cause substantial agricultural damage. Allegedly, the pair intended to smuggle it into the University of Michigan laboratory Jian is a postdoc in. The pair researched the fungus together as university students in China. They have been charged with with conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud.

UK National Audit Office Finds Country Not Ready for Major Animals Disease Outbreaks

Recent reporting from the UK’s National Audit Office reveals that just 5% of live animal imports to the country undergo physical checks, much lower than the target of 100% set by the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This is reportedly primarily due to delays and technological issues, raising concerns about the UK’s ability to respond effectively to outbreaks of diseases like bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease.

“ASPPH Broken Lifelines: The Economic Consequences of Defunding Academic Public Health”

From ASPPH: “The Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) has released Broken Lifelines, a new report outlining how recent federal funding cuts are harming academic public health. The report highlights the deep economic, institutional, and workforce impacts of the 2025 budget disruptions and why restoring federal investment is critical to the nation’s health and preparedness.”

“Public Health Preparedness: HHS Needs a Coordinated National Approach for Diagnostic Testing for Pandemic Threats”

This GAO report assesses HHS’ COVID-19 response. In this study, GAO found that “Infectious diseases with pandemic potential—such as avian influenza—pose a threat to American lives, national security, and economic interests. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leads federal diagnostic testing efforts related to such diseases. It must work with public and private stakeholders who, among other things, administer tests and collect data.”

“An expert roundtable GAO convened suggested nearly 100 actions HHS should take to improve diagnostic testing development, deployment, guidance, and data collection for the future. Several actions also cut across these areas. HHS officials said they are taking some steps to improve diagnostic testing related to the actions suggested by experts. For example, to help expand the number of entities able to test during an emergency, HHS has developed guidance for non-traditional laboratories seeking approval to perform testing.”

“Confronting the Non-Communicable Disease Burden in Developing Countries”

From FP Analytics: “As the leading cause of death worldwide, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will kill an estimated 52 million people annually by 2030. Almost half of this burden can be attributed to cardiometabolic diseases, consisting of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic conditions such as diabetes, which are anticipated to result in a combined 35.6 million deaths annually by 2050. Though these impacts will be felt globally, three-quarters of NCD deaths are set to occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by 2030, especially in Africa and Asia. Indeed, LMICs will account for 85 percent of premature NCD deaths, stemming from limited access to prevention and treatment compounded by under-resourced and strained health systems. Considering that as much as 80 percent of NCDs can be prevented or delayed into old age through affordable interventions, the high rate of premature death—and high associated costs—represents a major policy failure for developing and wealthy countries alike.”

Read here.

Sequence Screening Tools Pass NIST Test

In this preprint article, “Inter-tool analysis of a NIST dataset for assessing baseline nucleic acid sequence screening,” RTX BBN, Battelle, Aclid, International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS), SecureDNA, Todd Treangen and Signature Science, LLC worked with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to empirically establish a baseline across all of the current deployed nucleic acid synthesis screening tools. NIST constructed a test dataset based on current screening recommendations and then sent blinded datasets to sequence screening tool developers for testing. Overall, there was a general agreement between the tools and NIST assignments of the sequences and all tools had a baseline performance of greater than 95% sensitivity and 97% accuracy.

“2024 Assessment of the DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory”

From NASEM: “The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is the U.S. Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory focused on cutting-edge scientific discovery and technological innovations that offer great potential to strengthen the U.S. Army. The mission of ARL is to operationalize science for transformational overmatch in support of persistent Army modernization.”

“At the request of Army, this report examines the following four ARL competencies: biological and biotechnology sciences; network, cyber, and computational sciences; photonics, electronics, and quantum sciences; and sciences of extreme materials. The cross-cutting conclusions for the four competencies assessed in this report focus on encouraging a streamlined administrative approval process to enable conference attendance; creating bilateral forums with industry, academia, and government; continuing cross-pollination efforts through communication and collaboration; and increasing awareness of emerging computational methodologies.”

“Down with the Sickness: Biological Weapons in the Past, Present, and Future”

Michael Redlich recently published this Belfer Center paper: “In this paper I perform a survey of biological weapons. I begin with an overview of the subtypes of biological weapons and investigate the technical considerations associated with their production and deployment. I trace the history of their usage from the 14th century B.C.E. to the present, with particular emphasis on the Biological Weapons Convention of 1972 and biological weapon production since then. Consideration is given to the motivations of states that have chosen to pursue biological weapons. I examine, too, the United States’ biodefense program. In the final section I discuss possible future usage of biological weapons and propose several policy stances to reduce that threat.”

“Responsible Biodesign Workshop: AI, Protein Design, and the Biosecurity Landscape – Recommended Actions”

This preprint was authored by Rivera et al.: “This report presents Recommended Actions from the January 2025 Responsible Biodesign Workshop, which convened leading experts across AI-enabled biomolecular design and biosecurity policy. Building on existing community commitments for the Responsible Development of AI for Protein Design, the Recommended Actions aim to guide scientists, policy practitioners, and funding bodies in ensuring safe and beneficial development of AI-enabled biomolecular design tools. The Recommended Actions focus on advancing AI-Resilient nucleic acid synthesis security screening, assessing the risk-benefit landscape of biomolecular design capabilities, and building fora for sustained engagement between scientists and policy practitioners.”

“MATCH 2.0: A New Ledger for Nonproliferation”

From the Stimson Center: “Every year, States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention declare to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons their trade in dual-use chemicals—substances with legitimate industrial uses that can also be weaponized. Yet year after year, these declarations don’t add up. In reporting for 2023, three-quarters of declared dual-use chemical transfers had discrepancies, representing a risk that some chemicals are unaccounted for and could potentially have been diverted for use as chemical weapons.”

“MATCH 2.0 explores a bold solution: can blockchain-style technology help nonproliferation stakeholders spot and fix these errors before they become risks? Through real-world testing, MATCH 2.0 shows how Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could help strengthen trust and transparency while preventing the reemergence of chemical weapons.”

Read here.

“Virus Hunter Peter Piot: How a Chance Encounter Sparked His Life Mission”

This piece from Stanford FSI details Peter Piot’s words at the annual Rosenkranz Global health Policy Research Symposium. Piot is famous for his work on Ebola and AIDS. Read here.

What We’re Listening To 🎧

Biosecurity: Changing the Game, “Taking Biological Threats Off The Table Through Next-Generation Global South Leadership (Pt. II)”
“This episode is the second half of Dr. Dinah Nasike’s discussion with a group of next generation leaders who have decided to get involved in taking biological threats off the table by pitching a powerful proposal to the world on the 100 Days Mission: The Biosecurity Emerging Leaders Declaration at the 61st Munich Security Conference.”

Listen here.

NEW: INSPIRE: Readiness – Tackling Public Health Communication Conundrums: Rumors and Public Trust

“Join ASTHO for a timely conversation as we explore strategies to safeguard public health and build public trust. In today’s fast-paced information landscape, misleading rumors pose a serious threat to public health efforts, weakening trust and diminishing effective response. To address this complex issue, this webinar brings together experienced public health champions to share real-world strategies and lessons learned in their communities.”

“This INSPIRE: Readiness session will highlight communication tactics, cross-agency collaborations, and community engagement tools that may be used to help dispel harmful public health rumors. Inaccurate information, whether about vaccines, disease outbreaks, or public health mandates, can spread quickly through social media, word of mouth, or online forums – often overshadowing accurate messages from trusted sources. During this webinar, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to manage public perception during health crises and how to build more resilient systems in the future.”

This event will take place on June 12, 2-3 pm EST. Learn more and register here.

International Pandemic Sciences Conference

“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. ”

“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

This conference will take place July 23-25 in Kigali. Learn more and register here.

CTD-SPECTRE 2nd Annual Symposium

Learn more and register here.

[Training Programme] Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of WMD 2025

From the Asser Institute: “The global non-proliferation norms regarding the use and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are under pressure. The threat posed by nuclear, chemical and biological weapons has reached levels of urgency not seen since the Cold War. Consequently, there is a growing demand for professionals with the necessary legal, technical and policy expertise to tackle the challenges of today’s non-proliferation and disarmament agenda. Register now for the fifteenth training programme on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, co-organised with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on 13-17 October 2025 in The Hague.”

“During this intensive training programme, you will receive a comprehensive overview of the international non-proliferation and disarmament framework. You will learn from renowned experts and practitioners in the field and engage in active discussions about key topics and current debates. The programme also provides you with the opportunity to build your professional network with experts in the field, as well as with your fellow participants.”

Learn more and register here.

Pandora Report 5.30.2025

May 30, 2025 by dkellogg97, posted in Pandora Report

This week’s Pandora Report covers more updates from HHS, including the MAHA Commission’s report that contained fake citations and RFK Jr.’s threat to ban government scientists from publishing in top medical journals, the US and Argentina’s effort to create an “alternative” to the WHO, and more.

Defining Sequences of Concern for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening

A distinguished group of biosecurity experts, including Biodefense Program director Professor Gregory Koblentz, published an article in Applied Biosafety, “The Case for Limiting “Sequences of Concern” to Those with Demonstrated Pathogenic Function,” on how to best use sequences of concern to screen synthetic nucleic acid orders. Screening synthetic nucleic acid orders for sequences of concern is a necessary part of a healthy biosecurity regime, but it exacts costs for nucleic acid providers. Taxonomy is and will remain a critical part of the decision-making process for screening, especially for viral sequences. But, moving forward, the function of a sequence will also be determinative of its level of concern, or lack thereof. Stakeholders continue to debate which functions are “of concern.” However these are ultimately adjudicated, nonviral sequences with unknown or hypothetical functions which, by definition, can bear no resemblance to sequences with concerning functions, must be considered innocent of harmful effects. To qualify as a nonviral sequence of concern, the sequence to which it is the best match must be demonstrated in the published literature to have a function of concern.

HHS Updates

MAHA Report Included Fake Citations, Likely AI Use

The “landmark” report released by the MAHA Commission (led by RFK Jr.) that the administration portrays as a “clear, evidence-based foundation” for actions on children’s health issues includes multiple fake citations. NOTUS first reported that the report included inaccurate citations before The New York Times verified and identified additional fake citations. The use of citations that incorrectly credit an author with a publication or cite non-existent publications is a frequent issue with generative AI, prompting many to suspect it was used in the production of this report. The White House has since blamed this on “formatting errors” and uploaded a new report with corrected citations.

Further Reading:

“White House MAHA Report May Have Garbled Science by Using AI, Experts Say,” Lauren Webber and Caitlin Gilbert, The Washington Post

Secretary Kennedy Threatens to Ban NIH Scientists from Publishing in Leading Journals, Calls Them “Corrupt”

RFK Jr. continued his assault on institutions that conflict with his worldview this week, this time threatening on a podcast to prevent government scientists from publishing their work in major medical journals. While appearing on the podcast, Ultimate Human, Kennedy described the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Lancet as “corrupt,” while claiming that they publish studies that are funded and approved by pharmaceutical companies. Kennedy said, “Unless those journals change dramatically, we are going to stop NIH scientists from publishing in them and we’re going to create our own journals in-house.”

This statement conflicts with prior ones made by the NIH director, Jay Bhattacharya. Bhattacharya recently told WELT that he supports academic freedom, which “means I can send my paper out even if my bosses disagree with me.” Battacharya and the FDA commissioner, Marty Makary, recently launched their own journal, the Journal of the Academy of Public Health, which they claim will promote open discourse.

Further Reading:

“The Authoritarian War on Science,” Jessica Knurick
“History May Not be Repeating but It Is Certainly Rhyming,” Fintan Steele, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
“Trump’s Call for ‘Gold Standard Science’ Has Prompted an Outcry: Here’s Why,” Jeff Tollefson and Dan Garisto, Nature
“A Harvard Scientist Built a Database of 2,100 NIH Grant Terminations. Then His Own Funding Was Cut,” Anil Oza, STAT News
“Gain of Fiction: How COVID Origins Motivated Defunding of U.S. Science,” Gigi Gronvall, Think Global Health
“Federal Cuts Ripple Through a Bioscience Hub in Rural Montana,” Katheryn Houghton, KFF Health News

RFK Jr. Announces End of COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendation for “Healthy Children and Healthy Pregnant Women”

On Tuesday, Secretary Kennedy announced that HHS will no longer recommend the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women. In a video posted to X, Kennedy said, “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that as of today, the COVID vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the CDC recommended immunization schedule. Last year, the Biden administration urged healthy children to get yet another COVID shot despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children.”

However, the CDC has not removed the vaccine from the childhood vaccine schedule. Rather, according to an update CDC released on Thursday, the agency says healthy children ages six months to 17 years may get the vaccine provided that parents are “informed by the clinical judgement of a healthcare provider and personal preference and circumstances.” The new schedule does not include a recommendation for healthy pregnant women.

Further Reading:

“CDC Blindsided as RFK Jr. Changes COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations,” Lena H. Sun, The Washington Post
“HHS Unilaterally Changes Vaccine Guidance, Providing No Justification, Imperiling American Infants,” E. Rosalie, InfoEpi Lab

CDC Functionally Silenced

HHS has taken over the CDC’s main social media accounts, according to emails reviewed by NPR, and they have gone over a month without posting new content. This comes as many of CDC’s newsletters have stopped being distributed all together, and CDC’s Health Alert Network has not dispatched any health alerts about disease outbreaks since March.

The reason? CDC is now not in control of its own social media and communications. Rather, most CDC communications now require approval from HHS before they can be posted, halting most newsletters and social media communications. Previously, HHS rarely reviewed the content of CDC’s social media posts or newsletters, which allowed CDC to communicate important information quickly and often.

CDC has more than 150 newsletters on a variety of topics that were previously sent weekly, monthly, and quarterly to tens of thousands of subscribers. Facts from these newsletters were often shared on CDC social media accounts, helping further spread important information. Furthermore, CDC’s MMWR was often cross-posted on multiple platforms. This is no longer the case because of this change, and it is having serious impacts on CDC and those who rely on the information it provides by putting political whims before communicating accurate, timely information to the public.

Further Reading:

“CDC Communication Channels Go Silent, Raising Health Risk Concerns,” CS Staff, Campus Safety
“Why is the CDC Located in Atlanta and Not D.C.? History Tied to Coca-Cola and Mosquitoes,” Rebecca Grapevine, NPR

Administration Chooses to Remain Silent on E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Single Lettuce Processor

An E. coli outbreak linked to a single lettuce processor that sickened multiple people, and killed a nine-year-old boy in Indiana, was not disclosed publicly by the administration. An internal FDA memo dated February 11 linked the outbreak to the lettuce processor and ranch dressing. However, in what experts have described as a break with common practice, officials never released any public communications about this outbreak following the investigation, including the name of the grower. While the investigation began under the Biden administration, the Trump administration chose to not release this information because, according to the FDA, no more contaminated product remains on the market.

Further Reading:

“Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety,” Stephanie Armour, KFF Health News
“How Safe is the Food Supply After Federal Cutbacks? Experts Are Worried,” Yuki Noguchi, NPR
“USDA Withdraws Proposal to Reduce Salmonella in Poultry,” Chris Dall, CIDRAP

HHS Cancels $766 Million Contract for Moderna Bird Flu Vaccine

Moderna was notified this week that HHS has withdrawn funds it awarded to the company in July 2024 and in January 2025 to pay for the development and purchase of its investigational vaccine designed to protect against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including H5N1. The funds were awarded to the company by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The vaccine, mRNA-1018, relies, as the name implies, on mRNA technology, which has drawn the ire of Secretary Kennedy despite mRNA vaccines like those for COVID-19 having been proven safe and effective.

Further Reading:

“HHS Cancels $766 Million in Moderns Contracts for Vaccines for Flu Pandemics,” Helen Branswell and Matthew Harper, STAT News

US and Argentina Launching “Alternative” to World Health Organization

The US and Argentina are reportedly in talks to form an “alternative international health system” that is separate from the WHO. In a joint statement released this week, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. and Argentine Minister of Health Mario Lugones commented on their countries’ decisions to withdraw from the WHO. Their statement read in part, ““The WHO’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic revealed serious structural and operational shortcomings that undermined global trust and highlighted the urgent need for independent, science-based leadership in global health.”

It later continued, “There are well-documented concerns regarding the early management of the pandemic and the risks associated with certain types of research. Rather than ensuring timely transparency, the WHO failed to provide critical access to information, impairing countries’ ability to act swiftly and effectively, with devastating global consequences.”

*HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with Argentina’s Minister of Health Mario Lugones| Source: HHS*

“Young People Will be Key to Preventing the Next Pandemic”

Kirsten Angeles, Jose Garza-Martinez, Yorgo El Moubayed, Shrestha Rath, and Jon Arizti Sanz recently published this piece in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, writing in part, “The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the implications of this inequality: By late 2021, high-income countries, for example, were averaging more than one vaccine dose per person while low-income countries were administering fewer than four doses per hundred people. And while wealthy countries could develop and distribute vaccines, the African continent, by and large, could not. The recently adopted Pandemic Agreement, emphasizing thing like the need for stronger health systems, better resource sharing, and rapid local manufacturing of vaccines is a step in the right direction, but there is more that still needs to happen to address the world’s uneven ability to prepare for or respond to pandemics. Global health forums like the World Health Assembly, where the pandemic agreement was recently approved, need to fully incorporate the voices and expertise of young people in the Global South, where 90 percent of the world’s 15- to 24-year-olds live.”

“Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?”

Steven Adler wrote this piece for LawFare, writing in part, “But, as of last week, we have a leading indicator of widespread models with dangerous capabilities. Specifically, Anthropic’s recent model release—Claude Opus 4—sounded a warning bell: It is the first AI model to demonstrate a certain level of capability related to bioweapons. In particular, Anthropic can’t rule out if the model can “significantly help” relatively ordinary people “create/obtain and deploy” bioweapons: “uplifting” their abilities beyond what they can achieve with other technologies (like a search engine and the internet). These dangerous capability evaluations have been conceived of as an “early warning system” for catastrophic AI capabilities, and the system has now been triggered.”

“The AI Threat to Public Health No One is Thinking About: A Fake Bioterrorist Attack”

Jay K. Varma recently published this opinion piece with STAT News, in which he writes “While I am deeply concerned about the long-term existential threat of AI and synthetic biology to create new or modified pathogens, my extensive experience detecting and controlling outbreaks around the world makes me fear a more immediate threat: a rogue actor using existing AI tools to simulate a bioterrorism attack that would destabilize a region or the world.”

“Cloud Labs and Other New Actors in the Biotechnology Ecosystem: Export Control Challenges and Good Practices in Outreach”

This SIPRI publication was written by Kolja Brockmann, Lauriane Héau and Giovanna Maletta: “The biotechnology ecosystem encompasses an expanding set of companies, start-ups, universities and other research organizations and a vibrant do-it-yourself biology community. Advances in biotechnology and the increasingly diverse profiles of new entrants to the ecosystem pose a range of chemical and biological weapon (CBW) proliferation risks and export control challenges. Among them, cloud laboratories (cloud labs) are an example of a new actor entering the biotechnology ecosystem that is pioneering a new business model. Cloud labs exemplify how developments in emerging technologies converge in a way that poses challenges for the application of export controls. Cloud lab providers offer fully automated, modular laboratories to customers for remote use to perform experiments and increasingly artificial intelligence-enabled research and analyses. Managing the CBW risks posed by cloud labs and other new actors in the biotechnology ecosystem requires awareness by relevant stakeholders and effective export control compliance measures. European Union member states and Australia Group participating states should therefore continue to assess and discuss the development of cloud labs, work to provide relevant guidance materials and develop good practices for conducting outreach activities targeting cloud lab providers and other relevant actors to reduce CBW proliferation risks.”

“The State of the World’s Animal Health”

From WOAH: “An inaugural global overview of animal health in a changing world. Published by The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the State of the World’s Animal Health provides a clear, evidence-based overview of the global animal health landscape. Drawing on WOAH’s robust data systems and the collective expertise of its Members and scientific network, the report delivers timely, objective analysis to inform action and guide progress toward a healthier, more resilient future for animals and people alike.”

What We’re Watching 🍿

“CB Defense Today: Fieldable Sequencing”
“CB Defense Today is an interview program where experts discuss innovations, technologies, and partnerships pertinent to the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) and the chemical and biological defense community.”

“In this episode, public affairs specialist Jack Bunja interviews Dr. Cory Bernhards, a research biologist at DEVCOM CBC, about how the Center’s work in DNA and RNA sequencing contributes to the lethality and readiness of warfighters.”

“Dr. Bernhards explains how DEVCOM CBC researchers are developing the capability for DNA and RNA sequencing in forward operating environments for Soldiers. They are also ensuring that all Soldiers can utilize this equipment, regardless of their background or training. Such capabilities enable our warfighters to easily maintain their readiness.”

Watch here.

The Second Annual State of the Science Address

From NASEM: “We invite you to join National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt for the second annual State of the Science address, to be delivered on June 3 [3-5 pm EDT] in Washington, D.C. The event will explore the current status of the U.S. research enterprise and strategies for navigating a rapidly changing scientific landscape.”

“Register to Attend In Person or Virtually.”

What Does H5N1 Have to Do with the Prices of Eggs?

From NASEM: “The high cost of eggs has been one of the most visible societal impacts of H5N1 bird flu. First detected on U.S. poultry farms in February 2022 and in U.S. dairy cattle in 2024, the deadly bird flu strain has now spread to all fifty states. What are the risks to humans and susceptible animals, like cats? How are farmers coping with the disease, and what role do state and local officials play? How do costs along the supply chain translate to costs at the grocery store?”

“Join us for our second “Healthy Exchange” webinar in our Special Edition Bird Flu Series on June 3, 2025, from 1:00-2:30 PM ET for an informal discussion and Q&A with three animal health experts who will share their perspectives on managing the spread and impacts of bird flu.”

International Pandemic Sciences Conference

“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. ”

“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

This conference will take place July 23-25 in Kigali. Learn more and register here.

CTD-SPECTRE 2nd Annual Symposium

Learn more and register here.

NEW: [Training Programme] Disarmament and Non-Proliferation of WMD 2025

Learn more and register here.

New WHO Course on Dual-Use Research and Responsible Use of the Life Sciences

The WHO Academy has made available a new training course designed to deepen your knowledge and enhance your approach to dual-use research and responsible use of the life sciences. This course examines these dual-use research issues and discusses ways to identify and mitigate potential biorisks as part of a multi-sectoral and cooperative approach across the One Health spectrum that promotes the safe, secure and responsible use of the life sciences to prevent accidents, unanticipated and deliberate misuse of biological materials, knowledge and emerging technologies. The course is multifaceted, accessible, adaptable, engaging, and interactive for a wide range of One Health audiences. Biodefense Program director Dr. Gregory Koblentz contributed to the development of the course. It’s a free, self-paced 3-hour course with a certificate of participation upon completion. You can enroll in the course here.

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