[J]ust what the heck is going on with the NIH and the CDC lately? These two agencies are supposed to make you and me feel safer, right? But if you’ve been paying attention, you will have noticed that the CDC ‘accidentally’ contaminated your everyday variety of influenza (H9N2) with H5N1 (avian flu), a mistake which has the potential to equip the deadly bird flu with the capability to more readily infect humans.
Oh, but the unlocked vials of anthrax found in a CDC hallway closet isn’t a problem, right? But then we have their reckless antics in exposing as many as 86 people to the deadly bacillus.
And how about all those vials of old smallpox that the NIH recently uncovered–with LIVE virus inside?
No, these items aren’t the plot points of my next biotech thriller. Sadly, these events may only be the tip of the iceberg. However, as I type, my tinfoil hat radar is abuzz, which makes we wonder WHY media are reporting these massive blunders now? As illegals flood across our southern border, there is a huge risk for the spread of diseases to which you and I might not have immunity. Is the government trying to prepare us for the ‘big one’? Oh, but there’s more. Yesterday, it was announced that the entire membership of the US Biosecurity Board has been asked to step aside and make room for a brand new roster of ‘newbies’. With the spate of ‘accidents’ happening at our most secure laboratories and the threat of novel infective agents hovering near our borders, wouldn’t we be better prepared if seasoned board members remained?
Honestly, I’m beginning to WISH these stories were fictional plot points, because I’m getting a very bad feeling about it all.
To read more about the board roster changes, see: Wholesale roster change coming for US biosecurity board | CIDRAP.
