Biological agents can make "fairly cheap weapons for those who want to do us harm," says Dr. Christopher Woods of the Duke Global Health Institute. But protecting ourselves against both manmade and natural biological threats will take more investment, Woods says.
Transcript:
From Duke University, this is "Glad You Asked," where we consider the question "What should we be talking about this election season?"
"My name is Christopher Woods. I'm an infectious disease clinician and a member of the Duke Global Health Institute.
"One topic that has been absent has been the idea of global biosecurity, both the potential for deliberate release of biothreat agents as well as their natural occurrence."
"We know that we have many enemies around the world. Bioterrorism has been a fairly cheap weapon for those who wish to do us harm. The pathogens that we're talking about are things like anthrax or plague. Each of those has been weaponized by either governmental or nongovernmental entities over the years.
"In the wake of the 2001 bombings and subsequent anthrax cases there was a lot of investment into preparedness. That investment has waned.
"The preparedness internationally is even more difficult. We've learned that nature has a way of filling the vacuum -- that is, there are always new pathogens that we will be threatened by. We need to be investing significantly in where those threats are occurring naturally.
"We can't focus entirely on our domestic situation, our domestic preparedness. The United States has a responsibility that is not just altruistic but is self-serving to invest in global health and shoring up healthcare systems in those parts of the world where the likelihood of outbreaks is greater."
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