Scientists Urge Balanced Approach to Bioterrorism and Infectious Disease
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 2010
CONTACT: Katie Mounts, Director of External Relations
Washington, DC: On Tuesday, January 26, the Graham-Talent Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism released its one-year report card evaluating the government's ability to protect the United States from the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction and terrorism.
The Scientists Working Group on Biological and Chemical Weapons offers an alternative view on the bioterrorism threat, arguing that the threat is not as severe as portrayed by the Commission. The Working Group further argues that the U.S. government should take a balanced approach to preparedness that builds public health capabilities to respond to all infectious disease threats and other public health problems facing our nation.
According to the scientists, “The bioterrorist threat has been greatly exaggerated. Continuing to emphasize and spend billions of dollars on measures to specifically counter bioterrorist threat scenarios distorts our national understanding of the important issues in public health, and diverts scarce scientific talent and resources away from more pressing public health and natural disease threats.”
Instead, they argue, "improving the capability to respond to natural disease outbreaks, which currently present the major problem," would "provide much greater public health benefit and ... significantly strengthen resistance to bioterrorism."
The Scientists Working Group was founded in 1989 and has been affiliated with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC since 2003. Working Group members have extensive experience with biological weapons issues. For twenty years, they have worked to reinforce the norm against biological weapons, promote national and international measures to prevent their development and use, and encourage national and global measures for combating infectious diseases.
RSS Feed