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Obama aide accuses UK of bio defence failure
Senator Tom Daschle, a close personal adviser to Barack Obama, warns that the world is woefully unprepared for biological terrorism and the global spread of infectious fatal diseases in a new report for the Institute for Public Policy Research
The former Democrat Senate leader says that the UK and the US must take a lead in responding to the increased threats of bio-terrorist attack and global pandemics.
21st Century Biodefence, a submission from Senator Daschle to the ippr's National Security Commission, accuses governments on both side of the Atlantic of failing to deal with increased bio-security threats, emerging as a result of rapidly widening access to biotechnology. He argues that while the US and UK spend miniscule amounts on biodefence (only around a tenth of one percent of total security budgets) they continue to pour vast resources into traditional military infrastructure.
Daschle advocates greater emphasis on preparing for the consequences of bioterrorism and greater cross border collaboration to manage and respond to the threat, including in the research and development of necessary vaccines. He also calls for improved planning and an extended role for NATO in handling the consequences of public health emergencie
Senator Tom Daschle said: "The threats of bioterrorism and naturally occurring epidemics are already upon us, yet we remain under resourced and fundamentally unprepared for this new challenge. Investing in biosecurity is imperative not just because of the threat of bioterrorism, but because epidemics of naturally occurring infectious disease are becoming more likely in the 21st century. These threats are perilous but surmountable. The United Kingdom and the United States must embark on a robust and comprehensive collaboration to ensure greater biopreparedness."
Ian Kearns, Deputy Chair of IPPR's Commission on National Security, said: "The global spread of biotechnology and the effective breakdown of borders through interconnectedness means the removal of significant impediments to the development of biological weapons and the spread of infectious disease and both have the potential to affect hundreds of thousands of lives.
"There have been some improvements to bio-defence in recent years, on both sides of the Atlantic, but compared with the complexity of the problem and the magnitude of the risk we are doing nowhere near enough.
"Whether the challenge comes in the form of an attack or a naturally occurring epidemic, the required response will be the same and it will be the quality of our preparation that is key."
21st Century Biodefence, by Sentator Tom Daschle and Dr. Tara O'Toole, is available upon request to the ippr press office or at the ippr website: www.ippr.org/publicationsandreports
