"The other threat that’s grown in the last several years has been the risk of laboratory accidents. There is a growing, burgeoning biotech economy," Panjabi said during remarks on the new US national biodefense strategy plan. "With the increased access to that technology also comes the dual risk that, unintentionally, accidents can happen, infectious disease pathogens, for instance, can spill."
The Biden administration released earlier this week a new biodefense strategy and issued a National Security Memorandum on countering biological threats. The actions are part of the Biden administration’s effort to enhance the United States’ ability to withstand future biological threats, following lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The memorandum directs US federal agencies to prioritize biodefense, including tracking of the threat landscape by intelligence agencies.
Panjabi said the United States can save trillions of dollars and millions of lives in the long-term by investing billions in biodefense now.