The Bureau of Counterterrorism’s mission is to promote U.S. national security.
The United States State Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism has just released the 2019 Country Reports on Terrorism.
This report on terrorism around the world is released every year and highlights the successes and the continuous threats international and domestic terrorism pose to almost 100 countries.
Hong Kong is well prepared for any kind of biothreat. Picture by Shutterstock
Since the Hong Kong health system is often an important gatekeeper with regard to pandemics, I was interested to find out how the government structures preparedness efforts for both unintentional and intentional biological incidents.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, I spoke to a senior officer who is working for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). We discussed the Hong Kong Government’s approach to bioterror and public health preparedness.
For all of you interested in pandemics, bioterrorism, and global health security, the annual summer workshop at the Schar School of Policy and Government in Arlington, Virginia, is open for sign up!
Early bird tickets are available until June 1, 2019. For details, click here:
Dr. Tomoya Saito
Last summer, I met with Dr. Tomoya Saito in Tokyo to learn about outbreak and bioterror preparedness in Japan.
Our conversation will be posted in two parts. Part I (below) is about the role that different Japanese institutions play to prevent and respond to biological threats. In Part II (to be posted soon) we will discuss how dual-use technologies change the risk of biothreats.
Dr. Saito is Chief Senior Researcher at the Department of Health Crisis Management of the National Institute of Public Health of Japan (NIPH). His current area of research is biosecurity, public health emergency preparedness and response, and simulation epidemiology. He is based in Saitama, Japan.
Biosecurity and Bioterrorism, book by Jeffrey R. Ryan. Photo by Mia Tellmann
Biosecurity and Bioterrorism: Containing and Preventing Biological Threats, by Jeffrey R. Ryan, is a very comprehensive and multi-faceted book. This was one of the first books that I read when I began learning about global public health and it gave me a great introduction into the sometimes complicated field of bioterrorism.
Happy New Year, everyone! From January 29th to January 31st 2019 there will be a conference held by the American Society for Microbiology in Arlington, Virginia. Discussions and exhibitions on the latest developments in biosecurity and bioterrorism will be held by leading experts in academia, government, and the public health industry from around the world.