Why Are We Still Reliant on China for Our Biosecurity?
By Matthew Turpin
February 28, 2024
The reports out of China arrived just before Thanksgiving. A surge in respiratory infections among children in the northern part of the country triggered a sense of foreboding -- and Deja-vu. Meetings between the World Health Organization and Chinese officials quickly followed.
The WHO's conclusions brought some relief. The surge was caused by an "immunity gap" in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, wherein children had few defenses against influenza and other respiratory infections after years of quarantine.
This episode should be a wake-up call for the U.S. national security establishment. We remain reliant on other nations, including countries of concern, like China, for critical intelligence needed to defend against biological dangers -- whether naturally occurring, mistakenly released, or purposefully engineered.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2024/02/28/why_are_we_still_reliant_on_china_for_our_biosecurity_1014853.html
