Can anyone visit the RBL building? Why are RBL laboratories needed?
The anthrax scare in the fall of 2001 made it clear that the United States was not appropriately prepared to deal with the potential misuse of biological agents by terrorists or with newly emerging infectious diseases such as SARS or avian influenza. As part of the federal response to these major human health problems, the Department of Health and Human Service’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) devised a multi-faceted research program to address the issues. This program is known as the NIH/NIAID National Biodefense Program. The first component of the program involved establishing the intellectual infrastructure, consisting of teams of scientists who will do the work. These are known as Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases or simply RCE’s. Each of ten regions in the country has, or will have, its own RCE. The second component of the program was the development of state
