Poll: Americans concerned about biosecurity, want more investment in preparedness

A survey released on Wednesday by the Alliance for Biosecurity, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense and the Trust for America’s Health found that the American public is concerned about biosecurity threats and believes that the government should invest more in preparedness.

“The American people spoke loud and clear: biosecurity is a top priority, and it is important for the U.S. to invest in preparedness for pandemics and intentional threats,” Brent MacGregor, co-chair of the Alliance for Biosecurity and senior vice president of commercial operations at Seqirus, said. “We understand that biosecurity preparedness is a high priority national security issue, and now, through this survey, we better understand the perspective of the American people. We intend to share the results of this survey with policymakers who can help address the public’s concern.”

The survey found that 88 percent of Americans polled are concerned that terrorists might use biological weapons against the U.S. or its allies, though 50 percent reported confidence that the U.S. government is prepared to address the next biosecurity threat. Seventy-nine percent of those polled, however, were concerned that such naturally-occurring diseases as Ebola and Zika pose a threat to the U.S. and countries to which American citizens travel.

“By its very nature, preparing for the next biosecurity threat is a moving target – be it a bioweapon or an emerging infectious disease like pandemic influenza or Ebola,” MacGregor said. “We can’t know the threat well in advance, but if we prepare appropriately, we can develop critical infrastructure and a set of products, platforms and trained people that will enable us to respond more rapidly to a threat when one arises.”

Eighty-eight percent of respondents to the survey supported increasing the budget for preventive measures for biological threats, while 61 percent were surprised to learn that preparedness funds are in the midst of a shortfall.

Essential programs to support public-private partnerships in the development and stockpile of vaccines and therapies to address future threats are undercut by President Barack Obama’s 2017 budget request, despite the poll showing public support for the continued investment in preparedness.

“This survey should be the last in a long line of wakeup calls for policymakers when it comes to public health funding,” Richard Hamburg, interim president and CEO of the Trust for America’s Health, said. “Americans rightly think we may not be prepared for the next public health emergency – imagine what their perception would be if public health had been consistently and adequately funded over the last decade.”

The survey included responses from 1,000 U.S. adults deemed representative of the general U.S. population. The survey was fielded from March 28-30.