Biosecurity is set of measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms, in order to minimise the risk of transmission of infectious diseases to people, animals and plants caused by viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms.
The term also extends to dealing with epidemic and pandemic diseases, with the World Health Organization (WHO) playing an important role in the management of the latter.
[3] The term has in the past been used purely to describe preventive and quarantine measures put in place to minimise the risk of invasive pests or diseases arriving at a specific location that could damage crops and livestock as well as the wider environment.
[5] The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) defines biosecurity as "everything that’s done to keep diseases and the pathogens that carry them – viruses, bacteria, funguses, parasites and other microorganisms – away from birds, property, and people".
[7] The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity is a panel of experts that reports to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
It is tasked with recommending policies on such questions as how to prevent published research in biotechnology from aiding terrorism, without slowing scientific progress.
It helps support "partner" agencies and organizations prepare for public health emergencies that could require MCMs.
In June 2016, a Senate Appropriations subcommittee approved a bill that would continue funding four specific medical countermeasure programs:[12][14] The destruction of the World Trade Center in Manhattan on September 11, 2001 by terrorists and a subsequent wave of anthrax attacks on US media and government outlets (both real and hoax) led to increased attention on the risk of bioterrorism attacks in the United States.