Tom Hanks stars in the mystery thriller “Inferno”, released this week in theaters and based on Dan Brown’s 2013 novel of the same name. Hanks stars as a symbology professor tasked with stopping the intentional spread of a deadly virus. While the film uses creative license to depict Hollywood’s version of public health emergency response, a more accurate understanding of biodefense policy and procedures can be acquired by reading a few key documents in the HSDL:
- National Blueprint for Biodefense: Leadership and Major Reform Needed to Optimize Efforts – This bipartisan report assesses vulnerabilities and provides recommendations to improve biodefense.
- Biological Response and Recovery Science and Technology Roadmap – The National Science and Technology Council identifies research areas for biological incident response and recovery.
- Presidential Policy Directive 2: National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats – The National Security Council releases the strategy in place for countering biological threats, including biological weapons proliferation.
Additional resources include this article on DoD’s Chemical-Biological Program and its global mission of countering threats at the international level.
You can find more information at both the World Health Organization and Public Health Emergency websites, or explore Pandemic Influenza in the Featured Topics section in the HSDL.
