A delegation of U.S. officials toured Ebola emergency response centers in a region of Uganda located near its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo this week. During the trip, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar noted the successes in combatting the spread of the infectious disease however, the number of ebola patients recently surpassed 3,000 and there have been nearly 2,000 deaths in the region this year.

Moreover, several reports indicate that there’s a silent measles outbreak that’s moving quickly, while staying below the public’s radar. The NGO “Doctors Without Borders” reported seeing “the worst measles epidemic since 2011 and 2012” with 1,500 deaths in the first five months of this year.

Further complicating the crisis, is that Islamic terrorist organizations such as Al Qaeda and Islamic State have threatened in the past to use biological warfare weapons against the U.S. and western allies.

Last week, the Iraqi government confirmed reports that Islamic State terrorist Abrar al-Kubaisi will serve the rest of her life in prison for her role in developing chemical and biological weapons for Islamic State.

A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed to SaraACarter.com that the DOD “continually monitors for and evaluates any potential threat to the United States.”

“We recognize the importance of the U.S. as a global leader in biotechnology, which allows America to advance the field in a responsible way. By leading in this field, we better understand the nature and scope of any threats,” said the DOD spokesperson, familiar with the issue.

“Any adversary advantage represents a serious threat to the nation and to our allies and partners,” they added. “The department will look to invest in technology to achieve breakthrough technical capabilities. We have and will continue to leverage partnerships within the U.S. bioeconomy in order to maintain global biotechnology leadership.”

Global health security is a top priority for @POTUS Administration, and the critical partnership and technical exchange between the U.S. and #Uganda is incredibly important especially as we work to stop the spread of #Ebola and improve public health capacity in the region. pic.twitter.com/gmaxSOoGCL — Secretary Alex Azar (@SecAzar) September 17, 2019

The #AFRICOM Office of the Command Surgeon invited various U.S. agencies to the first ever Infectious Disease Strategic Planning Workshop to discuss infectious disease prevention and response in #Africa. Read more: https://t.co/xmhfsXelId@CDCgov @USAID @doddtra @StateISN pic.twitter.com/riRzv7OTXn — US AFRICOM (@USAfricaCommand) September 17, 2019

We are entering “a new era of epidemic risk,” according to the World Economic Forum, which is brokering a unified response to disease epidemics posing grave threats to the global population. This month, the group held its annual conference in Cape Town, South Africa, to discuss the costs of such widespread infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, the U.S. Africa Command held the first ever “Infectious Disease Strategic Planning Workshop” earlier this month. The purpose of the meeting was to promote interagency cooperation in combatting the spread of disease.

“I think events like this help us all understand AFRICOM’s priorities, keep focus on our national security priorities and work together to continually move the ball forward so that all stakeholders’ equities are met,” Ben A. Cacioppo, regional attaché, DTRA said in a statement. “The bottom line is we’re focused on saving lives, American lives, partner lives and ensuring the viability of our armed forces who have to operate in these areas.”

Disease outbreaks and epidemic-prone diseases – from influenza to Ebola, are increasingly more difficult to manage in ever-more complex social and political environments and in a 🌎 where modern air travel ✈️ and migration are fueling the spread of disease#AWorldatRisk pic.twitter.com/KsEycthNo5 — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) September 18, 2019

Africa is facing some of the largest numbers of patients. According to the World Health Organization, this year alone the continent has seen an outbreak of Ebola, Polio, malaria, dengue, yellow fever, and Lasa fever. Many of these diseases had been declared eradicated or had insignificant numbers of isolated cases. Now, the WHO classifies Ebola as a World Health Emergency.

Several security threats indicate there may be an increase in the quick spread of contagious diseases. On Monday, reports circulated that there had been an explosion at a Soviet-era biological weapons lab in Siberia, where ebola and smallpox samples were said to be stored however, facility officials denied such claims.

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