US Ebola Research Facility Shut Down Amidst Safety Concerns
2025-05-01
The Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Maryland, a US National Institutes of Health facility studying Ebola and other deadly infectious diseases, has been ordered to halt all research activities. The order, from the Department of Health and Human Services, follows identified personnel issues compromising the facility's safety culture. Research on Lassa fever, SARS-CoV-2, and Eastern equine encephalitis has been suspended. The facility's director has been placed on administrative leave, and staff face an uncertain future. This disruption raises concerns about the impact on infectious disease research and the management of federal science agencies.