BiothreatsU.S. Army Infectious Diseases Research Institute Resumes Operations

Published 3 December 2019

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) ten days ago said it would resume limited research, following a successful recent inspection by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention. In July 2019, the CDC suspended USAMRIID’s registration to work with Biological Select Agents and Toxins, citing issues with its biosafety program. The Institute notes that there was no risk to employee health, public health, or the environment, and no infectious agents were detected outside of containment areas.

The U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) ten days ago said it would resume limited research, followinga successful recent inspection bythe Centers for Disease Control(CDC)and Prevention.

In July 2019, the CDC suspended USAMRIID’s registration to work with Biological Select Agents and Toxins, citing issues with its biosafety program. The Institute notes that there was no risk to employee health, public health, or the environment, and no infectious agents were detected outside of containment areas.

USAMRIID says that in the past four months, it hasengagedin ongoing discussions with the CDC while taking a comprehensive approach to improving infrastructure, training, compliance, and biosafety standards.In early November, the CDC’s Division of Select Agents and Toxins (DSAT) conducted asite inspection of USAMRIID to assess the progress of the measures taken.

The CDC provided additional conditions for research to gradually resume, which include allowing a limited number of studies to be performed. Work on these studies will be conducted in specified laboratories only, by select personnel who have undergone extensive training. USAMRIID says that these limited activities will allow it andDSAT the opportunity to evaluate the newly implemented processes and procedures.

The CDC will continue to conducton-site evaluations to observe laboratory personnel. Real-time observationswill be conducted atall supervisory levelsin order to ensurethat practices are in compliance with the revised biosafety plan and thatany deviationis corrected on the spot.

The overall effort to restore USAMRIID to fulloperational capability uses a “crawl, walk, run” approach to getting back into containmentlaboratory operations, according to ColonelE. Darrin Cox, the Institute’s commander. “Our conceptis to start with a small group of people, secure approval for a limited number of studies, and then gradually expand to include more research projects across additional laboratory suites,” Cox said. “Resuming operations in this stepwise fashion also allows for continuous communication with the CDC and our Army leadership.”

Leaders from the U.S. Army Futures Command and the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, USAMRIID’s higher headquarters, have been involved in the effort to bring USAMRIID back online, according to Brigadier General Michael J. Talley, Commanding General, USAMRDC and Fort Detrick. “We are committed, first and foremost, to the safety of our workforce and the surrounding community,” said Talley. “We are also committed to restoring USAMRIID to full mission capability so we can continue doing the critical research that protects our Warfighters and citizens, in this country and around the world.”