Biodefence -

: While countries like the Soviet Union once ran massive covert programs to weaponize diseases like smallpox and plague, international treaties (like the Biological Weapons Convention) shifted the focus to purely defensive research [22, 35].

In October 2001, just weeks after 9/11, letters filled with white powder containing Bacillus anthracis spores were mailed to news offices and U.S. senators [11, 21]. The attack killed five people and hospitalized 17 others, causing widespread panic and forcing a fundamental change in how the world viewed microscopic threats [14, 21]. It proved that biological agents could be used to incite terror and disrupt entire governments [13, 21]. From Offense to Defense biodefence

Historically, biodefence emerged from the shadows of offensive biological weapons programs [31, 35]. : While countries like the Soviet Union once

: Experts from the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense argue that natural pandemics, like COVID-19, are as much a biodefence concern as intentional attacks [9, 10]. The attack killed five people and hospitalized 17

: Modern strategy aims for an " Apollo Program " for biodefence: a world where we can detect and neutralize any biological threat in days, not years [10].