'Biothreats radar' to scan for next pandemic and bio-terror alerts facing UK

11 June 2023 , 23:01

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The Government is launching the UK's Biological Security Strategy (Image: Getty Images)

A "biothreats radar” will be set up to defend Britain from pandemics and bio-terror attacks, the Government announced today.

The “radar” will help protect the UK from infectious disease outbreaks, the growing risk of antimicrobial resistance and biological incidents, according to the Cabinet Office.

Launched as part of the Biological Security Strategy, it will be led by the National Situation Centre and bring together data from across Whitehall, various advisory committees and experts in outbreaks and bioterrorism.

The Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic showed just how critical it is to have a coherent plan to both protect the UK from the increasingly complex range of biological risks and build on the UK’s strengths in vaccine research and development and life sciences.

“The new Biological Security Strategy will make an important contribution to our preparedness."

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Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Dame Angela McLean (PA)

Experts are increasingly concerned about threats emerging from the animal kingdom which could leap to humans, as well as the growing resistance to antibiotics - making sicknesses more difficult to treat.

There is also mounting worry about some states' attempts to develop and manufacture biological weapons which could be deployed on battlefields or among the ordinary public.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said: “Covid was the biggest peacetime challenge in a century and we must be diligent in preparing for future threats on this scale.

“This plan and our £1.5billion investment per year puts us in a strong position to defeat the biological threats of tomorrow - from diseases to bioweapons and antimicrobial resistance.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden (PA)

“It's a strong and ambitious approach: one that harnesses the sheer ingenuity of the UK's researchers and scientists, and deploys our world-class crisis management capabilities to protect the people of the UK."

The Centre for Long-Term Resilience's head of biosecurity policy, Cassidy Nelson, said: “This much-needed strategy underscores the UK's role as a global leader in enhancing resilience against biological risks.

"We welcome the goal to achieve resilience to the full spectrum of biological threats by 2030, and commend the use of built-in accountability measures to drive the implementation of the strategy. We now need sustained resourcing and prioritisation to achieve tangible improvements to the UK's biosecurity capabilities on such an ambitious timeline.”

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Ben Glaze