Biocrisis

Biological dangers to Americans now sit where national security and public health overlap, and this book looks at that overlap. Over the past two decades, security agencies have taken on disease problems that had long belonged to public health bodies. Washington's response has been a single national biodefense strategy, which has done little to improve matters, largely because of muddled terminology, weak leadership, and a failure to evaluate government programs.

Using a public policy framework, Albert J. Mauroni examines how the government handles disease prevention, bioterrorism response, military biodefense, biosurety, and agricultural biosecurity and food safety. He also recommends changes to how executive and legislative policy on biological threat mitigation is developed.

His central argument is that the agencies in charge should run distinct portfolios, each reviewed every year against objectives that are clear and attainable.