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A high-security federal research facility operated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at Fort Detrick has been ordered to halt all experimental activity after a serious biosafety incident, officials confirmed this week.

WIRED Magazine initially reported that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had instructed the Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland, to cease all research by 5:00 p.m. on April 29.

NIAID’s Integrated Research Facility is one of the few federal facilities charged with studying Ebola. Tuesday afternoon, all of its work was put on indefinite pause by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s department. https://t.co/jNfAoY8u1M

— WIRED (@WIRED) April 30, 2025

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The facility, located on the U.S. Army base at Fort Detrick, conducts advanced research on infectious diseases such as Ebola, smallpox, anthrax, and other pathogens classified as “high consequence” to public health.

The lab includes Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) containment units, which are required for studying the most dangerous viruses and bacteria.

The Fort Detrick facility employs 168 personnel, including federal staff and contractors.

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While initial reports framed the shutdown as a directive from Secretary Kennedy, further clarification came from Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the newly appointed Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In a statement posted to social media, Dr. Bhattacharya confirmed that he—not Kennedy—had made the decision to suspend operations at the BSL-4 lab due to significant safety violations uncovered during an internal investigation.

According to Bhattacharya, the investigation was triggered by a serious incident in which a lab employee reportedly cut a hole in a colleague’s biocontainment suit during a workplace dispute.

The situation raised immediate concerns about exposure risks and potential breaches in the facility’s critical safety protocols.

It turns out that a contractor at the lab had deliberately cut a hole in a biocontainment suit over a personal dispute with a co-worker.

Researchers are supposed to wear these suits when they do experiments with dangerous pathogens. This is how lab leaks can happen!
🧵2/5 pic.twitter.com/BTqnXmHvIe

— Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (@NIHDirector_Jay) May 7, 2025

Additional findings revealed a broader pattern of poor safety practices within the facility, particularly in the BSL-4 unit.

These labs are designed to contain lethal pathogens, and even minor safety failures can carry catastrophic consequences.

Standard BSL-4 protocols require suits to be inspected visually and tested for pressure integrity before use.

In this case, it is unclear whether the breach was detected before exposure, but officials have raised concerns over how the lab had been operating in light of the pattern of lapses documented during the review.

I won’t reopen the lab until I am satisfied that that it can be done with zero risk to public safety. No more lab generated pandemics!
🧵4/5https://t.co/KOxB1JScV7

— Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (@NIHDirector_Jay) May 7, 2025

One last media note: @WIRED used the incident to somehow paint @SecKennedy as anti-science. He was acting responsibly to protect the public from a high-risk lab with a poor safety record, but they ignored that in their story. Sheesh!
5/5https://t.co/2US9JFa57P

— Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (@NIHDirector_Jay) May 7, 2025

The pathogens studied at Fort Detrick include anthrax, which can be fatal if inhaled. Inhalation anthrax has a mortality rate ranging from 45% to 85% even with prompt medical intervention.

These risks are precisely why BSL-4 environments are strictly regulated and why violations are treated with urgency.

The lab’s sudden shutdown has prompted renewed scrutiny of safety procedures in federal high-containment laboratories, as well as concerns about oversight and accountability.

The situation has also sparked comparisons to the global debate over lab safety following the COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of a lab-related origin of the virus in Wuhan, China.

The Department of Health and Human Services has not released a timeline for when, or if, the lab will resume full operations.

Fort Detrick has long been a focal point in U.S. biodefense efforts and has a complex history dating back to its origins as a biological weapons research facility during World War II.

HHS and NIH have not publicly confirmed whether criminal charges will be pursued in relation to the biocontainment suit incident.

However, the shutdown remains in effect, and personnel are undergoing additional reviews and retraining.

Officials have yet to announce who will lead any potential restructuring of the Fort Detrick facility or whether outside oversight will be introduced.

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