UNSW research that simulates a smallpox pandemic and its global implications is among the first studies published in the new open access journal Global Biosecurity.
The ease of creating a smallpox-like virus, and the growing number of vulnerable people with weakened immune systems, present challenges for emergency response planners, researchers have warned.
There are still many unanswered questions about how the MERS coronavirus is spread in Saudi Arabia, but health systems in all countries should have triage systems to identify travel-related infections.
Professor Raina MacIntyre is on the front line of the fight against emerging bio-threats. She warns biosecurity breaches could be as catastrophic as nuclear war.
