(Washingtonian) We visited a military facility that works with some of the world’s scariest pathogens. When you roll up to the military’s premier biodefense lab, the security situation is intense. USAMRIID—the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases—is a complex of buildings at Maryland’s Fort Detrick, surrounded by a scary black fence. Along the perimeter hangs some ominous signage: The airspace is restricted; deadly force is authorized. Our photographer is told not to capture keypads, personnel badges, or security cameras, and we both have to lock up our phones. I am not a lover of rules, but I’m delighted to comply with these. The pathogens stored in this building—Ebola, plague, lassa, anthrax—cause some of the most horrific deaths on the planet. The rules make sure none of them escape.
Inside the High-Security Lab Where Scientists Are Fighting the Next Pandemic
