By Nicolas Hulscher, MPH
In April 2024, the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense released The National Blueprint for Biodefense: Immediate Action Needed to Defend Against Biological Threats, a little-known but deeply alarming federally commissioned report. It outlines a simulated bioterror attack on July 4, 2025, using a genetically engineered Nipah virus that kills 280,000 Americans in a single day and devastates livestock. The virus, in the scenario, is modified for high transmissibility and retains a fatality rate exceeding 40%.