In April 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) wrote to the UW-Madison, saying it was "extremely concerned" that experiments occurring here had "serious potential consequences to public health."

"Select agents" are infectious diseases considered by the U.S. government as having the potential to pose substantial harm to human, animal or plant health. The names of the specific "select agents" are redacted from the documents (see this column at TheDailyPage.com).

The new BSL-3 infectious disease lab that the university wants to create at the primate center poses needless serious threats to the community. We know from the university's "gross and chronic" biosafety understaffing that it doesn't take biosafety very seriously. Should neighbors bet their family's safety on a promise to change?

Public health
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Drug resistance
Infectious diseases
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Colleges & universities