NIH Institute Told to Remove 'Biodefense' and 'Pandemic Preparedness' Language
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has been instructed to remove "biodefense" and "pandemic preparedness" language from its website, signaling a major shift away from these research priorities. NIH leadership says the institute will now focus on current infectious diseases and basic immunology rather than predicting future threats. Public health experts warn this could leave the U.S. less prepared for future health emergencies.
Staff members at the United States' premier infectious-disease research institute have been instructed to remove the words "biodefense" and "pandemic preparedness" from the institute's web pages, according to emails obtained by Nature. The directive comes amid a broader shake-up at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIAID is expected to deprioritize the two topics in an overhaul of its funded research projects, according to four NIAID employees who spoke to Nature on the condition of anonymity.
The staffers said the changes indicate a bigger shift in priorities at NIAID. They said the agency may scale back long-standing priorities such as HIV research, biodefense and pandemic preparedness. NIH director Jay Bhattacharya explained the restructure at an event with other top agency officials on January 30. "It's a complete transformation of [the NIAID] away from this old model" that has historically prioritized research on HIV, biodefence and pandemic preparedness, he said. The institute will focus more on basic immunology and other infectious diseases currently affecting people in the United States, he added, rather than on predicting future diseases.
In a commentary, NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and other leaders wrote that the institute will now "address the most impactful infectious diseases that Americans currently face with evidence from gold standard science and … support innovative research to address fundamental studies in immunology and allergic and autoimmune diseases to improve patient outcomes." The commentary was published January 16 in Nature Medicine.
Public health experts say removing pandemic-focused language sends the wrong message. "Just because we say we're going to stop caring about these issues doesn't make the issues go away — it just makes us less prepared," Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, director of Boston University's Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, told Nature. She said that infectious threats continue to evolve in animals and can spill over into humans at any time, making preparedness critical.
NIAID manages a $6.6 billion budget. About one-third of that money supports research on emerging infectious diseases, including efforts to protect against new viruses as well as chemical and radiation threats. Another $1.5 billion funds HIV/AIDS research, according to the report. But those resources may be shrinking. Since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, the NIH workforce has been cut by about 20%, due to layoffs and resignations.
What's more, in June, federal officials also paused operations at the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy. The office was created in 2023 to help the U.S. stay ready for outbreaks, including by supporting vaccine and treatment development. Experts say that scaling back pandemic planning now could leave the country less ready for future health emergencies, especially as global disease threats persist.