Fort Detrick

In the spring of 2020, as the coronavirus rapidly spread throughout the world, our government reportedly sought to respond to Chinese disinformation which had attempted to deflect responsibility for the virus’ origin, claiming that it had originated in a biological research lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland.

A leaked directive from China’s Publicity Department ordered media not to report on the virus origins without permission, and a public WeChat account reposted an essay claiming the U.S. military created COVID-19 at a Fort Detrick lab and spread it to China during a 2019 athletic competition in Wuhan.

Ms. Odam directs the Office of Human and Animal Research Oversight from Fort Detrick, Maryland, and she said her team ensures rigorous regulations are enforced on taxpayer-funded research.

Army’s maximum-containment lab at Fort Detrick, Md., expressed dismay over “imprudent” lab practices he observed in inspection reports obtained by a congressional oversight committee.

Until the early 21st century, research into the most lethal pathogens — including the Ebola and Marburg viruses — was typically the domain of a handful of fortresslike laboratories around the world, such as those at Fort Detrick, Md., where scientists performed their tasks with elaborate protective gear, including air-purifying respirators and full-body pressurized suits.