National Institute of Health (NIH) officials have re-activated a previously terminated $576,290 federal grant to EcoHealth Alliance to study how outbreaks of deadly viruses like SARS, MERS, and now COVID-19 originate from wildlife and transfers to humans.
The move has prompted one Republican lawmaker to demand that NIH explain the decision she described as “absolutely reckless.”
“Most emerging human viruses come from wildlife, and coronaviruses in particular represent a significant threat to public health and biosecurity in the U.S. and globally, as was demonstrated by the SARS, MERS, and COVID-19 outbreaks,” is how the NIH describes the purpose of the renewed grant….