Boston, MA New Home of Infectious Disease Center

Boston University just secured $128 million in federal funding to build a lab, in the over- crowded, urban, South End of Boston, that will study infectious disease. The project will be complete by 2008.



Yeah, right. If you read the article, you'll see that three of the University's lab workers were infected with some weird disease in 2004, so I don't really know how safe their labs are for professionals, much less the local population who, if they're anything like other Americans, are having a hard time with health care right now.

I try to be forward- thinking, really, but, I find it extremely difficult to trust my so-called government when it comes to the safety of Americans. How can I take them seriously about bio-terrorism when they're setting time-bombs like this?

Originally posted by HarlemHottie

Boston University just secured $128 million in federal funding to build a lab, in the over- crowded, urban, South End of Boston, that will study infectious disease.
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University officials said the lab will be safe and will provide needed research into contagious illnesses and the risk they might pose in the hands of bioterrorists.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Yeah, right. If you read the article, you'll see that three of the University's lab workers were infected with some weird disease in 2004, so I don't really know how safe their labs are for professionals, much less the local population who, if they're anything like other Americans, are having a hard time with health care right now.

Boston has some of the best health care facilities in the world. Take it from someone with first-hand experience.

The three workers you talk about were infected with tularemia, or rabbit fever, which shows up in 49 of the 50 states. It is treatable with antibiotics.

I try to be forward- thinking, really, but, I find it extremely difficult to trust my so-called government when it comes to the safety of Americans. How can I take them seriously about bio-terrorism when they're setting time-bombs like this?

I notice that you give your location as NYC, which has fallen to second place behind Boston as beneficiary of NIH research funds since 1994. Do I detect a sense of sour grapes here?

Hmmm... and didn't/doesn't the new Merck research facility open in Boston's Back Bay area this year?

Are we seeing a trend? Is it anymore than an economic development plan?

I think it's really nothing more than old-fashioned competition. Boston does have a good reputation for research, with MIT, Harvard, Tufts, etc. right in town. Plus it has a lot of the benefits of a bigger city without some of the problems.

That's not to downplay the rest of the cities that were vying for these funds; it's just that success breeds more success, and it's currently Boston's turn to succeed.