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You thought 9/11 was bad? Pandemic threats to national security (rant #1)

We already knew that the chronic disease pandemic was creating a national security threat. The military has stated for years that it is having trouble recruiting, since so many young people are obese & unfit to enlist. 

Now we are realizing that our public health weaknesses have made us much more vulnerable to COVID-19...& to future infectious disease pandemics.  Not just our health, but our national security is at stake.

Dr. Scott Gottlieb, until recently head of the FDA, just warned that future pandemics could present an "asymmetric threat" to the USA (starting in video at 5:25).  Think how much damage less than two dozen Al Qaeda terrorists did--now think much bigger.  Nearly 3000 Americans died in the 9/11 attacks--compared to >200,000 now expected to have died from COVID-19 in the coming months.

Americans' much higher chronic disease prevalence magnifies this infectious disease risk.  Why wouldn't China, Russia, Iran or other hostile countries unleash microbes on Americans, which could do much more harm to the USA than to their nations?  We already know that both influenza & COVID-19 are riskier for people with underlying health conditions.  

In spite of persistent warnings from military & health leaders, we have ignored the national security risks of inactivity & unhealthy nutrition for decades.  Will we continue to stand by, while our nation's security risks worsen--in ways that could be prevented?

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