Peter Daszak, the president of EcoHealth Alliance (EHA), is currently facing severe threats and harassment due to his collaboration with Chinese scientists on virus research. His family's names have reportedly appeared on a 'kill list' circulating on 4chan, prompting Daszak to describe the situation as a 'medieval' witch hunt [2e91a394]. This troubling development follows EHA's long-standing partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology, which began in 2005, but intensified scrutiny arose after the COVID-19 outbreak in late 2019 [2e91a394].
The backlash against Daszak and EHA has been exacerbated by the termination of their NIH funding in 2020, which Daszak attributes to rising tensions between the US and China that have adversely affected scientific collaboration [2e91a394]. He noted that 85% of EHA's funding was federal, and the loss has led to significant reputational damage and challenges in securing new funding for ongoing research [2e91a394]. Currently, EHA is seeking financial support for research initiatives in Southeast Asia as it navigates the fallout from these controversies [2e91a394].
Daszak's situation highlights the broader implications of US-China relations on scientific endeavors, emphasizing the need for open dialogue and collaboration in the face of geopolitical tensions [2e91a394]. The threats against him and his family underscore the risks faced by scientists engaged in international research, particularly in politically sensitive areas such as virology and infectious diseases [2e91a394].