Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Research center in Orient Point, United States
Plum Island Animal Disease Center is a research facility located on a small island off the northern coast of Long Island in Suffolk County. The laboratories sit on an isolated piece of land and work exclusively on animal diseases that do not exist in the United States.
The facility opened in 1954 on a former military base to study animal diseases away from the American mainland. Fort Terry, which stood there since the late 1800s, was abandoned and the buildings repurposed for veterinary research.
Scientists from multiple federal agencies collaborate at this facility to protect national food security through advanced veterinary research and diagnostic programs.
The island is not open to the public and only authorized personnel may enter the grounds. All staff pass through security checkpoints and follow strict protocols when entering and leaving laboratory areas.
The center is the only facility in North America permitted to work with live foot-and-mouth disease virus. The island location was chosen to prevent any risk of the disease spreading to livestock on the mainland.
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