OTOH: Could it have been the original source for Lyme Disease? It's less than 10 miles away from Lyme Connecticut, the epicenter and namesake of Lyme Disease. The same goes for West Nile...
Curious connection. Have you seen any newer articles about this?
The nearest Connecticut landfall from the Plum Island Animal Disease Research Center is Lyme Connecticut (see map above).
The Truth about Plum Island
Why do they need to do this kind of research in one of the most highly populated parts of America... right between New York and Boston? Wouldn't one of the Aleutian Islands be better suited?