Next to these 'battlefields' that are cherished for their safety, Goudsmit avoids policymaking, for he loathes the conflicts of interest and the consensus finding. He has developed a love of purity in expertise that excludes policy rooms. Because of his love of purity, the preference for a clear expert role and the resulting choices, we refer to him as the puritan. Following years of a pandemic warning, the rapid spread of SARS, and numerous actual or possible outbreaks, politicians in the Netherlands were well aware that the lack of political responsibility, coordination, and strategic planning for outbreaks needed to be addressed. Furthermore, in 2003 a veterinarian died after being infected with bird flu. 16 This focusing event (Birkland 1997) triggered the shift to the fifth stage, during which there were endeavours to increase control over the viral threats. What is remarkable about this shift is that although the virologists occupied different positions and held different views on the science-policy-public nexus, they pushed it through collectively.