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China accuses U.S. of hampering probe into tainted heparin
Chinese scientists say they were refused information about victims of the recent heparin contamination and other specific details related to the case; the FDA says that federal law prevents it from sharing individual patient information with China unless information that would identify the patient is removed
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Secrets of bubonic plague bacteria's virulence revealed
Bubonic plague has killed more than 200 million people during the course of history and is thus the most devastating acute infectious disease known to man; scientists are closer to understanding bacteria’s virulence
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Drug-resistant tuberculosis on the increase in the U.K.
The incidence of tuberculosis in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland has been on the increase with more than 8,000 cases reported in 2006; the cause: changing population structure and ongoing migration
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Chinese officials accused of covering up killer virus
Chinese authorities are criticized for covering up an outbreak of a deadly enterovirus 71, which left 20 dead and more than 1,500 ill
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Researchers find source of lethal heparin
A common blood-thinning drug heparin, produced in China, was linked to more than 400 illnesses and as many as twenty-one deaths across the United States, and many more around the world; researchers find that the source of contamination was a complex carbohydrate named oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, which has a structure so similar to heparin but which is nearly undetectable
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Indonesia runs airport bird flu drill
Indonesia is the nation worst hit by the bird flu so far, with 107 dead since the first human case appeared here in 2005; authorities run a bird flu detection drill at the Bali airport
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Human testing of Vietnamese-made H5N1 vaccine
Vietnam begins human testing of Vietnamese-made H5N1 vaccine; initial tests involve 240 volunteers; Vietnam has already tested avian flu vaccine on monkeys and reports results were encouraging
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AWWA urges scientific approach to pharmaceuticals in drinking water
The sky may not be falling: Stories about pharmaceutical traces in U.S. drinking water abound, but an expert from Southern Nevada Water Authority testifies before Senate subcommittee that worries about the ill effects of such traces are exaggerated
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New killer virus found in Bolivia
New killer virus, related to the West African Lassa virus, discovered in the jungles of Bolivia; researchers say that urbanization and climate change could expand its range
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Rare, atypical mad cow case reported in Canada
A case of mad cow disease discovered in Canada in December involves an atypical strain of the infection also reported in Europe, Canadian officials said Wednesday
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South Korean avian flu situation worsens
In less than two weeks, South Korea has confirmed eleven cases of the deadly H5N1 strain, which had been contained in the southwest of the country, some 200 miles south of Seoul
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Scientists create first successful avian flu virus antibodies libraries
Libraries were developed using samples from survivors of the 2005-6 bird flu outbreak in Turkey; antibody libraries hold the promise for developing a therapy to stop a pandemic in its tracks and provide treatment to those infected, as well as pointing the way toward the development of a universal flu vaccine
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Researchers develop nasal anthrax vaccine
Current FDA-approved vaccine is given as an injection and must be administered in three doses, scheduled two weeks apart; then, to remain effective, booster shots must be given at six, twelve, and eighteen months, and then again each year after for maximum protection; University of Rochester researchers “detoxify” the one of the three toxic proteins of anthrax in an effort to simplify vaccination process
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Anxiety: Human-to-human bird flu infection in China
A 24-year old man in China probably infected his father with the H5N1 strain of bird flu before dying, renewing concerns that the disease may soon spread easily among humans
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Water monitoring system to be demonstrated in Congress technology fair
The House Committee on Homeland Security is holding a homeland security technology fair at the Rayburn building on Wednesday; a water bioterror monitoring system will be on display, and caught our eye
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The long view
Clade X pandemic exercise: Preventing the worst outcomes in future pandemics
The outbreak of a moderately contagious and moderately lethal novel pathogen precipitated a catastrophic end to the scenario in Clade X, the day-long pandemic tabletop exercise hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The scenario opens with the present-day outbreak of a new, serious respiratory disease in Germany and Venezuela. Clade X quickly causes widespread, worldwide anxiety as case counts and deaths mount. Within a year, 150 million people die from the disease—15 million in the United States alone.
Little-known virus could become the next global pandemic
A little-known virus discovered twenty years ago could become the next global pandemic. A recent outbreak of Nipah in South India has renewed interest in the virus, which has a mortality rate of up to 70 percent and has no vaccine or cure. “Emerging infections have resulted in the most devastating infectious diseases that humanity has ever faced. These include HIV, tuberculosis, measles and smallpox. History has taught us that emerging infections can be major threats,” says Stanford University epidemiologist and Nipah expert Stephen Luby.