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U.S. launches National Animal Identification System; target date is 2009
Ambitious public safety measure gives livestock farmers three years to have each of their animals tagged for disease-related identification
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Crossing the gene barrier may offer solutions for persistent diseases -- and bioterror
Implanting human genes in receptive animals yields promising solutions to disease, and may hold potential for fighting bioterror
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Medarex, PhamAthene receive fast track designation to develop anthrax cure
Two companies allowed to move at an accelerated pace to develop Anthrax medication
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New York state ill-prepared for major pandemic breakout
New York state had better hope that no avian flu pandemic break, because the state is just not ready
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Johns Hopkins home to fifth Homeland Security Center of Excellence
Last month Johns Hopkins joined other academic centers to harness its considerable intellectual firepower on behalf of the nation’s security
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Danish company shows advanced multi-gas monitoring device
A company from Denmark is showing the latest version of an effective gas detector, useful in homeland security and industry
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Government, airlines tighten security to meet potential flu pandemic
Government and airlines are taking early measures to cope with avian flu pandemic; some critics say more needs to be done, but all agree that preparations are much better than was the case in Katrina
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Making it: zNose to star on
Way to go, zNose: A leading homeland security detection device stars in a TV show
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He should know
Leader of a Midwest research center predicts the government will invest more in protecting the nation’s food supply
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Illinois hospitals receive bioterror grants
DHS encourages hospitals to prepare themselves better for pandemics and bioterror attacks, and the department puts its money where its mouth is
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Of bears and men: Food supply attack may be costly, but not disastrous
Attacks on the U.S. food supply may cause much economic damage, but it is less clear how many people they will hurt because of the diversity of people’s diets
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Two new anthrax vaccines show promise
The bad news: Anthrax strains have begun to develop resistance to Bayer’s Cipro, the only anthrax vaccine in the market; the good news:Two new vaccines show promise
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Arkansas governor orders state to prepare for massive flu outbreak
State governor says he will not take any chances, ordering health authorities to offer detailed plans for flu outbreak
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More U.S. cities buy JMAR's BioSentry water-monitoring system
Safety of water supply does not rank high in cities’ security planning; this is a mistake, and more and more cities are sharing this conclusion
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Pentagon low-balled number of soldiers with anthrax vaccine side effects
Pentagon official told Congress that only about 100 soldiers suffered ill side effects from anthrax vaccine given to them between 1998 and 2000; the real number is 20,000
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The long view
Measles spreading in U.S., mostly among unvaccinated children
Measles is spreading in the U.S. As of 5 February, there were 50 cases in Washington state and five in Houston. New cases are being added daily. Health officials, including the U.S. surgeon general, are urging parents to get their children vaccinated.
A global wave of measles cases fed by conspiracies and misinformation has health officials worried
The number of people infected with measles keeps rising in the Washington State and neighboring Oregon. Rick Noack writes that “complacency over vaccinations has been accompanied by outright rejection of the scientific evidence on measles vaccines that has saved over 21 million lives since 2000, according to the WHO. Unsubstantiated conspiracy theories on supposedly negative side effects of vaccinations, either against measles or in a broader context, have gained momentum in some communities, in the United States and other countries.” He notes that deliberately spreading misinformation on vaccines to suggest that citizens are being lied to by their leaders has become a go-to recipe of some populist politicians. Thus, after years of railing against vaccines and even proposing a law against them in 2015, Italy’s Kremlin-supported Five Star Movement is now part of the country’s government.
Antimicrobial resistance: A neglected biodefense vulnerability
We typically think that biodefense is about defending against bioterrorism or the next pandemic – or, in extreme cases, about some laboratory accident. Biodefense is mostly about all these things, but also about much more. Antimicrobial resistance is not a headline-grabbing topic and it certainly is not getting its own apocalyptic outbreak movie anytime soon, but the microbial threat has been growing since antibiotics were first discovered.
New approach to defeating superbugs
Researchers have developed a new way to identify second-line antibiotics that may be effective in killing germs already resistant to a first-line antibiotic – potentially helping overcome antibiotic resistance. This new research – based on tackling antibiotic resistance via existing drugs (with a twist) — provides an approach clinicians could consult when deciding which antibiotic treatment courses will be most effective for patients.
Pandemics will cause average annual economic losses similar to losses from climate change
Economists estimate that, in the coming decades, pandemics will cause average annual economic losses of 0.7 percent of global GDP – a threat similar in scale to that estimated for climate change. Experts say that this is a level of risk that businesses can no longer afford to ignore.
Ebola crisis provides framework for how to respond to outbreaks like Zika virus
As world leaders grapple with containing the Zika virus, the Ebola epidemic in West Africa provides valuable lessons for how to respond to other infectious disease epidemics, according to a just-published policy report. Rebuilding local health care infrastructures, improving capacity to respond more quickly to outbreaks and considering multiple perspectives across disciplines during decision-making processes are among the key recommendations the authors propose.