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IBM develops technology to track spread of disease
Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (STEM) is designed to enable the rapid creation of epidemiological models for how an infectious disease spreads over time
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Pressures grow to ban Chinese food imports
The growing number of instances of tainted food and other products imported from China move members of Congress to urge consideration of importationm ban
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Kent State to establish biodefense center
Kent State transforms existing laboratory on the Kent campus to a Level 3 biosafety training laboratory and opens Center for Public Health Preparedness
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Dramatic increase in use of RFID in food supply chain
RFID technology allows for better tracking and tracing of food stuff and livestock, and new study predicts dramatic increase in use of the technology in the food supply chain
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Congress to tighten border monitoring of disease carriers
A TB-carrying patient was allowed to go out of and come back into the country, risking the infection of hundreds, despite a lookout alert for him; Congress wants tighter control
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Customers for anthrax detector in Persian Gulf states
UDT in distribution agreement for its portable anthrax detector in the Persian Gulf region
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Army continues to incinerate WMD antidote kits
Millions of dollars are wasted each year because the kits are stored in military vans rather than in cooled facilities; and there aren’t any WMDs in Iraq, right?
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More evidence that beach sand harbors E. coli
Minnesota researchers measure seasonal variations in bacteria in water; worrry over replication in bacteria in sand and sediment
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Border guard thought TB warning was "discretionary"
The system worked, but the human factor failed; despite a warning to don a mask and call health authorities, guard waved Andrew Speaker through
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Strides made in fight against bird flu
International team of researchers finds that human blood samples from Vietnam contain antibodies capable of protecting mice from infection
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Canadians form research consortium for bioactive paper
Initiative leverages advances in biochemistry with current paper-production processes; researchers aim for food packaging capable of indicating contamination
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Rope offers low-tech solution to E. coli testing problems
Alberta scientists allow cattle a good chew the night before slaughter; on-site lab then tests the saliva for signs of infection
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Vaxgen cancels anthrax vaccine program
Twenty employees are let go as company looks to sell or license its vaccine
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U.K. researchers detail genome of C. botulinum
Effort helps explains the genetic differences between the various types of clostridia
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Greater role for private industry in foreign food safety
Worries about terrorism notwithstanding, the number of imported food inspectors at U.S. seaports continues to decline; private industry may have to pick up the slack
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More headlines
The long view
Ransomware Attacks: Death Threats, Endangered Patients and Millions of Dollars in Damages
A ransomware attack on Change Healthcare, a company that processes 15 billion health care transactions annually and deals with 1 in 3 patient records in the United States, is continuing to cause massive disruptions nearly three weeks later. The incident, which started on February 21, has been called the “most significant cyberattack on the U.S. health care system” by the American Hospital Association. It is just the latest example of an increasing trend.