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First batch of swine flu vaccine shipped
Connecticut-based company ships first batch — 100,000 doses — of its swine flu vaccine; Protein Sciences Corporation uses insect cell technology to develop the vaccine
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Scientists block Ebola infection in cell-culture experiments
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered two biochemical pathways that the Ebola virus relies on to infect cells; breakthrough could lead to first therapy for deadly disease
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Army lab find 9,220 uncatalogued vials of Ebola, anthrax, and plague
U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Fort Detrick, Maryland finds 9,220 unregistered vials of Ebola, anthrax, plague, and other pathogens
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Swine flu tally past 52,000
The United States remains the most infected country with 21,449 cases; biggest jump in cases was recorded in Canada
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Hosted model suitable for disaster recovery plans
Business continuity was once complex and costly; new services offer continuity and disaster recovery services which are less expensive, more technologically rich
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Chatham creates School of Sustainability and the Environment
Two trends — globalization and the centralization of food production — have pushed food safety issues to the fore; Chatham University launches a new degree program designed to provide students with “a deep understanding of the issues surrounding food such as the environmental costs of food production and distribution, cultural issues, sustainability of communities, and safety of the food supply”
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WHO declares H1N1 swine flu an official pandemic
Declaration will activate a slew of government pre-orders for pandemic vaccine, which will take precedence over recent orders for H1N1 vaccine; countries that do not have pre-orders will also face delays
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Scientists reveal swine flu origins
Oxford University researchers use computational methods to reconstruct the origins and timescale of this new pandemic; the latest swine flu strain has been circulating among pigs, possibly among multiple continents, for many years prior to its transmission to humans
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U.K. white supremacists plotted to use ricin against minorities
White supremacist cell in the U.K. plotted to use ricin to kill black people and other ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom; ricin is 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide
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Panel object to using bioterrorism funds for swine flu
The Obama administration’s requested to take $3 billion from the Project BioShield Special Reserve Fund for use in the effort to contain sine flu; expert panel says it a risky move
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U.K. hospitals missing true scope of swine flu infection
An expert says the extent of swine flu infection in the United Kingdom is being underestimated because hospitals are failing to test patients with respiratory illnesses for the virus
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Dutch researchers develop new virus detector
A prototype of a new system can detect within minutes if an individual is infected with a virus; the system carry out measurements many times faster than standard techniques, and it is also portable
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New lethal virus discovered in Africa
Scientists identify a lethal new virus — called Lujo — which has already killed four people in Zambia and South Africa; the bug comes from a family of viruses found in rodents
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Opgal technology helps identify flu patients
Israeli company says its heat sensors can help stem the spread of swine flu and other diseases which cause elevated body tempreture
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Flu vaccine contracts worth $46.7 million awarded
Two companies awarded $46.7 million to supply influenza vaccine to the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies
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The long view
What We’ve Learned from Survivors of the Atomic Bombs
Q&A with Dr. Preetha Rajaraman, New Vice Chair for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
Combatting the Measles Threat Means Examining the Reasons for Declining Vaccination Rates
Measles was supposedly eradicated in Canada more than a quarter century ago. But today, measles is surging. The cause of this resurgence is declining vaccination rates.
Social Networks Are Not Effective at Mobilizing Vaccination Uptake
The persuasive power of social networks is immense, but not limitless. Vaccine preferences, based on the COVID experience in the United States, proved quite insensitive to persuasion, even through friendship networks.
Vaccine Integrity Project Says New FDA Rules on COVID-19 Vaccines Show Lack of Consensus, Clarity
Sidestepping both the FDA’s own Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee and the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), two Trump-appointed FDA leaders penned an opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine to announce new, more restrictive, COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Critics say that not seeking broad input into the new policy, which would help FDA to understand its implications, feasibility, and the potential for unintended consequences, amounts to policy by proclamation.
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
“Tulsi Gabbard as US Intelligence Chief Would Undermine Efforts Against the Spread of Chemical and Biological Weapons”: Expert
The Senate, along party lines, last week confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National intelligence. One expert on biological and chemical weapons says that Gabbard’s “longstanding history of parroting Russian propaganda talking points, unfounded claims about Syria’s use of chemical weapons, and conspiracy theories all in efforts to undermine the quality of the community she now leads” make her confirmation a “national security malpractice.”