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Debate intensifies over London's biotech super-lab
U.K. prime minister Gordon Brown unveiled an ambitious project — a £500 million biolab facility next to the reopened St. Pancras station, which will house some 1,500 scientists who now work in several different labs; the project has its critics: London city hall wants low-income housing to be built on the site; some scientists argue that centralization of research is not good for science; and citizens worry about dangerous pathogens accidentally released in a populated area
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Influenza pandemic could cost Canadian economy $9 billion
Over half of Canadian critical industry workers may not show up to work during a flu pandemic
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U.K. anthrax death attributed to handling West African drums
One source of anthrax infection is untreated animal hides; in West Africa, untreated skins of cattle, sheep, and goats are used to make drums; musicians who use these drums are susceptible to infection; in the U.S., three cases of drum-related anthrax infection were reported
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Dutch health insurance database easily accessible
The Dutch Vecozo medical database is used by Dutch health care workers to make payments easier and to check Dutch medical insurance data; trouble is, at least 80,000 people are able to search the database, which contains personal information about nearly every Dutch citizen
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Critical infrastructure employees to receive vaccine in influenza pandemic
HHS, CDC, and other government agencies conduct three-day public discussion on how to prioritize allocation of vaccine during an influenza pandemic; majority of discussants emphasize need to distribute vaccines first to employees in critical infrastructure
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China worries about outbreaks of bird flu over winter and spring
Two members of the same family are infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu in the first case in China since June; China has the world’s biggest poultry population and millions of backyard birds, and the authorities are worried
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Growing concerns about Chinese apple juice imports
In 1996, the United States imported 4.5 million gallons of apple juice concentrate from China; in 2005, 249.54 million gallons were imported; there is growing concern about what goes into these concentrates
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Self-powered biosensor sniffs out danger
University of Glasgow students win prestigious competition with a device which can sniff out pollution and then generate its own electricity to set off an early-warning system
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"Scrambled" polymers kill drug-resistant bacteria
Researchers make molecules that mimic the short proteins known as host-defense peptides; they kill bacteria, and work by sticking onto bacteria’s membranes and opening holes in them
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Prescription for trouble: China about to dominate global drug market
China dominates the production of antibiotics, and Chinese companies have captured a major share of the global sales of many vitamins, antibiotics, enzymes, and painkillers; this is not good for U.S. national security (China now controls key ingredients of Cipro and doxycycline); this is not good for U.S. consumers (China’s drug manufacturing is characterized by lax standards, little by way of enforcement, and corruption)
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Universal Detection fulfills U.K. order for anthrax detection systems
California company ships BSM-2000 anthrax detection systems to London; order includes point detection kits which are capable of detecting anthrax, ricin toxin, botulinum toxin, plague, and SEBs
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New U.S.-China trade agreement calls for tighter product safety measures
In 2007, $2 trillion worth of goods will be delivered into the U.S. by more than 825,000 importers; experts say the amount of imported goods will triple by 2015; next week the U.S. and China will sign trade agreements aiming to ensure enhanced safety of imported food, drugs, and devices; critics say these agreements do not go far enough
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Review criticizes safety analysis of proposed Boston bioterror lab
The National Research Council says that a federal study of a proposed Boston University bioterrorism lab failed to consider fully the dangers of the possible release of deadly viruses and bacteria into the surrounding neighborhood
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Living cells as bioterror detectors
Terrapin researcher has an idea for bioterror attack detection: Use cells that die when exposed to a particular pathogen, thus providing the early warning; the cells are also engineered to produce a signal, such as fluorescence, when attacked
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Foot-and-mouth disease could cost Kansas nearly a billion dollars
Researchers say that the losses for the Kansas economy from a large-scale foot-and-mouth outbreak could reach a billion dollars
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The long view
We Ran the C.D.C.: Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health
Nine former leaders of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who served as directors or acting directors under Republican and Democratic administrations, serving under presidents from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trrump, argue that HHS Secretary Roert F. Kennedy Jr. poses a clear and present danger to the health of Americans. He has placed anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists at top HHS positions, and he appears to be guided by a hostility to science and a belief in bizarre, unscientific approaches to public health.