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GSK donates bird flu vaccine to WHO
The bird flu vacinne market is estimated to be worth more than $1 billion in sales, and leading drug makers actively work on such a vaccine
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New global infectious disease reporting goes into effect today
Member states of the World Health Organization unanimously agree to a new set of epidemic reporting rules — even if such reporting hurts local economies
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China promises safe food for 2008 Olympic Games
China expects 10,000 athletes, 500,000 foreign visitors, and 1 million Chinese to converge on Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games; stung by criticism of food safety standards, government says food will be safe
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UAV tracks airborne pathogens
Virginia Tech researchers build a UAV that detects and tracks airborne pathogens above agricultural areas; a new field is born: aerogenomics
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Indonesia reports asymptomatic H5N1-infected poultry
Indonesia, China report bird flu traces found in healthy-looking poultry, increasing risk of human infection
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More beef, chicken products recalled as E. coli contamination spreads
California-based meat distributor orders recall of 5.7 million pounds of both fresh and frozen products; Tyson recalls 40,000 pounds of ground beef
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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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The long view
Critical Action Needed to Address Growing Biosecurity Risks
A new report warns that biosecurity risks are increasing. Emerging technologies and other trends are making biological threats more numerous, frequent, and consequential. The report outlines how emerging biotechnology must itself be used to secure biology, akin to how software is required to secure software.
Funding Cuts, Policy Shifts, and the Erosion of U.S. Scientific and Public Health Capacity
The U.S. continues to face mounting threats to its health, scientific enterprise, and national security. A recent report warns that proposed FY 2026 budget cuts to the National Science Foundation (NSF) could reduce its funding by more than half – from $9 billion in FY 2025 to under $4 billion. If passed by Congress, these cuts would result in an estimated ~$11 billion in economic losses.
How RFK Jr.’s Misguided Science on mRNA Vaccines Is Shaping Policy − a Vaccine Expert Examines the False Claims
On Kennedy’s instructions, NIH is funneling money away from new mRNA technologies toward a single project developing universal vaccines based on traditional whole-virus vaccine technology. Kennedy justified the decision with a series of false assertions about vaccines and their underlying technology. Abandoning mRNA vaccine research may lead to lives needlessly lost, whether due to potential medicines untapped or to pandemic unpreparedness.