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USDA researchers develop nee methods for detecting listeria
USDA scientists develop a new method to detect L. monocytogenes infection; it is a good thing, too, as the disease kills about 500 people and disables 2,500 every year in the U.S. alone
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New biosecurity encyclopedia available
Irish research group offers a comprehensive encyclopedia with valuable information about all aspects of bioterrorism and biodefense; you may want to keep it on your desk
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Purdue researchers attack food contamination with lasers and gas
University quickly establishes itself as a go-to center for homeland security technology; Bacteria Rapid Detection Using Optical Scattering Technology can identify bacteria by its scatter pattern; investors show early interest in a chlorine gas approach to produce contamination
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Blood transfusions may serve as stop-gap during flu epidemics
Therapy from the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak is reconsidered as health officials worry about vaccine supplies; recovering patients could transfer antibodies to the sick; studies will continue to test applicability to avian flu
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Public health scientists lobby to put children at the head of innoculation line
Officials have long struggled with whether to give vaccines first to the elderly or to infants; new study finds the best way to break chains of transmission is to focus on school-aged children instead
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Nanotechnology proves an effective barrier against anthrax infection
Clemson University chemist uses carbon nanotubes to attract anthrax spores; once bound, particles are too large to lodge in the lungs; aerosol spray, gel, and foam are likely commercial applications
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Patent awarded for cell phone-mounted airborne particle detector
Bio and chemical terrorism detection one possible application; allergy suffers will benefit from pollen alerts
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CDC warning system proves itself during E. coli outbreak
PulseNet allows public health authorities to compare DNA signatures and trace outbreaks; CDC officials took only one day to find similarities between Oregon and Wisconsin strains before they warned the public
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E. coli lawsuits spread faster than infection
Seattle firm Marler Clark takes the lead in bringing spinach companies to court; Natural Selection and Dole head to the dock, but settlement is the name of the game; liabilities range from $25,000 to $15 million
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New anthrax vaccine passes first round of tests
Avecia, working with $71 million in DHS dollars, looks to step in where VaxGen stumbled; research based on Army efforts in coordination with British Ministry of Defense; long-term trial currently underway
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Authentication technology may help track food contamination
ARmark’s food grade taggants can hold sixteen lines of text and can be sprayed on food or packaged in coatings; “track and trace” data is read with a handheld microscope attached to a computer; one head of lettuce could hold 1000 miniature devices
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SunGard offers Pandemic Response Planning system
Three-part program includes assessment and a simulated pandemic exercise; threat of disease outbreak often mistakenly overlooked by business continuity planners
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Project BioShield on the brink of death as competing vaccine firms collide
Effort to create stockpile stymied by poor government planning, decision to award contract to single, unqualified firm, and reliability problems; VaxGen threatens to sue government if it turns business over to rival Emergent; demands up-front payment before coducting new tests
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Dick Durbin latest congressman to support increasing nation's veterinarian force
Shortage threatens food safety and public health; bill would provide $1.5 billion over ten years to expand veterinary schools
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Contamination of leafy vegetables spurs new research
A U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded study at Ohio State will look at lesions and other problems particular to spinach and lettuce; if beef poisoning is due to undercooking, insufficient cleaning of vegetables may increase risk as well
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The long view
Global Anxiety and the Security Dimension: From Personal Despair to Political Violence
Uncertainty and despair—born of economic insecurity, social isolation, and widening inequality—have fueled a striking surge in anxiety across the United States. But this mental-health crisis is not confined by borders.
The Silent Epidemic: America’s Growing Anxiety Crisis
Anxiety—once dismissed as mere nerves or a passing phase—has become one of the most prevalent and debilitating public health issues facing Americans today. how did we get here—and what do we do now?