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U.S. pandemic preparation and response are mostly local affairs, which experts say is not good
The U.S. government may talk about a nation-wide plan to combat a pandemic, but when it comes down to it most of what will be done — or not done — when a pandemic hits will be locally determined
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Federal judge: EPA director Whitman misled about NY air safety after 9/11, increasing -- even creating -- danger to public
Federal judge says former EPA director knowingly misled the public and New York City authorities about the presence of toxins in the air in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, thus contributing — perhaps even causing — many of the health problems which ensued
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Metrics: Money allocated to security grows
Motivational speakers accentuate the positive, but fear is also a great motivator — just see what countries and companies are planning to spend on defense this year
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Grain operation BioTerror Act record keeping requirement nears
The different elements of a comprehensive monitoring and regulating the different aspects of the food supply come into effect, step by step
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DHS the only federal agency to see budget increase in FY2007
Congress and the administration are going to cut the federal budget in order to fight the budget deficit — with one exception: DHS budget
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Companies offering free consultation on FDA regulation 306 compliance
Sarbanes-Oxley created a veritable compliance industry, and the 2002 Bioterrorism Act, requiring the registration of 27 different kinds of farm and home animals, is creating another compliance industry
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Bioterrorism Act mandates registration of fish and shell fish
The 2002 act also requires registration of fish and shell fish caught in the wild; now, there’s a challenge (how do you register shrimp?)
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Ohio to develop plans to protect grocery stores from bioterrorism
Ohio is developing a comprehensive plan to monitor against terrorist poisoning of grocery supplies
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Japan re-imposes ban on U.S. beef
Japan, again, bans importation of U.S. beef owing to mad cow fears
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USDA conducts food safety drills around country
USDA emphasizes federal-state collaboration in securing nation’s food supply, and holds drills to test new policy
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U.S. official: Biological attack on U.S.
State Department terrorism specialist ranks biological attack as posing the greatest danger to the U.S. population, and that it will happen
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Questions raised about national animal identification program
One of the more ambitious homeland security programs calls for tagging 27 different species of animals on U.S. farms and ranches by 2009, but critics say that it will drive small farmers out of business
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$1.9 billion pledged to combat avian flu
The World Bank wanted $1.2 billion to fight avian flu, but 33 nations have pledged $1.9 billion, allowing poorer nations to rely more on grants than loans in combating the pandemic
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Isonics to develop decontamination method for hospitals and bioterror attacks
Isonics, and energetic and innovative company, joins with others to develop a an effective decontamination solution for bioterror attacks; the good thing is that the solution will also help hospitals keep themselves free of infectious contamination, and give former Soviet weapon scientist a productive line of work
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The long view
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.”
A Brief History of Federal Funding for Basic Science
Biomedical science in the United States is at a crossroads. For 75 years, the federal government has partnered with academic institutions, fueling discoveries that have transformed medicine and saved lives. Recent moves by the Trump administration — including funding cuts and proposed changes to how research support is allocated — now threaten this legacy.
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.