November 17, 2008
Obama Administration, DoD, DHS, and GAO Prepare for TransitionOn November 4, 2008, the DoD’S Defense Science Board released a report outlining defense priorities for the incoming Obama administration. While focusing on nuclear, biological, and radiological weapons of mass destruction, the report also notes the threat of cyber terrorism and calls both for clarification of DoD’s role in domestic catastrophe relief and for improved coordination of federal preparedness and response efforts.1 On November 10, 2008, National Public Radio reported that for 18 months, DHS has been preparing for the incoming presidential administration to ensure a smooth transition during a time of perceived vulnerability to a terrorist attack.2 Among other preparations, DHS is ensuring the availability of career personnel who will provide continuity of experience during the transition.2 Citing the 2000 USS Cole bombing and the 9/11 attacks, the 9/11 Commission identified transitions as times of increased likeliness of terrorist attacks.2 Both the GAO and the Office of the President-Elect launched websites to assist in the transition. The GAO’s site offers recommendations to Congress and the Obama Administration regarding the nation’s risks and challenges and identifies issues it considers in need of urgent attention.3 The website of the Obama Administration provides news and general information related to the transition.4 Kunal Rambhia References - Defense Science Board: U.S. Department of Defense. Defense Imperatives for the New Administration. November 2008. http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/reports/2008-11-Defense_Imperatives.pdf. Accessed November 13, 2008.
- Fessler P. Homeland security department preps for transition. National Public Radio. November 10, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96827904. Accessed November 13, 2008.
- U.S. Government Accountability Office. Serving Congress and the nation website. http://www.gao.gov/transition_2009. Accessed November 13, 2008.
- Office of the President-Elect. Change.gov website: http://www.change.gov. Accessed November 13, 2008.
H5N1 Vaccine Safe and Immunogenic in Children
In the December 2008 issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Hungarian researchers report results of the first published study of H5N1 vaccine in children. The authors report that Omnivest’s pre-pandemic H5N1 influenza vaccine is safe and able to provoke an immune response in children.1 In the trial, 12 healthy children were inoculated with a single dose of Omnivest’s aluminum-adjuvanted H5N1 vaccine, approved in Hungary for use in adults. At 21 days, a 75% seroprotection rate was determined by neutralizing antibody titers. There were no adverse events.1 Realizing the limits of their sample size, the authors stress the importance of their findings in light of data revealing that children are at high risk for influenza complications and evidence that vaccinating children provides secondary benefits in terms of viral transmission. They also emphasize the high immunogenicity of their vaccine after just a single dose. The research team states that they have recently completed another (unpublished) study in adults over 60 with similar results.1 Amesh Adalja References - Vajo Z, Kosa L, Szilvasy I, et al. Safety and immunogenicity of a prepandemic influenza A (H5N1) vaccine in children. Pediatr Infec Dis J. 2008;27. http://www.pidj.com/pt/re/pidj/abstract.00006454-900000000-99761.htm;jsessionid=JcBBYPpYJp1nWbvjvrtrXL3ZV6ZKX2l0kQ3Mr1D3jk8570dw1QD8!1285625425!181195628!8091!-1. Accessed November 13, 2008.
Climate Change and Global Health: A Role for Public Health
The American Journal of Preventative Medicine released a special November issue that focuses entirely on the intersection of climate change and global health. In an introductory editorial, the editors emphasize that global climate change is having a profound effect on the world’s population and suggest that public health interventions have the potential to produce health benefits and affect climate change directly.1 One study of note, Building Human Resilience: The Role of Public Health Preparedness and Response As an Adaptation to Climate Change, addresses the role of public health professionals in increasing community resilience to climate change. Results of this study suggest that the best way to reduce a community’s vulnerability and increase resilience is through public health-led planning for natural disasters that addresses not just public health, but also emergency or disaster management and climate change. The author also notes that local planning activities can be implemented more easily if they are supported by national and international policy.2 Crystal Franco References - Frumkin H, McMichael A, Hess J. Climate change and the health of the public. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2008;35(5):401-402. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749379708007071. Accessed November 13, 2008.
- Keim M. Building human resilience: the role of public health preparedness and response as an adaptation to climate change. American Journal of Preventative Medicine. 2008;35(5):401-402. http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0749379708006879. Accessed November 13, 2008.
FDA Revises Food Import Standards
On November 10, 2008, CIDRAP reported that the FDA is changing its requirement for the advance notice of food imports following the October release of its final rule and draft compliance, which will take effect May 6, 2009.1 Food carriers will be required to give the FDA 8 hours’ advance notice of food shipments arriving by boat, 4 hours for those arriving by air or rail, and 2 hours for those arriving by road. Firms will be able to file notices up to 15 days prior to shipment arrival; the limit now is just 5 days in advance. Furthermore, importers will no longer be excused from identifying the manufacturer of processed food if they do not know who the manufacturer is.1 In early November, the GAO identified food safety as one of the 13 issues in need of urgent attention by the new administration and Congress. GAO specifically highlighted the flawed federal regulatory system, under which 15 different agencies now administer food safety laws. According to the GAO, oversight under the current system is inconsistent, and the response to food-borne diseases is often ineffective. The GAO also suggested that the new Administration address discrepancies in funding for regulatory agencies.2 Nidhi Bouri References - FDA adjusts rules on prior notice of food imports. CIDRAP News Release. November 10, 2008. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/biosecurity/food-biosec/news/nov1008food.html. Accessed on November 13, 2008.
- GAO lists top “urgent issues” for next president and Congress; unveils new transition website [news release]Washington, D.C.: Government Accountability Office; November 6, 2008. http://www.gao.gov/press/press-transition-release2008nov06.pdf. Accessed November 13, 2008.
Brief Mentions
During a recent legislative meeting, the Knesset, the Israeli house of representatives, passed the first law regulating supervision of civilian research on pathogens that have the potential for use as biological weapons. This law will prevent both unsupervised work with dangerous pathogens and publication of scientific articles containing sensitive information that could lead to the proliferation of biological weapons. The U.S. Army is scheduled to begin draining and neutralizing a drum containing the chemical weapon sarin, which is stockpiled in Kentucky. This process is being initiated 15 months after the nerve agent began leaking from the drum. A stockpile of chemical weapons—including sarin and mustard gas—that remains in Kentucky and Colorado is scheduled to be destroyed by 2017. To meet this deadline, DoD has received $427.5 million for FY2009. On November 10, 2008, the White House announced that President Bush amended Executive Order 12938, which declared a “national emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and the means of delivering such weapons.” The amendment extends this executive order for another year. Google is using aggregated search data to estimate flu activity, claiming it will be able to do so up to 2 weeks faster than traditional tracking systems. The Google Flu Trends surveillance system is based on the corporation’s observation that many Americans turn to internet search engines for information on flu symptoms prior to seeking medical attention. With $7 million in funding from DHS, GE is developing a mobile radiation detection system called Standoff Radiation Imaging System. This prototype imaging system will attach to vehicles, such as those of law enforcement officers and first responders, and will be able to detect radioactive materials to a high degree of sensitivity while the vehicle is moving.
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