Archive for Week of May 26, 2009Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication.
May 26 | May 27 | May 28 | May 29
May 29, 2009
Influenza A(H1N1) - Update 41 (WHO) As of 06:00 GMT, 29 May 2009, 53 countries have officially reported 15,510 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 99 deaths.
 Australia Confirms Rise in Swine Flu Cases to 103 (Bloomberg.com) Australia has confirmed 103 cases of swine flu and authorities warned that the tally would increase. The nation has 103 cases and four people have been hospitalized, Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters in Canberra.
Chile Reports 46 New Cases of Swine Flu, Now Has 165 (Bloomberg.com) Chile’s government confirmed 46 new cases of swine flu, raising the total to 165, and said the virus is firmly entrenched in the country. Chile, which reported its first case 10 days ago, is now the fifth-most affected country in the world, the Health Ministry said today in an e-mailed statement.
Managing and Reducing Uncertainty in an Emerging Influenza Pandemic (NEJM) The early phases of an epidemic present decision makers with predictable challenges that have been evident as the current novel influenza A (H1N1) virus has spread.
Scientists Identify New Lethal Virus in Africa (AP/Yahoo! News) Scientists have identified a lethal new virus in Africa that causes bleeding like the dreaded Ebola virus. The so-called "Lujo" virus infected five people in Zambia and South Africa last fall. Four of them died, but a fifth survived, perhaps helped by a medicine recommended by the scientists.
EPA Green Lights First Antimicrobial Pesticide Against Anthrax (EPA News Release) The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the first registration, or license, of an antimicrobial pesticide product to deactivate anthrax spores on hard surfaces.
Malaria Parasites 'Resist Drugs' (BBC News) International scientists say they have found the first evidence of resistance to the world's most effective drug for treating malaria.
Availability of a New Recombinant H5N1 Vaccine Virus (WHO) A new H5N1 recombinant vaccine virus has been developed by the WHO Collaborating Center for the Surveillance, Epidemiology and Control of Influenza at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (WHO CC), Atlanta, USA from A/Egypt/2321-NAMRU3/2007 (H5N1; Clade 2.2.1), thanks to the Ministry of Health & Population of Egypt for providing the virus specimens.
The Cup Half Empty (Nature Genetics) One-sixth of the world's population does not have enough food to sustain life, and the world's food supply needs to double by 2050 without increasing demand for water or fuel. Agricultural genetics is one of the easier parts of the solution.
S. Korea, U.S. Troops on High Alert (Military.com) South Korean and U.S. troops facing North Korea boosted their alert level today to the highest category since 2006, after the communist regime threatened military strikes on allied troops in escalating tensions over its nuclear test.
May 28, 2009
2009 H1N1 Influenza City’s Swine Flu Death Toll Hits 4 (New York Post) Two more New Yorkers who contracted swine flu have died -- bringing the number of city deaths from the virus to four, officials said yesterday.
Focus Turns to Lessons Learned from H1N1 Scare (American Medical News) Physicians say their experience with the flu strain helped prepare them for the next outbreak.
Fraudulent 2009 H1N1 Influenza Products List (FDA) This list is intended to alert consumers about Web sites that are illegally marketing unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized products in relation to the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus (sometimes referred to as the “swine flu” virus).
British Scientists Make H1N1 Flu Strain for Vaccine (Reuters/Yahoo! News) British scientists have produced a strain of H1N1 flu virus which could be used for large scale production of a vaccine, health authorities said on Thursday.
Also in the News
Strong Warning Over Dengue Fever in Sri Lanka (ColumboPage) The Health Ministry today issued a strong warning to the public to be more vigilant as dengue fever has developed into an epidemic. Dr. Paba Palihawadana, Director of the Epidemiology Unit, said there have been 75 deaths and over 5200 patients are infected with the dengue virus at the moment.
Dengue Fever Deaths Reach 53 in Brazilian State (Chinaview.com) The death toll from dengue fever has reached 53 in Brazil's northeastern Bahia state this year, the state's Health Secretariat said on Wednesday. According to the secretariat, it is the highest death toll since it became mandatory to report dengue cases in 1995. Over half of the dead were under 15 years old. The number of confirmed dengue fever cases in the state surpassed 73,600 as of May 16, up 173 percent from the same period last year, the secretariat said.
Dengue Fever Sets In Early This Season (Vietnam News) It is not yet the peak season for dengue fever, but the number of people coming down with it has increased in southern and central regions, says a senior official of the Ministry of Health. Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine and Environment Department, said the rainy season has come early this year with increased rainfall, accounting for the rise in dengue fever cases.
Bird Flu Virus Remains Infectious up to 600 Days in Municipal Landfills (Physorg.com) Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers from Nebraska report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another threat — the 'bird flu' virus — can remain infectious in municipal landfills for almost 2 years.
Instant Insight: Agents of Destruction (Chemical Science) MRSA (methicillin‑resistant Staphylococcus aureus), Clostridium difficile, Acinetobacter and Enterococcus species–these microorganisms are now virtually household names, and with good reason. The organisms are responsible for hospital-acquired infections that lead to over 5000 deaths in the UK alone each year. They are an enormous burden on the healthcare system - around 10 per cent of admitted hospital patients in the UK develop an infection.
20 Years of Clinical Trial Globalisation - Interactive Feature (Outsourcing‑Pharma.com) In an exclusive feature combining interactive maps with written analysis Outsourcing-Pharma explores the spread of FDA registered investigators beyond the US’ border over the past 20 years.
Obama Welcomes South Korea to Anti-Nuke Group (AP/Yahoo! News) The White House is praising South Korea's decision to join 94 other nations that seek to intercept nuclear, biological and chemical weapons destined for nations such as North Korea.
What's the Point in Patenting Genes? (Technology Review) Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit that challenges the right of Myriad Genetics to patent a genetic test for breast cancer. The suit revives the question, should human DNA be owned?
Bio-Labs Cyber Threats Ignored? (nextgov.com) Laboratories that conduct research on dangerous biological agents such as anthrax have not paid much attention to the potential of cyber threats or cyber intrusions, the Defense Science Board said in a report released this week.
U.S. Will Create Cybersecurity Czar (HSDailyWire) President Obama is set to name a cyber security czar; announcement to be timed with the release of the administration's much-anticipated cybersecurity review; the czar would have two bosses -- the national security adviser and the White House economic adviser -- in order to strike a balance between homeland security and economic concerns.
May 27, 2009
2009 H1N1 Influenza Flu Scare Reveals Strapped Local Health Agencies (AP/Google News) Facing Michigan's latest budget cuts, Kent County health director Cathy Raevsky sized up the local impact: no more nursing visits to new moms, fewer restaurant inspections and reduced communicable disease control. There was a familiarity to the cuts. "I've been doing it for seven years," she said ruefully.
Lessons from Outbreaks of H1N1 Influenza (Annals of Internal Medicine) A new H1N1 triple-reassortant "swine" influenza virus was recently described in individuals from the United States and Mexico who presented respiratory symptoms, and the same virus was subsequently confirmed in patients from several countries around the world. The circumstances surrounding the emergence of this pathogen, and the factors that facilitated the initial cross-species transmission, are still incompletely understood.
Swine Flu Reshapes Mexican Tourism (AP/Post-Gazette) Acapulco's mayor is telling tourists from Mexico City to go home, and residents are stoning their cars. Cancun's hotels are pleading for visitors to fill their empty rooms. The swine flu outbreak is remaking tourism in strange ways in a country heavily dependent on it.
Also in the News Obama Merges Homeland, National Security Staffs (Los Angeles Times) President Obama on Tuesday announced an overhaul of the White House's brain trust for dealing with 21st century threats, merging the domestic security staff with the larger team in charge of all national security issues. The move will integrate the work of the White House's Homeland Security Council, created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, within the existing National Security Council.
New FDA Chiefs Stress Science, Better Food Safety (AP/NewsVirginian.com) The huge salmonella outbreak from peanut butter represented a failure of the Food and Drug Administration, that agency's new chiefs declared Tuesday - one they hope to fix. Expect a "modern food-safety system focused on prevention of contamination," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and her deputy, Joshua Sharfstein, wrote in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Canadian Charged with Smuggling Ebola (Nature) The arrest at a U.S. border of a researcher allegedly trying to smuggle non-infectious Ebola DNA in from Canada is raising questions about high-containment lab security.
Defense Science Board Task Force Report on Department of Defense Biological Safety and Security Program (DoD) This report examines the biological safety, security, and personnel reliability programs of DoD's biological labs, and compares these labs with other similar operations in academia, industry and the federal government. The report offers recommendations for improvements in the DoD program based on this comparison.
Blast Shows North Korean Nuclear Threat Growing (AP/Google News) North Korea's second underground nuclear test has shown the world that it's only a matter of time before the secretive regime develops the ability to mount an atomic weapon on a missile, analysts say.
Energy Secretary Pushes for Action on Climate Change (FOX News) The U.S. energy secretary said Tuesday that he's had enough of talk about fighting global warming. He wants action and has pledged that America will act first to help move along the talk.
May 26, 2009
2009 H1N1 Influenza
Influenza A(H1N1) - Update 39 (WHO) As of 06:00 GMT, 26 May 2009, 46 countries have officially reported 12 954 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 92 deaths.
W.H.O. To Rewrite Its Pandemic Rules (The New York Times) Bowing to pressure, the World Health Organization announced Friday that it would rewrite its rules for alerting the world to new diseases, meaning the swine flu circling the globe will probably never be declared a full-fledged pandemic.
Swine Flu Outbreak: Past Pandemics Provide Mixed Clues to H1N1's Next Moves (Science) Ask influenza researchers where they think the swine flu outbreak is heading, and the stock reply is a flat-out refusal to speculate. But ask them whether their research into other influenza viruses and the course of past pandemics hold any clues, and they have insights aplenty. And many lessons from the past, they say, upend cherished dogma.
Antigenic and Genetic Characteristics of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Viruses Circulating in Humans (Science) Since its identification in April 2009 an A(H1N1) virus containing a unique combination of gene segments from both North American and Eurasian swine lineages has continued to circulate in humans. The lack of similarity between the 2009 A(H1N1) virus and its nearest relatives indicates that its gene segments have been circulating undetected for an extended period.
Sanofi Wins Swine Flu Vaccine Order (Forbes/AP) Sanofi Pasteur, the world's largest vaccine maker, said Monday it has won a $190 million order from the United States government to make a swine flu vaccine.
Oseltamivir- and Amantadine-Resistant Influenza Viruses A(H1N1) (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Surveillance of amantadine and oseltamivir resistance among influenza viruses was begun in Hong Kong in 2006. In 2008, while both A/Brisbane/59/2007-like and A/Hong Kong/2652/2006-like viruses (H1N1) were cocirculating, we detected amantadine and oseltamivir resistance among A/Hong Kong/2652/2006-like viruses (H1N1), caused by genetic reassortment or spontaneous mutation.
Also in the News Mystery of Potentially Fatal Reaction to Smallpox Vaccine Solved (ScienceDaily) Researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have pinpointed the cellular defect that increases the likelihood, among eczema sufferers, of developing eczema vaccinatum, a severe and potentially fatal reaction to the smallpox vaccine.
Case-Based Surveillance of Influenza Hospitalizations During 2004–2008, Colorado, USA (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Colorado became the first state to make laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations a case-based reportable condition in 2004. We summarized surveillance for influenza hospitalizations in Colorado during the first 4 recorded influenza seasons (2004–2008).
Obama Administration Launches Food Safety Working Group Website (USDA) Responding to President Obama's directive to upgrade the nation's food safety system, the White House Food Safety Working Group, led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, launched a website to provide information about the group's activities and progress.
Is Vaccine Refusal Worth the Risk? (NPR) Over the past 10 years, a highly contagious and sometimes fatal bacterial disease once thought eradicated from the U.S. has re-emerged, threatening the very youngest and weakest of our population.
Pharmathene Submits Sparvax (TM) Regulatory Strategy to FDA (PharmAthene) PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, today announced that the Company has submitted its comprehensive regulatory strategy to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlining the non-clinical and clinical development plans for licensure of SparVax(TM), a next generation recombinant protective antigen anthrax vaccine.
More Funding Urged for Yellow Fever Vaccine Stockpile (WHO) International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Yellow Fever Vaccine Provision is warning that the global emergency stockpile of yellow fever vaccine for the world’s most vulnerable populations in Africa is under threat.
North Korea Conducts Powerful Nuclear Test (AP/Military.com) North Korea carried out a powerful underground nuclear test Monday - much larger than one conducted in 2006 - in a major provocation in the escalating international standoff over its rogue nuclear and missile programs.
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