Archive for Week of January 19, 2010Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication.
January 19 | January 20 | January 21 | January 22
January 22, 2010
The Vaccination Campaign Against 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) and Its Continued Importance in View of the Uncertainty Surrounding the Risk Associated with the Pandemic (Eurosurveillance) Low rates of vaccine uptake have been observed during the national immunisation campaign against the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in Greece.
What Makes a Terrorist? (NPR) A young Nigerian man attempts to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day; an 88-year-old white supremacist opens fire in Washington, D.C.'s Holocaust Museum. Experts on extremism in the U.S. and abroad examine the psychology of terrorism.
MRSA Superbug Strain 'Tracked' Via Genome (BBC) Researchers have developed a technique for precisely tracking the spread of the superbug MRSA in hospitals.
Morocco, U.S. Train for Nuclear Crisis (Global Security Newswire) Officials from the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration and various Moroccan government agencies last week conducted cooperative nuclear crisis training drills.
Remarks on Internet Freedom (Department of State) Thank you very much, Alberto, for not only that kind introduction but your and your colleagues’ leadership of this important institution. It’s a pleasure to be here at the Newseum.
January 21, 2010
1918 and 2009 H1N1 Influenza Viruses Are Not Pathogenic in Birds (Journal of General Virology) The susceptibility of chickens to both 1918 and 2009 H1N1 influenza virus was evaluated. The intravenous pathogenicity index of 1918 and 2009 H1N1 viruses in chickens was 0.
Nigeria: Swine Flu - 'Vaccine Not Available' (allAfrica.com) Just a fortnight after Influenza A/H1N1 (swine flu) killed a 38-year-old woman in Lagos and eight others subsequently tested positive, Lagos State Govern-ment yesterday disclosed that Nigeria currently "has no vaccine to treat the flu virus in stock".
Japan OKs Use of Imported H1N1 Flu Vaccines (Kyodo News) The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry approved Wednesday the domestic use of H1N1 flu vaccines made by British and Swiss companies, paving the way for their use in Japan around early February for inoculation from around mid-February.
Swiss Warn on Flu Vaccine with Autoimmune Disease (Reuters) Switzerland's medical regulator recommended patients with serious autoimmune diseases should not use an H1N1 flu vaccine from Novartis (NOVN.VX), saying there were no studies assessing the inoculation in that segment of the population.
U.S. State Dept: Drug Trade Enabling WMD Acquisitions (Jerusalem Post) The explosion in the narcotics trade has provided drug cartels with the capability of acquiring radioactive material, chemical weapons and other WMD technologies, a top U.S. State Department official warned Tuesday.
Public Health Response to Influenza A(H1N1) as an Opportunity to Build Public Trust (JAMA) In June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic and in October 2009, President Obama declared it a national emergency.1
Experts Identify Key Triggers in Malaria Vaccine Hunt (Reuters) - Scientists have identified two surface molecules in the malaria parasite that could lead to developing a vaccine against the disease that kills at least one million people each year, a medical journal said on Wednesday.
Resilient American Communities: Progress in Practice and Policy (Center for Biosecurity) This conference was organized by the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC in collaboration with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism & Responses to Terrorism (START) and the Natural Hazards Center of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The purpose of this meeting was to apply state-of-the-art knowledge of resilience to the design of federal policies that will strengthen local communities and their environments to withstand disasters, epidemics, and terrorism. The summary report and videos of the day’s panel discussions and presentations are now available.
January 20, 2010
Interim Results: Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccination Coverage --- United States, October--December 2009 (MMWR) In July 2009, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) issued recommendations for use of the influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine.
Hospitalized H1N1 Patients Rising As Immunization Rate Slows (Taiwan News) The number of patients hospitalized with influenza A(H1N1) infection has continued to rise in the past two weeks, while the immunization program for the new flu strain remains at a low ebb, a health official said Sunday.
FDA: Most H1N1 Reactions Are Sore Arm (UPI) The U.S. vaccine safety monitoring systems for the H1N1 vaccine report mostly "non-serious" adverse effects, a federal official says.
Information Sharing: Federal Agencies Are Sharing Border and Terrorism Information with Local and Tribal Law Enforcement Agencies, but Additional Efforts Are Needed (GAO) Officials from 15 of the 20 local and tribal law enforcement agencies in the border communities GAO contacted said they received information directly from at least one federal agency in the vicinity (Border Patrol, ICE, or the FBI)that was useful in enhancing their situational awareness of border crimes and potential terrorist threats.
Secretary Napolitano Authorizes Activation of Reserve Coast Guard Personnel to Support Efforts in Haiti (DHS) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today authorized the temporary activation of up to 900 reserve U.S. Coast Guard service men and women to bolster the more than 500 Coast Guard personnel already serving in Haiti in support of the U.S. government’s response to the devastation caused by the Jan. 12 earthquake.
Drug Firm Boost to Malaria Fight (BBC) Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to reveal previously confidential data on thousands of potential anti-malaria compounds.
Gorillas Carry Malignant Malaria Parasite, Study Reports (ScienceDaily) The parasite that causes malignant malaria in humans has been detected in gorillas, along with two new species of malaria parasites, reports a study co-authored by UC Irvine biologist Francisco Ayala.
January 19, 2010
Another Swine Flu Virus (Effect Measure) CDC reported on their weekly FluView website on Friday that the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported to CDC that in September a boy (age not stated) had a flu like illness from which he fully recovered and for which he hadn't required hospitalization.
School Staffers Seeking H1N1 Vaccine Get Wrong Shot (The Boston Channel) Local school staffers who were supposed to be vaccinated against the H1N1 flu were mistakenly given a dose of insulin instead, NewsCenter 5 has learned.
Greece Halts Purchases of H1N1 Flu Vaccines (Reuters) Greece cancelled orders for more than 12 million doses of swine flu vaccine to reduce costs, as it struggles with soaring budget deficits, the country's health minister said.
Most Samples in NH Case Test Negative for Anthrax (AP/Yahoo! News) New Hampshire health officials say four new test samples taken from the building where a woman contracted a rare form of anthrax have shown low levels of anthrax spores.
U.S. Aging Infrastructure a National Security Concern (Homeland Security Newswire) The Northeast Blackout of 2003; the breached levees of New Orleans in 2005; and the Minneapolis I-35W bridge collapse of 2007 are all worrisome signals that U.S. infrastructure is crumbling and jeopardizing our national security, a prominent homeland security expert warned Thursday.
Managing Disasters with Small Steps (New York Times) A week ago, Elizabeth Sheehan, the founder of Containers to Clinics, a nonprofit organization in Dover, Mass., was preparing to deploy the group’s first medical clinic overseas.
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