Archive for Week of January 27, 2010Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication.
January 25 | January 26 | January 27 | January 28 | January 29
January 29, 2010
Detection of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Virus in Patients Treated with Oseltamivir (Emerging Infectious Diseases) In April 2009, an influenza outbreak caused by a novel strain of influenza virus A (H1N1) was identified in Mexico.
 Outbreaks of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) Among Long-Term--Care Facility Residents --- Three States, 2009 (MMWR) Hospitalization and death from seasonal influenza are more common among older adults and in long-term--care facilities (LTCFs).
Citing 9/11, Blair Defends Legacy at Iraq Inquiry (New York Times) Almost seven years after he ordered British troops to join the American-led invasion of Iraq, former Prime Minister Tony Blair offered a passionate defense of his actions on Friday, saying he would take the same steps again to counter what he depicted as a threat from Saddam Hussein that had assumed far greater dimensions after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Gates Foundation to Double Spending on Vaccines (New York Times) Endorsing vaccines as the world’s most cost-effective public health measure, Bill and Melinda Gates said Friday that their foundation would more than double its spending on them over the next decade, to at least $10 billion.
Electronic Health Records: DOD and VA Interoperability Efforts Are Ongoing; Program Office Needs to Implement Recommended Improvements (GAO) DOD and VA previously established six objectives that they identified as necessary for achieving full interoperability; they have now met the remaining three interoperability objectives that GAO previously reported as being partially achieved—expand questionnaires and self-assessment tools, expand DOD’s inpatient medical records system, and demonstrate initial document scanning.
Farmers Talk Ag Terror (recorderonline.com) Government officials visited the International Agri-Center on Monday to raise awareness of the threat, impacts and response needs involved in a potential terrorist attack on the area’s thriving agricultural sector.
Report: Critical Infrastructures Under Constant Cyberattack Globally (Wired) Critical infrastructure systems around the world are the targets of repeated cyberattacks, according to a new global survey of technology executives in these industries.
January 28, 2010
Canada to Donate H1N1 Vaccine to the WHO (Canwest News Service/Canada.com) The federal government will announce Thursday that Canada is donating five million doses of its excess H1N1 vaccine to the World Health Organization, Canwest News Service has learned.
Salmonella Found in Pepper Used in Recalled Salami (CIDRAP News) Daniele Inc., the Rhode Island company whose salami products have been linked to a Salmonella outbreak that has grown to 40 states, has reported finding the pathogen in black pepper used in the products.
NH Anthrax Victim Better, Building Cleanup Planned (AP/WBZ) A woman who contracted a rare form of anthrax nearly two months ago remains hospitalized but is now able to answer questions from state health officials, the deputy state epidemiologist said Wednesday.
Napolitano Outlines DHS Priorities for 2010 (HS Today) President Barack Obama may outline his plans for the entire federal government over the next year in his State of the Union address Wednesday night, but Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano provided reporters with an overview of her department's priorities in 2010 in a press conference Tuesday.
Medical Surge Capacity: Workshop Summary (IOM) During natural disasters, disease pandemics, terrorist attacks, and other public health emergencies, the health system must be prepared to accommodate a surge in the number of individuals seeking medical help.
Studies in Mexico and Africa Demonstrate the Effectiveness of Rotavirus Vaccine (The Medical News) For the first time ever, studies in Mexico and Africa, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate a reduction in diarrheal disease deaths following rotavirus vaccine introduction in Mexico and vaccine efficacy among impoverished populations in Malawi and South Africa.
More Melamine-tainted Milk Products Found in China (AP/Yahoo! News) Melamine-tainted dairy products were pulled from convenience store shelves in southern China more than a year after hundreds of thousands of children had been sickened in a massive milk safety scandal, a government spokeswoman said Monday.
January 27, 2010
European Hearing Airs WHO Pandemic Response, Critics' Charges (CIDRAP News) Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and a vaccine-maker trade group at a public hearing today defended themselves against allegations from some European politicians that they exaggerated the H1N1 pandemic threat to benefit drug companies.
Obama to Unveil New Plan to Fight Bioterrorism (VOANews.com) U.S. President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address Wednesday to unveil a new plan for a better and quicker response to bioterrorism and other threats to public health.
Problems Remain in Homeland Security Oversight (CongressDaily/GovernmentExecutive.com) Congress' failure to act on the 9/11 Commission's recommendation to reform and sharply simplify the overlapping maze of 17 congressional committees claiming jurisdiction over homeland security is the biggest problem remaining since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the co-chairmen of the panel said Tuesday.
Battling Against Biological Threats with Ultrasonics (HSNW) A tweezers-like device uses ultrasonics to detect bioterror agents; when a small sample such as a powdery anthrax mix is placed inside the device, an array of piezoelectric transducers would generate an ultrasonic force field onto the sample; security officials would be able to detect anthrax from innocuous powders in the mix through differences in compressibility and density.
Documentary Advances Nuclear Free Movement (NPR) The documentary Nuclear Tipping Point features interviews with four former U.S. government officials — all dedicated Cold War warriors when they were in office — who now advocate the elimination of nuclear weapons.
January 26, 2010
Canada's Olympic-sized Plan to Fight H1N1(CNN) Largest host city of any Winter Olympics prepares for possible new wave of H1N1.
The Anthrax Attacks Remain Unsolved (Wall Street Journal) The investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks ended as far as the public knew on July 29, 2008, with the death of Bruce Ivins, a senior biodefense researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, MD.
Report Card: Government Failing to Protect America from Grave Threats of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism (Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism News Release) Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), chair and vice chair of the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, today released a report card indicating that the U.S. government is not taking the necessary steps to protect the country from the threats posed by WMD and terrorism.
Al Qaeda Weapons of Mass Destruction Threat: Hype or Reality? (Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs) Several terrorist groups have actively sought weapons of mass destruction (WMD) of one kind or another. To date, however, al Qaeda is the only group known to be pursuing a long-term, persistent and systematic approach to developing weapons to be used in mass casualty attacks.
Testimony Regarding: Emergency Preparedness: State Efforts to Plan for Medical Surge Could Benefit from Shared Guidance for Allocating Scarce Medical Resources (GAO) In its June 2008 report, which is summarized in this statement, GAO found that following a mass casualty event that could involve thousands, or even tens of thousands, of injured or ill victims, health care systems would need the ability to "surge," that is, to adequately care for a large number of patients or patients with unusual medical needs.
U.S. Should Embrace Using Nukes for Nuclear Threat Only, Experts Say (Global Security Newswire) The greatest contribution the Obama administration's forthcoming review of U.S. nuclear strategy could make to nonproliferation is to establish a doctrine that pledges to use such weapons only against atomic threats, a leading disarmament advocate said last week.
“Chemical Ali” Executed (Homeland Security Newswire) Saddam Hussein's cousin executed by Iraqi government for “Crimes against humanity”.
Pentagon Searches for ‘Digital DNA’ to Identify Hackers (Wired) One of the trickiest problems in cyber security is trying to figure who’s really behind an attack.
January 25, 2010
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Update 84 (WHO) As of 17 January 2010, worldwide more than 209 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 14142 deaths.
Statement of the World Health Organization on Allegations of Conflict of Interest and 'Fake' Pandemic (WHO) Providing independent advice to Member States is a very important function of the World Health Organization (WHO). We take this work seriously and guard against the influence of any improper interests. The WHO influenza pandemic policies and response have not been improperly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry.
Update: Influenza Activity --- United States, August 30, 2009--January 9, 2010 (MMWR) The emergence and spread of the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (2009 H1N1) resulted in extraordinary influenza activity in the United States throughout the summer and fall months of 2009.
Correlates of Severe Disease in Patients with 2009 Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) Virus Infection (CMAJ) In the context of 2009 pandemic influenza (H1N1) virus infection (pandemic H1N1 influenza), identifying correlates of the severity of disease is critical to guiding the implementation of antiviral strategies, prioritization of vaccination efforts and planning of health infrastructure. The objective of this study was to identify factors correlated with severity of disease in confirmed cases of pandemic H1N1 influenza.
Officials Fear Toxic Ingredient in Botox Could Become Terrorist Tool (Washington Post) In early 2006, a mysterious cosmetics trader named Rakhman began showing up at salons in St. Petersburg, Russia, hawking a popular anti-aging drug at suspiciously low prices.
Drill Held at Border in Case of Disease Outbreak at Olympics (kirotv.com) Emergency responders are in the city of Blaine to conducting a drill to prepare for the possibility of a disease outbreak at the winter Olympics that could cause a flood of people trying to cross the border from Canada back into the US.
Llama Research Aids Defense Against Potential Bioweapon (HealthDay News/Business Week) Using proteins found in llamas, researchers have produced a way to simultaneously detect seven types of neurotoxins that cause botulism.
Duke Awarded up to $43 Million to Develop Test for Dirty Bomb/Radiation Exposure (Duke Medicine News and Communications) Duke University has received a $3.7 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to develop a rapid and accurate genomic-based diagnostic test that can determine if a person has been exposed to radiation from a dirty bomb or nuclear attack.
| 
