Archive for Week of February 8, 2010Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication. February 8 | February 9 | February 10 | February 11 | February 12
February 12, 2010
WHO to Decide Whether Worst Over in H1N1 Pandemic (Reuters/Yahoo! News) The World Health Organization will convene its emergency committee later this month to examine whether the H1N1 flu pandemic has peaked, its top influenza expert said on Thursday.
 2009 H1N1 and Seasonal Influenza and Hispanic Communities: Questions and Answers (CDC) Since April 2009, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus has been spreading from person-to-person worldwide, affecting all racial and ethnic groups.
Low Acceptance of Vaccination Against the 2009 Pandemic Influenza A(H1N1) Among Healthcare Workers in Greece (Eurosurveillance) A questionnaire survey on the attitude of healthcare workers towards pandemic influenza vaccination showed low acceptance (17%) of the pandemic vaccine.
Weekly Influenza Surveillance Overview (ECDC) The 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic is well past its peak in EU/EEA countries. In eight countries (the majority of which are in Eastern Europe), local or regional transmission of the pandemic virus continues at low to medium intensity.
Update: Mumps Outbreak --- New York and New Jersey, June 2009--January 2010 (MMWR) State and local health departments, in collaboration with CDC, continue to investigate a mumps outbreak that began in New York in June 2009.
Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (dni.gov) Chairman Feinstein, Vice Chairman Bond, Members of the Committee, thank you for the invitation to offer the Intelligence Community’s assessment of threats to US national security.
L.A. Ports Add Ship to Screen for Biological Weapons (AP/ABC News) A new ship to detect chemical and biological weapons has been launched to protect the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
Hub Nodes Inhibit the Outbreak of Epidemic Under Voluntary Vaccination (New Journal of Physics) It is commonly believed that epidemic spreading on scale-free networks is difficult to control and that the disease can spread even with a low infection rate, lacking an epidemic threshold.
One-Third of Antimalarial Medicines Sampled in 3 African Nations Found To Be Substandard (Medical News TODAY) The first results from a large-scale study of key antimalarial medicines in ten Sub-Saharan African countries reveal that a high percentage of medicines circulating on national markets are of substandard quality and thus may contribute to the growth of drug-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the most virulent form of malaria.
February 11, 2010
CDC Releases Pandemic Guide for Primary Care (CDC) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a planning template for primary care medical practices that may have to cope with increased numbers of patient visits and calls during an influenza pandemic.
Qatar to Cancel Further Imports of H1N1 Vaccine (Trade Arabia) Qatar's Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has decided to cancel imports of the H1N1 vaccine, after a drop in the number of H1N1 influenza cases in the country.
Anthrax Heroin Death in Blackpool Investigated (BBC) Health officials have confirmed a heroin user, who tested positive for anthrax, has died.
HHS Advisors Face Short Deadline for Analyzing Biodefense (CIDRAP News) A committee that advises the US Department of Health and Human Services on biodefense issues took the first steps today to meet the tough assignment of analyzing the challenges facing HHS's medical countermeasures program and completing a report by Mar 26.
Virus-like Particle Vaccine Protects Against 2009 H1N1 Pandemic Influenza Virus in Mice (PLoS One) The 2009 influenza pandemic and shortages in vaccine supplies worldwide underscore the need for new approaches to develop more effective vaccines.
Immunovaccine Offers Enhanced Anthrax Vaccine Candidate (Homeland Security Newswire) Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based Immunovaccine Inc. used the occasion of the Canada-U.S. Partners in Biomedical Defense II Conference in Washington, D.C. today, 10 February 2010, to present positive new research, done in collaboration with Defense Research and Development Canada, confirming the number of required doses for an anthrax vaccine candidate can be reduced when formulated in DepoVax.
Iran Proclaims New Success in Uranium Enrichment (AP/Yahoo! News) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed Thursday that Iran has produced its first batch of uranium enriched to a higher level, saying his country will not be bullied by the West into curtailing its nuclear program a day after the U.S. imposed new sanctions.
February 10, 2010
Senegal Confirms H1N1 Outbreak (AfricaNews) The Senegalese Minister of Health and Preventive Medicine, Modou Diagne Fada, confirmed that the country had been hit by the epidemic AH1N1 influenza.
Gov't Moves to Stop Delivery of More Swine Flu Vaccines (Jerusalem Post) Due to the very low demand for H1N1 flu vaccine - less than a tenth of the population has gone for the 7.3 million doses ordered - the Health Ministry has asked that the last two million of them not be shipped to Israel.
Public Outcry over Swine Flu Tests on Romanian Children (WAZ.euobserver.com) Growing concern in Romania about the opaque circumstances in which a vaccine against swine flu is being tested on children has forced health authorities to postpone the launch of the vaccination campaign by at least one month.
Global Swine Flu Death Toll Falls in Past Week: WHO (AFP/The Gazette) The global death toll from swine flu has risen to 15,174, up 463 from a week ago, but the pandemic is steadily losing momentum around the world, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.
Anthrax Alert for Heroin Users in London (Health Protection Agency) The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS London can confirm that a drug injecting heroin user has tested positive for anthrax and is being treated in a London hospital.
Major Review of Biodefense Measures to Start Soon (CIDRAP News) A comprehensive review of the nation's tools for reducing the impact of a biological weapons attack or other public health emergency—prompted in part by last fall's delays in delivery of the pandemic H1N1 vaccine—is due to get under way in the next few weeks with a pair of conferences.
Al Qaeda Still Pursues WMD Attack; Aqap Calls for Attacks (HSToday) Coming on the heels of the administration’s top intelligence officials having publicly agreed during an appearance before Congress last week that they are "certain" that Al Qaeda or one of its franchises will attempt to attack the United States in the next six months, Saeed Al Shehri, a top leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has called for attacks against the interests of infidels anywhere in the world.
Small Step in Iran’s Nuclear Effort Suggests Ambitions for a Weapon, Experts Say (New York Times) Iran’s stated intention to enrich uranium to higher levels is in one sense another incremental act of brinkmanship in a standoff with the West. But nuclear specialists say it also suggests that the country is striving to make real technical progress toward producing a bomb.
February 9, 2010
Global Tamiflu-Resistant H1N1 Cases Reach 225 (CIDRAP News) The World Health Organization (WHO) reported today that 225 cases of H1N1 flu with resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) have been found worldwide, and resistant viruses have spread from person to person in several clusters but have not spilled into the community.
Swine Flu Vaccine Safe, California and CDC Data Show (USA Today) At the height of fears over H1N1 flu this fall, some vaccination foes claimed it was safer to get swine flu than to be inoculated against it. But data from California show that getting the flu was drastically far more dangerous.
Protect Kids Against Swine Flu, Doctors Urge (The Australian) NOW is the ideal time to vaccinate young children against influenza, the New South Wales Government says, ahead of a possible epidemic this winter. The second wave of H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu, is expected to break out in the next few months, and with children now returning to daycare, preschool or primary school, GPs and community health centres are prepared.
More Than 1,000 Get Mumps in New York, New Jersey Since August (CNN Health) More than 1,000 people in New Jersey and New York, many of them adolescent Orthodox Jews, have been sickened with mumps since August, health authorities said Monday.
New Federal Climate Change Agency Forming (AP/Yahoo! Finance) The Obama administration on Monday proposed a new agency to study and report on the changing climate.
Olympic Security Doesn't Stop at Canadian Border (USA Today) A few days before the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, the doors to a nondescript warehouse will open here without fanfare. Inside the refurbished, low-slung structure, U.S. officials have constructed an elaborate, $4 million communications complex where law enforcement, public health and military analysts representing 40 agencies will scrutinize potential threats to the Olympics.
Vaccine Selection for the 2010–2011 Influenza Season (CDC) The viruses used in making seasonal flu vaccines are chosen each year based on information collected over the previous year about which flu viruses are spreading and causing the most illness. Viruses gathered by 130 national influenza centers in 101 countries as well as information on disease trends are further analyzed by the five World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centers for Reference and Research on Influenza located in Atlanta, USA (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC) ; London, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; and Beijing, China.
Secretary Napolitano Launches Public Engagement Website (DHS News Release) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced the launch of a new online public engagement tool designed to solicit input from the public on ways to enhance transparency, participation, collaboration and innovation at the Department—part of President Obama's Open Government Directive.
February 8, 2010
Most Americans Think Swine Flu Pandemic Is Over, a Harvard Poll Finds (NY Times) Most Americans do not intend to get the swine flu vaccine, assume the pandemic is over and think the flu threat was overblown, according to a poll released Friday by the Harvard School of Public Health.
Swine Flu Still Out There, Officials Caution (Reuters) H1N1 swine flu is still circulating around the world and still killing people, although it is on the decline everywhere, global health officials said on Friday.
House Overwhelmingly Approves Cybersecurity Bill (USA Today) The House of Representatives today approved the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, a major piece of legislation addressing rising cyberattacks, by a 422-to-5 vote.
China Finds 170 More Tons of Tainted Milk Powder (AP/Physorg) China has found another 170 tons of tainted milk powder in an emergency crackdown that has made it increasingly clear many products discovered in the country's 2008 milk scandal were repackaged for sale instead of destroyed.
Bad Malaria Pills in Africa Raise Fears (AP/Sydney Morning Herald) Many of the most effective malaria-fighting drugs sold in three African countries are poor quality, raising fears of rising drug resistance by a disease that kills a million people each year, a US report says.
U.S., Japan to Hold Meetings on Nuclear Forensics (Global Security Newswire) The United States and Japan are expected to hold meetings in Washington this month geared toward encouraging collaboration on nuclear forensics, government sources from the two nations told Kyodo News on Saturday (see GSN, Jan. 26).
New Methods Aim to Keep E. Coli in Beef Lower All Year (USA Today) The dead of winter may not be the time when most people's thoughts turn toward the allure of a hamburger on the grill. But from a food safety standpoint, it's probably the safest time there is to eat ground beef.
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