Archive for Week of February 15, 2010Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication. February 16 | February 17 | February 18 | February 19
February 19, 2010
Outbreak of 2009 Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) on a Peruvian Navy Ship — June-July 2009 (MMWR) On June 25, 2009, a naval cadet reported to the infirmary of a 355-crewman Peruvian Navy ship with a febrile acute respiratory infection (FARI) 5 days after the ship docked in San Francisco, California.
 WHO to Review H1N1 Pandemic Status on Feb 23 (Reuters) The World Health Organization's emergency committee of experts will meet on February 23 to decide whether the H1N1 flu pandemic has peaked, the WHO's top flu expert, Keiji Fukuda, said on Thursday.
FDA Update on the Investigation into the Salmonella Montevideo Outbreak (Medical News TODAY) The Food and Drug Administration, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service, continues to work closely with the Rhode Island Department of Health and other states in the investigation of an outbreak of Salmonella Montevideo infections associated with certain Italian-style sausage products including salami/salame.
A Case of Dengue Type 3 Virus Infection Imported from Africa to Italy, October 2009 (Eurosurveillance) In October 2009, a traveller returning from Africa to Italy was hospitalised with symptoms suggestive of a haemorrhagic fever of unknown origin. The patient was immediately placed in a special biocontainment unit until laboratory investigations confirmed the infection to be caused by a dengue serotype 3 virus.
The Digital Revolution Offers New Ways to Fight Epidemics (Homeland Security Newswire) There are more than 100 H1N1 apps for iPhone -- and several other apps dedicated to identifying, locating, and reporting the outbreak of epidemics; these digital tools could help people take preventive measures earlier than otherwise would have been the case, but they also open the door to mass panic from unreliable or false reports.
Norway Considering National Biosample Company (GenomeWeb News) The government of Norway is considering forming a national company to commercialize biomaterials assets from the nation's collection of human samples and related information, Oslo-based Hunt Biosciences said today.
UN Nuclear Watchdog Accuses Iran over Nuclear Weapons (Times Online) The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has radically increased pressure on Iran by publicly describing concerns over atomic weapons for the first time.
Nuclear Iran to Prompt Turkey to Acquire Atomic Weapons (Columnist from Today’s Zaman) Authoritative Turkish sources believe that if neighboring Iran acquires nuclear arms, there will definitely be a strong demand from within Turkey for the country to acquire the same weapons capabilities.
February 18, 2010
Secretary Sebelius Addresses 2010 Public Health Preparedness Summit (Flu.gov) U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the 2010 Public Health Preparedness Summit today about the lessons learned so far from the response to the H1N1 flu pandemic and efforts to strengthen health preparedness.
Point of Care Strategy for Rapid Diagnosis of Novel A/H1N1 Influenza Virus (PLoS One) Within months of the emergence of the novel A/H1N1 pandemic influenza virus (nA/H1N1v), systematic screening for the surveillance of the pandemic was abandoned in France and in some other countries.
WHO: Add Swine Flu to Regular Flu Vaccine (AP/Google News) The World Health Organization is recommending that swine flu be added to regular flu vaccines next season.
DHS Counter Terrorism Exec Takes Office (HSToday) The Department of Homeland Security has a new leader for its efforts to use IT and other means to share intelligence information with state and local law enforcement officials to counter terrorist threats.
Scientists Raise Fresh Hopes for Fridge-Free Vaccines (BBC) Scientists at Oxford University have found a way of keeping vaccines stable without refrigeration.
War Game Reveals US Lacks Cyber-Crisis Skills (HSToday) Scene: The White House Situation Room. Event: A massive cyber attack has turned the cellphones and computers of tens of millions of Americans into weapons to shut down the Internet.
February 17, 2010
57 Million Americans Sickened by H1N1 Flu: CDC (HealthDay News/BusinessWeek) With the H1N1 swine flu pandemic apparently winding down, federal health officials said Friday that about 57 million Americans have suffered through the illness since last April, and the total could range as high as 84 million.
Sick at Work: Infected Employees in the Workplace During the H1N1 Pandemic (Institute for Women’s Policy Research) On the basis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), almost 26 million employed Americans age 18 and older may have been infected with H1N1 during the months of September through November 2009, the peak months of the pandemic to date. Almost 18 million employees took at least part of a week off in response, meaning about 8 million employees took no time away from work while infected.
Fighting Pandemics Like Swine Flu in Digital Age (AP/Google News) A tap on the HealthMap iPhone application brings up a cluster of red pins on a map, representing nearby cases of swine flu.
Swine Flu Outbreak Threatens at World Cup (Reuters/New York Times) South Africa faces a possible health crisis if a swine flu outbreak strikes during the soccer World Cup this year, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told parliament on Monday.
Risk of Severe Outcomes Among Patients Admitted to Hospital with Pandemic (H1N1) Influenza (CMAJ) Background: We describe the disease characteristics and outcomes, including risk factors for admission to intensive care unit (ICU) and death, of all patients in Canada admitted to hospital with pandemic (H1N1) influenza during the first five months of the pandemic.
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Risk for Nurses After Trivalent Vaccination (Emerging Infectious Diseases) To the Editor: We report results of the effect of inactivated seasonal influenza vaccination on risk of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in a cohort of nurses in Canada who participated in a recent randomized controlled trial that compared the effectiveness of surgical masks with that of N95 respirators in preventing influenza (1).
A (H1N1) Under Control, Dengue Cases on the Rise (thestar) While Influenza A (H1N1) is under control, the number of dengue cases is still at an alarming level with 1,103 reported cases and 18 deaths within the first five weeks of the year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said.
Sebelius, Solis Announce Nearly $1 Billion Recovery Act Investment in Advancing Use of Health IT, Training Workers for Health Jobs of the Future (HHS News Release) Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis today announced a total of nearly $1 billion in Recovery Act awards to help health care providers advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (IT) and train workers for the health care jobs of the future.
U.S. Gains Momentum Destroying Chemical Weapon Stockpiles (U.S. Army Press Release) The U.S. Army has destroyed more than 70-percent of its stockpiles of chemical weapons -- some dating as far back as to the World War I era -- as part of an elaborate, decades-long process slated to be largely completed by 2012, service officials said.
February 16, 2010
Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - Update 87 (WHO) As of 7 February 2010, worldwide more than 212 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 15,292 deaths.
Report: For Biodefense, U.S. Needs Closer Ties to Industry (CIDRAP News) The U.S. government needs much closer collaboration with private industry—like the arrangements used in building aircraft carriers and putting men on the moon—in order to improve the nation's medical defenses against biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear threats, says a report from a federal advisory panel.
Pandemic Preparedness Untested in Ontario Hospitals (Medical News TODAY) One quarter of Ontario hospitals surveyed in a Queen's University-led study do not have an influenza pandemic plan and few plans that do exist have been tested.
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