Archive for Week of March 1, 2010Note: All links accessed and active on day of Biosecurity News in Brief publication. March 1 | March 2 | March 3 | March 4 | March 5
March 5, 2010
The Next Challenge in Healthcare Preparedness: Catastrophic Health Events (CHEs): In this report, the Center proposes a definition and vision of a healthcare system well-prepared to respond to CHEs and a set of concrete recommendations for creating that system. Following the Center’s March 2009 evaluation of healthcare preparedness overall, which concluded that progress has been made and communities are more prepared for common disasters as a result of the federal HPP program, the Center found that more work is needed to ready the nation for a CHE. Executive Summary | Full Report Evolutionary Pattern of Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) 2009 Virus in the Late Phases of the 2009 Pandemic (PLoS Currents) Influenza A( H1N1)v has spread rapidly in all parts of the globe in 2009 as a true pandemic, although fortunately a clinically mild one. The relevant evolutionary steps for the new virus to adapt to human populations occurred very early during the pandemic, before the end of April.
 Malaria Acquired in Haiti --- 2010 (MMWR) On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, which borders the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. The earthquake's epicenter was 10 miles west of the Haiti capital city of Port-au-Prince (estimated population: 2 million). According to the Haitian government, approximately 200,000 persons were killed, and 500,000 were left homeless (1). Malaria caused by Plasmodium falciparum infection is endemic in Haiti, and the principal mosquito vector is Anopheles albimanus, which frequently bites outdoors.
Effects of Mumps Outbreak in Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 2006 (Emerging Infectious Diseases) In 2006, nearly 6,000 mumps cases were reported in the United States, 795 of which occurred in Illinois. In Chicago, 1 healthcare institution experienced ongoing transmission for 4 weeks. This study examines the outbreak epidemiology and quantifies the financial affect on this organization.
House Panel Plans Authorization Bill to Address Homeland Security R&D (Global Security Newswire) The Homeland Security Department does not have an effective way to measure the success of research and development projects, as most efforts never blossom into proven new technologies, according to an analysis by the House Homeland Security Committee (see GSN, March 2).
Cyber-terrorism a Real and Growing Threat: FBI (PHYSORG.com) "The risks are right at our doorsteps and in some cases they are in the house," Federal Bureau of Investigation chief Robert Mueller said in a Thursday speech at an RSA Conference of computer security professionals here.
March 4, 2010
Household Transmission of 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Virus After a School‐Based Outbreak in New York City, April–May 2009 (Journal of Infectious Diseases) In April 2009, an outbreak due to infection with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1) was investigated in a New York City high school.
Tough Lessons from Dutch Q Fever Outbreak (Nature News) The chief veterinary officer of the Netherlands has defended the country's decision to cull thousands of goats in an effort to control an unprecedented outbreak of Q fever.
Sen. Scott Brown Named to Senate HS Committee (HSToday) Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), who won the seat left by the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) in a surprise upset in January, has been named to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
Establishment of the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center and Related Interagency Coordination Challenges (GAO Congressional Briefing) This letter formally transmits the enclosed briefing in response to a mandate in the conference report (No. 111-298) and senate report (No. 111-31) to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2010. In accordance with the direction in those reports, and in consultation with your staff, we are reporting on (1) actions taken by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) to establish the Emergency Communications Preparedness Center (ECPC) and (2) challenges OEC and ECPC officials reported that could affect interagency coordination through ECPC.
Preparing a Community Hospital to Manage Work-related Exposures to Infectious Agents in BioSafety Level 3 and 4 Laboratories (Emerging Infectious Diseases) Construction of new BioSafety Level (BSL) 3 and 4 laboratories has raised concerns regarding provision of care to exposed workers because of healthcare worker (HCW) unfamiliarity with precautions required.
'Painless' Vaccine Needle Invented in Japan (Telegraph.co.uk) Kanji Takada, a professor of pharmacokinetics - or the study of the absorption, distribution and fate of substances delivered to the human body - has developed a round vaccine "chip" measuring just 1.5 cm in diameter that contains as many as 300 micro needles. The device can deliver drugs to the body without breaking the dermis layer of skin.
Vaccinia Protein F12 Has Structural Similarity to Kinesin Light Chain and Contains a Motor Binding Motif Required for Virion Export (PloS Pathogens) Vaccinia virus (VACV) uses microtubules for export of virions to the cell surface and this process requires the viral protein F12. Here we show that F12 has structural similarity to kinesin light chain (KLC), a subunit of the kinesin-1 motor that binds cargo.
Transit through the Flea Vector Induces a Pretransmission Innate Immunity Resistance Phenotype in Yersinia pestis (PloS Pathogens) Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, is transmitted to mammals by infected fleas. Y. pestis exhibits a distinct life stage in the flea, where it grows in the form of a cohesive biofilm that promotes transmission.
Nuclear Security: DOE Needs to Fully Address Issues Affecting Protective Forces’ Personnel Systems (GAO) The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks raised concerns about the security of Department of Energy (DOE) sites with weapons-grade nuclear material, known as Category I special nuclear material (SNM).
March 3, 2010
Second Anthrax Case Confirmed in London (Medical News TODAY) The Health Protection Agency (HPA) and NHS London can confirm that an injecting heroin user has tested positive for anthrax and is being treated in a London hospital.
Economy Forces Cuts in Fed, States’ Emergency Med Preparedness (HSToday) States and localities were already struggling to pay for the rising costs of emergency public health preparedness when they were hit with the unavoidable costs associated with preparedness for the H1N1 influenza pandemic, as well as preparedness for large-scale public health emergencies.
FDA Issues Final Guidance to Boost Development of Cell-based Viral Vaccines (HHS News Release) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued final guidance to help manufacturers who are developing safe and effective cell-based viral vaccines to address emerging and pandemic threats.
Smaller, More Sensitive Sensors Revolutionize Public Safety, Medicine (Homeland Security Newswire) The relentless progress in microsensor science is driving the growth in the fast-growing, fast-shrinking field of single-molecule detection.
Tuberculosis: North Korea Develops TB Laboratory with Help from American Doctors (NY Times) With help from scientists from Stanford University’s medical school, North Korea has developed its first laboratory capable of detecting drug-resistant tuberculosis, scientists involved in the project said last week.
U.S. Needs to Develop Nuke, "Dirty Bomb" Recovery Plan, GAO Finds (Global Security Newswire) The U.S. Homeland Security Department has not met an executive mandate to produce a national recovery plan to deal with the lingering effects of a terrorist assault involving a radiological "dirty bomb" or a crude nuclear device, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Friday (see GSN, Jan. 25).
March 2, 2010
Pandemic Flu, Like Seasonal H1N1, Shows Signs of Resisting Tamiflu (Medical News TODAY) If the behavior of the seasonal form of the H1N1 influenza virus is any indication, scientists say that chances are good that most strains of the pandemic H1N1 flu virus will become resistant to Tamiflu, the main drug stockpiled for use against it.
Small Wings Travel Far to Spread West Nile Virus (e! Science News) West Nile virus set the country abuzz when it rapidly spread from coast to coast just a few years after arriving in the United States.
Al-Qaida Growing in Strength and Numbers in Africa (AP/Google News) Al‑Qaida's terror network in North Africa is growing more active and attracting new recruits, threatening to further destabilize the continent's already vulnerable Sahara region, according to U.S. defense and counterterrorism officials.
DHS: New Bioterror Detector Will Provide Near Real-Time Results (HSNW) A U.S. government biosecurity expert last week testified before members of Congress on the DHS’s next-generation “lab-in-a-box” to detect, identify, and aid response to a biological terrorism attack.
Shortchanging America’s Health (TFAH) A March 2010 report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) found federal spending for public health has been flat for nearly five years, while states around the country cut nearly $392 million for public health programs in the past year.
Biologics Target Bad Bugs (Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery) Recent deal-making and promising clinical trial results for antibody-based antibacterial agents highlight the potential of such therapeutics to tackle multidrug resistant bacteria.
U.S. to Reveal Rules on Internet Security (New York Times) The Obama administration on Tuesday plans to declassify portions of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, created during the Bush administration as a secret effort to harness the nation’s defensive and offensive strategies for protecting commercial and government networks.
Homeland Security Dept. Says It Will Drop Plans for Bush-Era Nuclear Detectors (Washington Post) The Department of Homeland Security office responsible for protecting the nation from nuclear and radiological terrorism is largely scrapping plans for new high-tech detectors for screening vehicles and cargo, saying they cost too much and do not work as effectively as security officials once maintained.
March 1, 2010
What H1N1 Taught Us (Los Angeles Times) We have learned a lot from the 2009 H1N1 swine flu pandemic. We have learned, for example, that one basic assumption about pandemics was wrong: You don't need a radical mutation in a flu virus to produce a pandemic.
Puerto Rico Declares Epidemic of Dengue Fever (AP/Google) Health officials in Puerto Rico have declared an epidemic of dengue fever.
Bill for More Investigation of '01 Anthrax Case Passes House (Baltimore Sun) A measure requiring further federal investigation into the 2001 anthrax attack that killed five people was approved Thursday by the House of Representatives.
U.S. Agencies Must Step Up to Prevent Bioterrorism, Expert Says (Global Security Newswire) The U.S. public health and national security sectors have not yet developed an effective strategy for preventing terrorists from acquiring potentially lethal materials used to produce everyday pharmaceutical products, according to one issue expert (see GSN, Jan. 25).
Swine Influenza Virus Reassorted with Pandemic H1N1 Virus Isolated from Pig (HKSAR Government) The University of Hong Kong (HKU) had found in its regular influenza virus surveillance programme that one sample taken from a pig at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse on January 7 contained a virus which was essentially a swine influenza virus but had picked up a pandemic H1N1 gene by genetic reassortment.
Vaccinations Widespread but Worrisome for Parents (ABC News) Nearly 90 percent of parents vaccinate their children as medically advised, but more than half still express concern over the safety of the vaccines, a survey from the University of Michigan found.
AAAAI: Egg Allergy No Bar to Flu Shot (MedPage Today) Most children with egg protein allergies who received influenza vaccinations had no adverse reactions, researchers said here.
Canadian Scientists Use Olympics to Study Spread of Infectious Diseases (Vancouver Sun) As an international crowd of athletes and supporters continues to gather en masse in Vancouver, some Canadian scientists are using the Olympics as their virtual test tube to find out how to prevent the outbreak of diseases spread by air travel.
| 
