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Center for Biosecurity in the News
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2008 | 2007

March 2008

March 25, 2008
WHO announces polio wiped from Somalia: still, officials worry virus could pop up again; 12 other countries remain. The Associated Press.
With regard to polio eradication in Somalia, Dr. D.A. Henderson commented “We can be optimistic, but I think we should also be very cautious.”

March 10, 2008
Letter to the editor: increased regulation isn't the answer, by M. Sigmund Shapiro. Journal of Commerce.
With regard to government security and regulatory policy, the letter cites Dr. D.A. Henderson's perspective "that we can only protect ourselves so far, that certain vectors, for example, are impossible to interdict, much less control, so we have to live with the reality of the problem, and go on with our lives."

March 6, 2008
Five years later, smallpox preparedness improved, by Jeffrey Young. The Hill.
With regard to the federal program to vaccine healthcare workers against smallpox, Dr. Eric Toner notes that the program "was ill-conceived from the beginning."

Dr. D.A. Henderson notes that the program to vaccinate healthcare workers failed because "The risk [of a smallpox attack] was a very unclear risk, there’s no question about it.”

March 4, 2008
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Gigi Gronvall. Dr. Gronvall notes that if she had a few minutes with the presidential candidates, the issues she would raise are (1) eliminating the threat of anthrax as a weapon of mass destruction, (2) continuing U.S. dominance in science, and (3) making a serious effort to combat infectious disease.

March 1, 2008
Longtime smallpox vaccine is destroyed, by Mike Stobbe. Associated Press.
Dr. D.A. Henderson is cited as a source on the history of Dryvax smallpox vaccine.

February 2008

February 29, 2008
KDWN Morning News. Host: Nathan Tannenbaum. KDWN News Radio Las Vegas.
Dr. Eric Toner was interviewed about ricin, following the discovery of the toxin in a Las Vegas hotel room: "Ricin has no use other than as a poison . . . there is no market for ricin itself; you make it from castor beans, and that's not difficult to do."

February 19, 2008
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. D.A. Henderson about his experiences leading the WHO's smallpox erdication campaign: "Out total budget from the World Health Assembly was $2.4 million per year. And whatever we could scrounge in terms of getting donations from countries in any way, we did that, but none of them were very forthcoming."

February 7, 2008
Bests tests for candidates. Editorial. Nature.
This editorial refers to the Dark Winter exercise of 2001.

February 4, 2008
ACLU stresses public health's role in pandemics: A new report urges attention on health departments, vaccine manufacture and distribution, and surge capacity, by Susan J. Landers. www.amnews.com.
The article reports national flu planning recommendations that Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana spoke of during a panel presentation sponsored by the ACLU; namely, that the nation should provide hospitals with federal aid to help with surge capacity because they are already overburdened. 

February 3, 2008
Federal pandemic plan called inadequate; local officials point to stress on hospitals, by Christopher Lee, The Washington Post.
With regard to national plans for responding to pandemic flu, Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana commented, "The priority focus within U.S. pandemic plans on controlling contagion has unwittingly diverted attention from the problem of caring for the sick."

January 2008

January 29, 2008
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner about a recent incident involving a woman with tuberculosis who flew from India to Chicago and on to San Francisco, and the CDC's response in tracking other airline passengers: "TB is spread through the air, but requires prolonged contact. And so they're [CDC] tracking down people who flew with her from India to Chicago, and not those people who flew from Chicago to San Francisco, because the risk of catching the disease is really quite small with a short exposure."

January 29, 2008
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. D.A. Henderson about the advice he would offer the presidential candidates, advocating strongly for a top-level biological scientist to head the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy: "I think we've had a number of physicists who had experience with nuclear weapons and all that the Cold War implied at that time. We're in a different world now, and we really have a whole different set of problems to look at."

January 28, 2008
Fishing for a way to change the world; Bush thought his father lacked a grand doctrine.  His greatest failures have come from trying to craft one, by Jacob Weisberg. Newsweek.
Newsweek printed an excerpt from a book entitled The Bush Tragedy, by Jacob Weisberg, in which an interview with Dr. D.A. Henderson is referenced. Dr. Henderson recalls advising the vice president, after September 11, 2001, that vaccinating the public against smallpox was a bad idea. The 2001 Dark Winter exercise is also referenced in the article.

January 16, 2008
Experts challenge homeland security strategy, by Pam Fessler. Morning Edition, National Public Radio.
Center for Biosecurity consultant Randy Larsen was interviewed about U.S. homeland security priorities: "The issue must be on preventing terrorists from getting their hands on nuclear materials. That's not about X-raying and doing radiological scans of containers."

January 14, 2008
Report urges U.S. to abandon containment strategy for pandemic flu planning, by Leah Nylen, CQ Healthbeat News.

January 9, 2008
New York presses to deploy more bioweapons sensors, by Spencer Hsu. Washington Post.
Article references a statement in Dr. Tara O'Toole's October 2007 Congressional testimony: "Does it make sense to invest limited biodefense funds in more advanced BioWatch technology even as we cut funds for public health personnel needed to analyze BioWatch data, as we are now doing?"

January 1, 2008
HHS draft:  Hospitals must purchase antivirals for pandemic influenza. Hospital Employee Health.
With regard to the new ruling that hospitals purchase antivirals for their employees, Dr. Eric Toner notes "It's likely you're not going to get people to work in those units if you don't provide them with prophylaxis." He also notes that "hospitals that have little money to spend are going to take a lot of convincing to spend it on this."
 
January 1, 2008
'Highest Risk' HCWS to get first pandemic vaccine. Hospital Employee Health.
Report refers to an article published in the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism entitled “What Hospitals Should Do to Prepare for an Influenza Pandemic,” by Drs. Eric Toner and Richard Waldhorn of the Center for Biosecurity, and quotes Dr. Toner: "There are so many variables that can't be known until a pandemic starts. . . The best you can do is come up with an initial game plan that has to be modified."

December 2007

December 21, 2007
We're all going to die: Can humanity be saved from catastrophe, and is the cost worth it? by Daniel Cressey. Nature.
Article refers to "Reducing the Risk of Human Extinction," a paper authored by Center consultant, Jason Matheny.

December 12, 2007
Biosecurity experts describe how Congress can help prepare for bioterrorism attacks, by Molly McElroy. AAAS News.
“Preparation matters. . .All of these things take a long time to put in place,” Dr. Brad Smith said, describing the elements of an effective public health response to bioterrorism and noting the lack of sufficient funding and a cumbersome contracts process for medical countermeasure development.

December 4, 2007
Flu pandemic would cost hospitals billions, by Michael Smith. MedPage Today.
With regard to a study published in the Journal of Health Care Finance, author Dr. Eric Toner notes “. . .the expected negative financial impact on hospitals of a severe pandemic is significant.”

December 4, 2007
Is nation prepared for biological attacks, epidemics?, by Morgan Ashenfelter. The Jamestown Sun. (North Dakota)
Dr.  Brad Smith comments, “Government officials get sticker shock when they learn how much money and how long it takes to develop a drug.”

December 2, 2007
New anthrax vaccine doomed by lobbying, by David Willman.  Los Angeles Times.
Dr. D.A. Henderson recalls a meeting convened the Sunday night following September 11, 2001, “There was intelligence information coming through and some chatter coming through, suggesting there was going to be a second event, that the second event could very likely be a biological event. And anthrax and smallpox were both raised as possibilities.”

November 2007

November 30, 2007
Experts ’fail’ risk analysis for Boston bioterror lab, by Rick Weiss. Washington Post.
Noting the lack of scientific rigor of an NIH report about the risks associated with a proposed high-containment lab in Boston, expert panel member Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall remarks, “If the report were an article submitted to a scientific journal, we would have rejected this.”

November 29, 2007
NIH criticized for flawed review of Biosafety lab, by Jocelyn Kaiser . ScienceNow Daily News.
Noting the lack of scientific rigor of an NIH report about the risks associated with a proposed high-containment lab in Boston, expert panel member Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall comments that were this study submitted to a scientific journal, “we would have rejected this.”

November 28, 2007
Low investment, fear of failure hindering bioterror advances, by Daniel Fowler. Congressional Quarterly, Homeland Security.
Dr. Brad Smith is quoted regarding the lack of federal investment in developing biodefense drugs and vaccines: “Drug development is a very risky endeavor and there are no guarantees [that a drug will make it to market.]”

November 21, 2007
Biosafety expert urges lawmakers to reform laboratory accident reporting guidelines. States News Service.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall is quoted:  “The best way to create a safe research environment is to allow other scientists to learn about their colleagues’ mistakes before they repeat them.”

October 2007

October 28, 2007
1957 Asian flu hit area communities hard, by George Guido. Valley News Dispatch (Western, PA).
With regard to school districts planning for pandemic flu, Ms. Jennifer Nuzzo states “It makes a whole lot of sense for schools to be thinking about it . . . .In particular, there’s a concern about school kids because of the rate at which school kids shed viruses.”

October 24, 2007
Tiered vaccine plan puts military, infants first, Steve Inskeep, Anchor. National Public Radio.
Regarding the flu vaccination plan, Dr. Tom Inglesby is quoted, "If you tell a parent the day a pandemic is announced that their 5-year-old can't get vaccine until a hundred million other people deemed critical personnel are going to get vaccine first, watch out."

October 23, 2007
Panel frets about bioterror preparedness six years after anthrax attacks, by Lauren Phillips. Congressional Quarterly Today.
Regarding the lack of funding appropriated for BARDA: Dr. Tara O'Toole was quoted,"That is sending, I think totally unintentionally, but very loudly, a message to the biotech and pharma companies in this game that Congress doesn't really take biodefense seriously."

October 23, 2007
Vaccine problems, plans scrutinized during Senate hearing, by Dan Friedman. National Journal's Congress Daily.
With regard to funds for Project Bioshield, Dr. Tara O'Toole notes that "Five billion [dollars] is much less than we're going to need."

October 19, 2007
After accidents, laboratory safety is questioned, by Kelly Field. The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall notes with regard to reporting lab accidents: "You want to encourage reporting, not punish people for reporting."

October 18, 2007
Local school districts prepare for flu pandemic, by Tim Puko. Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
Ms. Jennifer Nuzzo notes that "It makes a whole lot of sense for schools to be thinking about [planning for a flu pandemic]."

October 16, 2007
Want to stop flu? Focus on children's hygiene, by Becky Ham. Health Behavior News Service.
Commenting on closing schools to prevent disease spread, Ms. Jennifer Nuzzo noted, "It's likely that the effectiveness of school closures would depend on what respiratory disease is present, how early the measure is applied and or how long and whether or not kids are prevented from mixing elsewhere."

October 14, 2007
Researchers with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, U.S. discuss study findings. NewsRx.com
Dr. D.A. Henderson is mentioned in this article.

October 5, 2007
How safe are our bio-labs?, by Ken Stier. TIME.
Report regarding Congressional hearing on high containment biological research labs mentions Dr. Gigi Gronvall.

October 5, 2007
Growth of biosafety labs not fully known, by Ruth Mantell. MarketWatch.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall is quoted in a report about a Congressional briefing on biosafety labs: "Infections lead to negative publicity and scrutiny . . . adversely affecting future research funding."

October 4, 2007
Kulongoski says terror exercise will prepare Ore. for other risks, by William McCall. The Associated Press.
With regard to terrorism drills and maintaining effective communications, Ms. Jennifer Nuzzo is quoted: "I think in all the exercises that's a huge thing, and a common theme in all of them."

September 2007

September 11, 2007
Anthrax has a long history, by Robert Miller. Danbury News Times.
Senior Analyst Jennifer Nuzzo was interviewed about the 2001 anthrax attacks: "To weaponize it [anthrax], you make it more lethal. It has to make people sicker, or stay in the air longer, so more people breath [sic] it in."

September 3, 2007
Misdirection of National Institutes of Health research priorities, by Sherwood Ross. OpEdNews.com.
This report refers to an article by the Center for Biosecurity on government funding for biodefense initiatives, Billions for Biodefense.

August 2007

August 31, 2007
Lack of training in biodefense research leading to dangerous leaks, most incidents go unreported, experts caution, by Cassandra Willyard. Nature.
With regard to lab safety, Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall comments "I'm concerned that they're [lab workers] not being given the tools to protect themselves."

August 28, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Tara O'Toole regarding a Department of Homeland Security Inspector General's report about the National Bio-Surveillance Integration System: "This report actually says that since 2001 federal agencies have spent more than $32 billion on electronic surveillance systems to address biodefense, and I have to say, with regret, I haven't seen much improvement in what we can actually detect, or in our ability to manage a public health emergency once one is underway. So we've spent a lot of money not getting very far."

August 27, 2007
Blind preparation, by Andy Opsahl. Government Technology.
In-depth interview with Dr. Tara O'Toole on the current state of bioterrorism preparedness and the lack of national response strategy: ". . .This is why a conduct of operations plan—exactly what actions we are going to take if this happens—is important. The fact that it's missing, even for an anthrax attack, is another symptom of our lack of any kind of strategic thinking."

August 23, 2007
As biodefense research booms, reward is weighted against risk, by Pete Alfano. Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall is referenced in the article.

August 16, 2007
Ohio planning to purchase stockpile of influenza drugs, by Regina McEnery. Plain Dealer (Cleveland).
Dr. D.A. Henderson comments about extending the shelf life of stockpiled antivirals past the date of expiration: ". . . if they are going to be extended, then the drugs have to be kept in conditions that must be carefully monitored—both for temperature and humidity. . . "

August 10, 2007
Biological surveillance falls short, report says; Lack of staff cited as deficiency in program to protect nation; critics say Homeland Security has no strategy, by Rebecca Carr and Allison Young. Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Dr. Tara O'Toole comments on the Department of Homeland Security's National Bio-Surveillance Integration System: "They wanted to build a national hurricane watch for public health emergencies. . . But just as we saw with Hurricane Katrina, just watching the hurricane coming is not enough."

July 2007

July 12, 2007
A&M loses bid to house federal biodefense lab: University suspects disease-exposure cases played role in decision, by Emily Ramshaw. Dallas Morning News.
Dr. Brad Smith comments on whether biosafety infractions could hinder future funding opportunities for a research institution: "Most of these grants still go to individual scientists, to individual investigators. . . It's hard to say whether being affiliated with university X or university Y would influence it."

July 11, 2007
Bush boosts biodefense budget request. Global Security Newswire.
GSN reports the release and findings of the article Billions for Biodefense, authored by Center analysts Crystal Franco and Shana Deitch: "The Bush administration’s fiscal 2008 budget request would provide $309 million more for civilian biodefense than its previous request, boosting funding for the Health and Human Services, Defense and Agriculture departments, the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Biosecurity said Monday."

July 5, 2007
When the 'bleed-out' begins; A state of unreadiness nearly 6 years after 9/11, by David Ignatius. Washington Post.
Dr. Tara O'Toole's testimony before the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Homeland Security is quoted: "More than five years after the anthrax mailings, the U.S. still lacks a coherent plan for conduct of operations to guide the health-care sector's response to mass-casualty care in the event of a bioterrorist attack or other large-scale catastrophe."

June 2007

June 26, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. Dr. Toner comments: ". . . we need rapid diagnostic tests for this organism and for other potentially serious emerging diseases; it shouldn't take us 5 months to make a diagnosis of this condition—we should be able to do it in hours or at least days."

June 12, 2007
CNBC.
Colonel Randy Larsen on the future of biological detection technologies: "We have nearly instantaneous tests for things like pregnancy, mononucleosis. It took nearly six weeks to get a diagnosis [in the recent XDR-TB case]."

June 8, 2007
Smallpox vaccine: A tame virus runs amok, by Jocelyn Kaiser. Science Magazine.
"It does not mean the program is broken" commented Dr. Luciana Borio on the Department of Defense’s smallpox vaccination program and the case of a U.S. soldier whose son became infected with eczema vaccinatum after the solider was vaccinated.

June 5, 2007
Bavarian Nordic wins U.S. smallpox vaccine contract, by Salamander Davoudi.  Financial Times (London).
Article names the Center for Biosecurity as a reference.

June 2, 2007
CBS News: The Saturday Early Show.
In an interview regarding the Andrew Speaker tuberculosis case and U.S. border security, Colonel Randy Larsen noted: "It's the fact that it takes us three months to get a proper diagnosis of this dangerous disease. We could get pregnancy tests, strep throat tests, mononucleosis tests in a matter of minutes. Why does it take three months to do this and why don't we have the antibiotics to cure this disease?"

June 1, 2007
Germ warfare: agencies scramble to create vaccine market, by Breanne Wagner. National Defense.
Dr. Tara O'Toole's testimony before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is quoted on the subject of private investment in biodefense countermeasures: "Even in the most profitable scenarios, biodefense countermeasures . . . cannot generate profits comparable to successful medicines for chronic disease that are taken for years by large populations."

June 1, 2007
Fox News Live with E.D. Hill.
Dr. Richard Waldhorn was interviewed about Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis.

May 2007

May 30, 2007
Fox News: Your World with Neil Cavuto.
Colonel Randall Larsen interviewed about the potential for Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis to be used as a biological weapon.

May 30, 2007
System breakdown? Missed signals? ABC World News with Charles Gibson.
Dr. Thomas Inglesby interviewed on Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis: "If we're at the point in the investigation where we're having to track down airline passengers on multiple continents, it's too late in the game."

May 30, 2007
Disease scare; Medical manhunt. ABC World News with Charles Gibson.
Dr. Thomas Inglesby interviewed on Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis: "Doctors don't have the right tools to make a quick diagnosis of drug-resistant TB or, for that matter, bird flu virus or SARS or anthrax. This is a fixable problem, and we should fix it."

May 29, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding CDC's flu protection guidelines. Dr. Toner notes "If it were a particularly bad strain of pandemic flu, yes, I would wear an N95 [respirator] at close contact [with a person infected with flu], and I would wear a mask out in public in a crowded situation."

May 16, 2007
Syndromic surveillance: faulty alarm system or useful tool? by Maryn McKenna. CIDRAP News.
Article refers to recommendations that Dr. Tara O'Toole made to Congress regarding the BioSense program.

May 11, 2007
House authorizes contagions lab. The Associated Press.
Article references High-Containment Biodefense Research Laboratories: Meeting Report and Center Recommendations.

April 2007

April 17, 2007
Pandemic planners urged to tap grass roots, by Maryn McKenna. CIDRAP News.
Article references Community Engagement: Leadership Tool for Catastrophic Health Events and quotes Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana: "If you define citizen preparedness as stockpiling, you are only giving people limited options."

April 17, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana, who talks about Community Engagement: Leadership Tool for Catastrophic Health Events and notes, "We can't just keep our eyes on the crisis period. . . What we're really talking about are the kinds of citizen contributions that can be made in advance of an extreme event."

April 17, 2007
Deadly smallpox virus lives on. Financial Times (London)
Article names the Center for Biosecurity as a reference.

April 16, 2007
Nanoviricides becomes a member of the Alliance for Biosecurity. Business Wire.
Article identifies the Center for Biosecurity as a member of the Alliance for Biosecurity.

April 15, 2007
New role to coordinate in public-health crises: some say position will speed up response; critics say it probably won't make a difference, by Mary Shaffrey. Winston-Salem Journal.
Dr. Brad Smith comments "The intention of this position was . . . to reinforce the idea that there should be one person in the federal government who is responsible for medical and bio-defense (decisions) in public-health emergencies."

April 13, 2007
Citizen groups could be tapped as major force to mitigate death, destruction, by Matthew Berger. Congressional Quarterly, Homeland Security.
Article highlights Community Engagement: Leadership Tool for Catastrophic Health Events. Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana is quoted: "Officials need to work with citizens and civic groups before disaster strikes to promote all the ways the public can contribute, including taking part in policy decisions, building volunteer networks, getting support for tax or bond measures that limit vulnerability and improve health and safety agencies, and, yes, having family emergency plans, too."

April 5, 2007
Globaloptions groups' emergency preparedness expert participates in panel to provide guidance for cities in extreme health event. Business Wire. Article features Community Engagement: Leadership Tool for Catastrophic Health Events. Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana is quoted: "Preparedness means more than personal stockpiling."

April 4, 2007
Biosafety labs urged to report accidents and near misses: U.S. think tank proposed mandatory but anonymous reporting, by John Miller. Nature.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall is quoted: "The problem is that accidents aren't reported . . . People recognize the need, so let's do it."

April 4, 2007
Allegheny County efforts national model of preparedness, by Allison Heinrichs. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana quoted: "Civic groups can call up their local hospitals and say, 'Do you have a pandemic flu plan and would you like any input? ... Can my organization and I help you?'"

April 3, 2007
Flu studies point to isolation for prevention. National Public Radio, Morning Edition, reported by Richard Knox.
In a radio interview, Dr. D.A. Henderson is quoted: "I was in charge of surveillance at CDC for influenza in 1957. The speed with which that disease spread was just astounding."

March 2007

March 13, 2007
Review finds little evidence of airborne spread of flu, by Maryn McKenna. CIDRAP News.
Dr. Eric Toner is quoted: "A lot of our assumptions turn out to be based on urban legends, or extrapolations made from incomplete information . . ."

March 1, 2007
To avoid flu pandemic, immunize children, by Damian McNamara. Pediatric News.
Article refers to a study conducted by the Center on the availability of healthcare resources during a pandemic.

March 2007
Amid anthrax vaccine debacle, BARDA amends biodefense efforts, by Jeffrey L. Fox. Microbe.
Dr. Brad Smith is interviewed about the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority legislation: "BARDA is not a silver bullet [but] if it had not passed, it would have been a really negative signal to industry, which would have been even less excited about this market."

February 2007

February 27, 2007
Bird-flu vaccine goes before feds, by George E. Jordan. Star-Ledger (New Jersey).
Regarding an experimental flu vaccine, Dr. Eric Toner notes "This particular vaccine is not an answer to our prayers."

February 27, 2007
Polio eradication plan needs another $1B: WHO official. CBC News.
Dr. D.A. Henderson responds to WHO's classification of polio in Somalia and Ethopia as imported instead of endemic: "This is a deception."

February 14, 2007
Bioterror vaccine production: take 2, by Mike Mitka. JAMA Medical News and Perspectives. Volume 297, Number 6.
Dr. Brad Smith comments on shortcomings of the first BioShield legislation: "Companies had to raise the funds themselves, so you had the private capital markets making strategic investment decisions that could be at odds with what the government wanted."

February 13, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Eric Toner regarding the state of hospital preparedness for large-scale emergencies in the U.S.: "We are concerned about a number of serious disaster scenarios—earthquakes and large-scale terrorism—and we don’t yet have a healthcare system that is at all prepared to handle that. It is a serious issue that needs attention from both the federal government and state government, individual hospitals, and individual communities. Without all these elements working together, we’re not going to get there."

February 9, 2007
New York to test ways to prevent nuclear terror, by Eric Lipton. New York Times.
With regard to the potential use of detection devices to stop a terrorist plot to build a nuclear or radiological weapon within the U.S., Dr. Tara O'Toole notes "This is total baloney. . . They are forgetting that no matter what type of engineering solution they try in good faith to come up with, this is a thinking enemy and they will look for a way around it."

February 5, 2007
UK pandemic test shows limits of off-site alternatives: Working from home doesn't replicate market activity, by John Sandman. Securities Industry News.
Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall is quoted: "It is realistic to expect an avian flu vaccine, but not very soon."
Ms. Jennifer Nuzzo is quoted: "Quarantining individuals who may not be infected could do more harm than good . . . The efficacy of quarantine has not been demonstrated."

February 5, 2007
Hospitals unprepared for pandemic surge, by Dan Childs. ABC News.
Dr. Eric Toner comments: "In a moderate scenario, an additional 19 percent of non-ICU beds, 46 percent of ICU beds and 20 percent of ventilaros would be in use by flu patients . . . If we have something like the 1918 pandemic, we're in big trouble."

February 1, 2007
Complacency could be deadly in pandemic. Hospital Employee Health.
Dr. Eric Toner is quoted: "I doubt we could handle a 1968 pandemic now. Our hospitals have trouble dealing with a bad flu season as it is."

February 1, 2007
Federal anti-flu document raises questions. National Public Radio, Morning Edition, reported by Richard Knox.
Dr. Thomas Inglesby comments about recommendations in the federal pandemic flu plan: "For some of these recommendations—such as prolonged school closures—there is honest, legitimate debate about the effectiveness of closing schools, about the feasibility of closing schools for two months or three months at a time, and about the downside and how we could cope with that in a community."

January 2007

January 16, 2007
Bioterror antidote: unfulfilled prescription; after four years, scant progress on Bush's BioShield plan, by Renae Merle. Washington Post.
Article names the Center for Biosecurity as a reference.

January 15, 2007
New bioterror legislation is meant to encourage drug development, by Alex Lash. The Deal.
In an interview about BioShield legislation and its impact on engaging drug manufacturers in countermeasure development, Dr. Brad Smith notes "It's not a miracle cure . . . But investors have not looked favorably on biodefense as a sector to be in. This [bill] shows [that] Congress and the administration both want to take the next step forward."

January 15, 2007
Experts see bird flu challenge to U.S. health system, by Paul Eckert. Reuters.
Dr. Thomas Inglesby is quoted: ". . . 'the time line has already begun to slip a little bit' on the U.S. goal for 2011 of having enough vaccine for the entire population within six months of a pandemic influenza virus."

January 10, 2007
Air sensors act as terror sentry, by David B. Caruso. Associated Press.
Dr. Penny Hitchcock is quoted: "Monitoring for airborne toxins, she said 'is an enormously difficult problem and an expensive one.'"

January 9, 2007
Homeland Security: Inside and Out. Host: Randy Larsen. KAMU 90.9 FM.
Radio interview with Dr. Tara O'Toole, who talks about biosecurity and biotechnology. Dr. O'Toole notes "If we really invested, in an intelligent way and on the appropriate scale, in understanding and dealing with infectious diseases, we could not only protect ourselves against bioterrorism and natural epidemics, we could eliminate big lethal epidemics of infectious disease around the world."