Recent News

By Category: Agents & Toxins

Scientists Develop Hendra Virus Vaccine

(Global Security Newswire) Researchers from Australia and the United States have readied a vaccine against a disease that can be transmitted from horses to humans and is considered a potential bioterrorism tool, the Australian newspaper reported on Thursday. Development of Equivac will allow for vaccinations of horses across the Australia, where the Hendra virus was Read More »

November 2, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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Death toll of Uganda’s Marburg outbreak rises to eight

(NZWeek) The death toll of the deadly Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Uganda has risen to eight and nine other people have tested positive of the highly infectious diseases, a top ministry of health official said. Christine Ondoa, Minister of Health told reporters on Monday that the latest patient died on Oct. 27 at an isolation Read More »

October 31, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, and Public Health
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Shelby County Health Department tests medicine delivery to prepare for bioterrorism attack

(The Commercial Appeal) Less than two hours after a bioterrorism response drill began in Lakeland on Tuesday morning, some 1,500 households had empty pill bottles on their doorsteps. In the case of an actual attack, those bottles would contain the medicine needed to combat bioterrorism agents such as anthrax or botulism. The Shelby County Health Read More »

October 31, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Bioterrorism, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Mandatory flu vaccine for health care workers to protect patients

(EurekAlert) All health care workers in health care institutions should be vaccinated with the annual influenza vaccine to protect patients, argues an editorial in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). “Each season, 20% of health care workers get influenza, and 28% of young healthy adults who get it have asymptomatic or subclinical infections,” writes Dr. Ken Read More »

October 30, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, and Public Health
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River Watcher: A look at the invisible world of viruses

(OrovilleMR) Carolus Linnaeus, “the father of classification,” may not have been thinking of viruses when he said, “Nature is most wonderful in the smallest things.” Super microscopic virus cells have caused havoc from strep throat, smallpox, polio, measles, influenza, HIV, to swollen plant deformities … to havoc on the computer. The computer virus, called a Read More »