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By Category: International

Biosecurity overhaul flagged

(The Land) New powers allowing the Commonwealth to respond to biosecurity risks within Australia and help state and territory governments manage a pest or disease outbreak are among the changes included in a planned overhaul of quarantine legislation. Federal Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has announced the government’s plans to progress the Biosecurity Bill 2014 to Read More »

July 9, 2014
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Countermeasures, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Five people in Hungary monitored for suspected anthrax infection

(Reuters) An infection of deadly anthrax has been identified in beef in eastern Hungary and five people are being monitored in hospital for suspected symptoms of the disease, the health authority ANTSZ said on Friday. It said the disease was identified in frozen beef after two cattle were illegally slaughtered in a farm in Tiszafured, Read More »

July 7, 2014
| Filed under Europe, Agents & Toxins, Agriculture, International, and Public Health
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Campy Not As Harmless to Chickens as Previously Thought

(Global Biodefense) Foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni, which results in millions of cases of human foodborne illness annually, had previously not been considered to cause disease in chickens. The bacteria were thought to be part of the normal microbe environment of the birds. New research from the University of Liverpool shows differently.

July 7, 2014
| Filed under Agriculture, International, and Research
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Biotech Breakthroughs May Put Chemical Arms in Easier Reach

(National Journal) An international team wants to closely watch how future technologies could make the world’s deadliest poisons easier to produce and harder to regulate. It is still impossible to know how an array of emerging technologies — such as custom-built proteins and microscopic containers — will affect capabilities to manufacture and deliver lethal chemicals Read More »

July 7, 2014
| Filed under Biotechnology, Countermeasures, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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“Top Ten” list of food-borne parasites released

(FAO) A “Top Ten” list identifying the food-borne parasites of greatest global concern has been released today, and new guidelines are being developed to control them. The parasites affect the health of millions of people every year, infecting muscle tissues and organs, causing epilepsy, anaphylactic shock, amoebic dysentery and other problems. Some can live on Read More »