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By Category: Public Health

Army Enlists ‘DNA Origami’ to Spot Outbreaks

What do you get when you cross DNA, origami and the body’s natural defenses against disease? The Army’s newest way to spot smallpox outbreaks, apparently. Billions of defense dollars have gone into the military’s quest for sensors that will sniff out “bio-warfare” molecules. But today’s technologies just don’t cut it. In our bodies though, these Read More »

March 10, 2011
| Filed under North America, Biotechnology, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
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U.S. scrambling to contain potential measles outbreak

Public health officials in the United States are scrambling to prevent a massive measles outbreak after an infected woman came into contact with thousands of people as she travelled through three U.S. airports; measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can be transmitted through coughing or sneezing; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Read More »

March 4, 2011
| Filed under North America and Public Health
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HHS awards contracts to develop new flu vaccine technology

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded two contracts today to help make vaccine available more quickly for seasonal flu outbreaks and pandemics. The contracts for advanced development of new types of vaccine and new ways to make flu vaccine known as next-generation recombinant influenza vaccine total $215 million.

March 1, 2011
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, and Public Health
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Study examines recurrent wound botulism in injection drug users

Infectious Diseases Society of America – Botulism is a rare disease and recurrent botulism even more rare. However, in California, recurrent wound botulism among injection drug users has been on the rise and makes up three-quarters of reported cases in the United States. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and currently available online Read More »

February 25, 2011
| Filed under North America, Public Health, and Research
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HHS to Boost Smallpox Antiviral Stocks

A branch of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department is preparing to deliver a request for proposals for 1.7 million doses of a smallpox antiviral treatment, biodefense firm SIGA Technologies announced on Monday. The total order from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority could be expanded to as many as 12 million additional Read More »