Recent News

By Region: Asia/Pacific

U.S. Sees Progress in Central Asian Biosecurity

(NuclearThreatInitiative) Developing countries in Central Asia are making notable strides in their attempts to increase their governmental capacity to guard against biological-weapon threats, according to the U.S. State Department. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Simon Limage on Friday noted how countries in the region — which stretches from the Caspian Sea in the  Read More »

Cambodian Ministry of Health reports 23rd case of avian influenza H5N1

(VaccineNewsDaily) The Kingdom of Cambodia’s Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday the 23rd case of avian influenza H5N1 in Cambodia this year, and asked that Cambodians take precautions against contracting the virus. The 23rd victim was a two-year-old girl from the Svay Chrum village, Borng Bort Kandal commune, Bakane district, Pursat province. The girl developed  Read More »

Japanese fund to invest in promising technology against malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease

(EurekaAlert) The Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT Fund), a new public health partnership that is bringing Japanese know-how and investment to the global fight against infectious diseases, announced today grants of US$5.7 million to six global partnerships working on innovative drugs and vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and Chagas disease.

Vietnam Releases Dengue-Blocking Mosquito

(Time) Nguyen Thi Yen rolls up the sleeves of her white lab coat and delicately slips her arms into a box covered by a sheath of mesh netting. Immediately, the feeding frenzy begins. Hundreds of mosquitoes light on her thin forearms and swarm her manicured fingers. They spit, bite and suck until becoming drunk with  Read More »

Policing the New Scientific Frontier of Synthetic Biology

(ForeignAffairs) Ongoing research and discoveries in the life sciences — the latest and most promising involving synthetic biology — have led to extraordinary advances that will benefit society. But criminals and terrorists could manipulate such advances to disrupt public safety and national security. Since its founding in 1923, Interpol has learned that the most effective  Read More »