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By Category: Countermeasures

International Partnerships Focus on Preventing Animal Diseases

(Agricultural Research) Rift Valley fever, East Coast fever and foot-and-mouth disease are three devastating diseases that harm livestock and threaten the livelihood of poor farmers. To help keep animals alive, healthy and productive, scientists at the Agricultural Research …

January 30, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agriculture, Countermeasures, International, and Research
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Defense Authorization Measure Yields Less for Chem-Bio Defense, More for …

(Genetic Engineering News) Going forward, Handelman told Congress, CBEP will work to eliminate threats four ways: By consolidating and securing collections of pathogens deemed especially dangerous that might serve as the source for biological weapons; providing laboratory safety …

January 27, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Biosafety, Biotechnology, Bioterrorism, and Countermeasures
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RI to produce bird-flu vaccine by 2013

(Jakarta Post) Indonesia is aiming to manufacture its first, locally produced vaccine to combat the H5N1 avian influenza virus by 2013, with state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Biofarma working to prepare its facilities for developing the vaccine for mass production, a minister says. Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih said that Biofarma was currently working on an Read More »

January 27, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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GAO Urges Improved DHS Guidelines for Using WMD Threat Analyses

(Global Security Newswire) The U.S. Homeland Security Department should create more detailed recommendations to guide its offices as they consider how to utilize WMD threat analyses in response preparations and resource acquisition and distribution decisions, the Government Accountability Office advised in a report released on Wednesday. The department in the last eight years has provided Read More »

January 27, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biological Weapons, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
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Pharma’s niche focus spurs US aid for antibiotics

(The Associated Press) BARDA has awarded a series of contracts to encourage development of new antibiotics that can be stockpiled for use in a natural outbreak or during a bioterrorism attack. — The agency has allocated up to $64 million to Achaogen, a San Francisco startup …