Recent News

By Category: Policy & Initiatives

Bird flu and the future of biosecurity

(Nature) Amy Patterson, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Science Policy, which administers the NSABB, is taking the lead on the bird flu issue for the agency. Nature asks her what led to the NSABB’s decision and what will come out of it.

January 13, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Chief vet to tackle biosecurity concerns

(ABC Online) Australia’s chief veterinarian is developing a new system to quickly deal with any outbreak of exotic diseases. The Federal Government recently commissioned an investigation into whether Australia is prepared enough to tackle an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The report found the Department of Agriculture lacked leadership, and would be too slow Read More »

January 12, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Agriculture, and Policy & Initiatives
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Anthrax jabs stockpiled in biological terrorism alert

(Evening Standard) Britain is building up stocks of vaccine to cope with an anthrax attack at the Olympics, the Standard can reveal. The Government is replenishing its anthrax jabs stockpile in time for April to safeguard the 2012 Games as part of London’s biggest security operation. The supply of inoculations to combat anthrax poisoning to Read More »

January 12, 2012
| Filed under Europe, Bioterrorism, Countermeasures, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Philippines may host bioweapons conference in 2012

(GMA News) A regional Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) may be held in the Philippines later this year, to support the Philippines' international cooperative efforts for dealing with biological weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. …

January 12, 2012
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Biological Weapons, Countermeasures, International, and Policy & Initiatives
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Laurie Garrett: Keeping superbugs away from terrorists

(Capital Times) Within government circles around the world, the announcement has highlighted a dilemma: How do you balance the universal mandate for scientific openness against the fear that terrorists or rogue states might follow the researchers’ work — using it as catastrophic cookbooks for global influenza contagion? Concern reached such heights that U.S. Secretary of Read More »