Recent News

By Category: Policy & Initiatives

US Increases Funding to Combat Influenza and Emerging Disease Threats

(All Africa) FAO’s commitment to fight emerging disease threats in “hotspot” regions worldwide is getting a boost with new funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the UN agency said today. The funding, totalling more than $20 million, will support the ongoing US-FAO partnership against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and Read More »

October 30, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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DHS issues updated guidance for responding to a wide-area anthrax attack

(GSN) DHS has issued an updated version of its previously-published guidance for protecting first responders during the first week following a wide-area aerosol anthrax attack. “Protective measures addressed in the guidance include medical countermeasures (i.e., drugs, vaccine), personal protective equipment (PPE), and other possible work practices,” explains a Federal Register notice published by DHS on Read More »

October 25, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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U.S. Says Opportunity Missed on Enhancing Biowarfare Pact Activities

(Global Security Newswire) The United States on Monday said an opportunity had been missed “to do something new” during a recent review conference on the Biological Weapons Convention, “reflecting … concern about the lack of a verification mechanism,” according to a press release from the U.N. First Committee. The BWC accord prohibits the production, stockpiling Read More »

October 25, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Biological Weapons, and Policy & Initiatives
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Biodiversity meeting calls for more science-based information

(SciDev) An international meeting on biodiversity has called for more science-based information, the closure of knowledge gaps, and increased precaution, in the emerging fields of synthetic biology and geoengineering (climate engineering). Two decisions related to these areas, among a set of 34 decisions adopted at the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention Read More »

October 23, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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HHS Rules Out Funding Approach for Developing Biodefense Medicines

(Global Security Newswire) A blueprint aimed at helping to finance the development of new medicines for use against biological-weapon agents has failed to pass muster within the Obama administration, Bloomberg reported on Sunday. The recommendation — put forward in 2011 by Maryland-based PharmAthene and other biological defense enterprises — calls for Washington to end use Read More »