Recent News

By Category: Public Health

With new rules, few public health labs to handle riskiest agents

(CIDRAP) With tougher security requirements set to take effect next April, few state public health laboratories plan to maintain stocks of certain pathogens considered most tempting to bioterrorists, according to the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and officials with state labs. Pathogens such as Bacillus anthracis, Ebola virus, and several others have been designated Read More »

December 14, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Ebola virus uses a protein decoy to subvert the host immune response

(EurekAlert) In a study published today in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens, researchers at Emory University have discovered a potentially important mechanism by which the Ebola virus alters and evades the immune response of its infected host. Ebola virus is the causative agent of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF), a disease with up to 90 Read More »

December 14, 2012
| Filed under Africa, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Public Health, and Research
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Gene-altered mosquitoes could be used vs. dengue

(Southeast Missourian) Mosquito control officials in the Florida Keys are waiting for the federal government to sign off on an experiment that would release hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever in the tourist town of Key West. If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, it would Read More »

December 13, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, Public Health, and Research
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USDA Updates Food Safety Research Priorities

(Global Biodefense) USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has updated research priorities relevant to FSIS regulated products. The list provides useful guidance for grant preparation to agencies that fund food safety research, such as the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), and for academic researchers and private foundations.

December 13, 2012
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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NIH scientists reflect on gains in emerging infectious disease awareness, research and response

(EurekAlert) In a new essay, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and David Morens, M.D., reflect on what has been learned about emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in the two decades since a major report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine rekindled interest in this important topic. Heightened awareness of Read More »