Recent News

By Category: Public Health

Bioterror lab risks remain high, agencies say

(MarineCorpsTimes) The United States is at increased risk for accidents at laboratories conducting research on potential bioterror germs, such as anthrax, because federal officials have failed to develop national standards for lab design, construction and operation, according to a report to be released Monday by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO called for the standards Read More »

March 28, 2013
| Filed under North America and Public Health
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Scientists say GM food closely scrutinised

(ThePress) Findings suggesting unsafe genetically modified foods are slipping into our diets because of “systematic neglect” by regulators have sparked strong reaction from scientists with a different view. New Zealand foods containing modified soybeans, such as margarines, chocolate and mayonnaises, contain the double- stranded RNA (dsRNA) material which the researchers say has not been properly Read More »

March 27, 2013
| Filed under Asia/Pacific, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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H5N1 viral-engineering dangers will not go away

(Nature) Barely two months after a small group of influenza virologists lifted a moratorium on work to make the H5N1 avian flu virus as transmissible between humans as seasonal flu, researchers are at it again. Earlier this month, a Dutch scientist proposed similar experiments with other avian flu viruses, as well as the SARS coronavirus. Read More »

March 27, 2013
| Filed under Europe, North America, and Public Health
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Drug Target Development Proposals Sought for Antimicrobial-Resistant Pathogens

(GlobalBiodefense) The National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has announced a new funding effort to support research focused on characterization and validation of novel drug targets for development of new therapeutics against antimicrobial-resistant bacterial pathogens. The initiative is designed to capitalize on the numerous potential drug targets identified through Read More »

March 27, 2013
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Lethal Virus Sample Vanishes From U.S. Biodefense Lab

(GlobalSecurityNewswire) A high-security biodefense laboratory in Texas has lost track of a lethal hemorrhagic fever virus sample in an incident said to underscore recent government warnings about how the United States oversees the deadly disease agents it holds for study. Experts and researchers at other institutions have generally chalked up the Guanarito virus sample’s disappearance Read More »