See what we’re reading this week at Global Biodefense on topics including supply chain systems for large health crises, a safer smallpox vaccine, and pandemic influenza simulations.
BIOPREPAREDNESS
- New UN supply chain system slashes delays in large-scale health crises (UN)
- Essential recommendations for first responder outbreak preparedness (BMC)
- UNMC partners in Global Outbreak Alert workshop (UNMC)
POLICY, PRACTICES & POLITICS
- However much Trump spends on arms, we can’t bomb Ebola (NY Times)
- Obamacare repeal and Trump’s spending plan put CDC budget in peril (STAT)
- 2017–18 Departmental Plan: Public Health Agency of Canada (Canada.ca)
- Strengthening global health security: A 17-Year partnership (ASPR)
- Global Health Security Index development (Pandora Report)
SELECT AGENTS
- Safer smallpox vaccine in the works at the University of Alberta (CBC News)
- Reservoirs of salt adapted Yersinia pestis (Contagions Blog)
- WHO reports Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria (Healio)
- An edible vaccine for wild apes could revolutionize the way we fight Ebola (Gizmodo)
- Isolation of Francisella tularensis and Yersinia pestis from blood cultures (FiM)
- Construction of B. thuringiensis simulant strains suitable for biodefense testing (ASM)
- Post-exposure recovery and analysis of biothreat agent using mass spec (PubMed)
- A novel broth medium for enhanced growth of Francisella tularensis (Wiley)
- Ebola vaccine tested on humans in UK trials (BBC)
- Anthrax outbreak kills 80 cattle on Queensland grazing property (ABC.net.au)
MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
- False penicillin allergies fuel superbugs—and doctors are fighting back (ARS Technica)
- Evaluating the impact of pharmacies on pandemic influenza vaccine (DMPHP)
- WHO’s desperate cries for antimicrobial R&D (Contagion Live)
OUTBREAK NEWS & THREAT SURVEILLANCE
- Antimicrobial resistance in pets: are we ignoring a looming threat? (Contagion Live)
- Yellow fever in Brazil raises worries of a new Zika-like threat (CIDRAP)
- Birth defects rise twentyfold in mothers with Zika, C.D.C. says (NY Times)
- Second outbreak of bird flu confirmed in middle Tennessee (Times Free Press)
- Greek H5N6 virus appears distinct from Asian strain (CIDRAP)
- New H1N2 influenza strain shows signs of spreading (The Pig Site)
- WHO expands yellow fever vaccination advice in Brazil (Reuters)
- Measles outbreak in Romania causes 17 deaths (AP)
RESEARCH & TECH
- A light rain can spread soil bacteria far and wide, study finds (Phys.org)
- How is using advanced molecular detection to better fight flu (CDC)
- Oral delivery system could make vaccinations needle-free (Berkeley News)
- The fragmentation of plant and food biosecurity research networks (Springer)
- Dynamic multicore processing for pandemic influenza simulation (AMIA)
SPECIAL INTEREST
- ORISE Post-Baccalaureate contract fellowship (FDA)
- ORISE Post-Doctoral contract fellowship (FDA)
- Summer workshop on pandemics, bioterrorism, and health security (PR)
- Request for nominations of candidates to serve on CLIA Committee (FR)
- HHS tops annual ranking of the Top 25 Global Innovators-Government (Reuters)