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Bioterrorism news

This section provides a round-up of news stories related to Bioterrorism, both from INTERPOL and from other sources around the world.

Disclaimer: Please note that views and opinions expressed on external websites do not necessarily represent the views of INTERPOL or its employees.

This is not an exhaustive resource. If you feel there is any article relevant to bioterrorism or biocrime which we have not included, please send it to us
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Israel - Israel begins distribution of gas masks

Israel began its distribution of new gas masks to civilians on Sunday, which are meant to protect the nation in the event of a biological or chemical attack.

US - Biothreats to agriculture highlighted

The International Agri-Center in Tulare, California was recently visited by government officials in an attempt to raise awareness of the threat, impact and response needs in the face of potential terrorist attacks on the agricultural sector.

Philippines - Anthrax outbreak in the Philippines

Two villagers in a remote Philippine village have died from suspected anthrax infections and approximately 150 more have been hospitalized.

26 February 2010

US - Results demanded of government biothreat programs

At this week's Homeland Security budget hearing, Congressman David Price noted his concern about two programs meant to track and alter biothreats.

26 February 2010

US - FBI investigating anthrax scare at Kearny Mesa business

The FBI is investigating an anthrax scare at a business in Kearny Mesa.

26 February 2010

US - Novel Antitoxin Strategy Developed Using 'Tagged Binding Agents'

A study involving the world's deadliest substance has yielded a new strategy to clear toxins from the body -- which may lead to more efficient strategies against toxins that may be used in a bioterrorist event, as well as snake bites, scorpion stings, and even some important chronic diseases.

26 February 2010

US - Former HHS Official Backs Home Kits for Biodefense

As the United States considers the best strategy for distributing medical countermeasures for use in the event of a bioterrorism incident, the government should look at providing citizens with their own "home medkits" of materials, a former Health and Human Services deputy secretary said in a report yesterday by the Washington Times.

26 February 2010

US - Further review sought of 2001 anthrax mailings

Further review is being sought by the United States House of Representatives over the 2001 anthrax mailings that resulted in five deaths that was recently closed by the FBI.

26 February 2010

US - U.S. Agencies Must Step Up to Prevent Bioterrorism, Expert Says

The U.S. public health and national security sectors have not yet developed an effective strategy for preventing terrorists from acquiring potentially lethal materials used to produce everyday pharmaceutical products, according to one issue expert.

25 February 2010

US - New strategy to fight Botulinum toxin molecules announced

A new strategy for clearing Botulinum toxin molecules - one of the world's deadliest substances - has been developed by a team from Tufts University.

25 February 2010

US - Missouri Scientists Prepare Biological Agent Sensors

Researchers in Missouri, with financial support from the U.S. Army, are working to develop sensors with the ability to detect biological weapons agents, OzarksFirst.com reported yesterday

25 February 2010

UK - Anthrax fears mean more methadone

The Scottish Government has sanctioned an increase in methadone programmes across the country to halt the spread of anthrax among injecting drug users.

25 February 2010

Brunei - Reponse procedures under review

An emergency drill staged in response to a simulated anthrax scare at the Old Airport�s Mail Processing Centre, yesterday has sparked a review of the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the government agencies involved.

25 February 2010

Brunei - Anthrax drill to prepare agencies for real threats

A powdery substance was found in one of the packages [...]Jln Airport Lama, yesterday morning. Suspected to be anthrax, the postal services personnel contacted relevant authorities while the building was evacuated and cordoned off. This was the scenario of a drill conducted by the Postal Services Department yesterday to prepare the relevant agencies for any eventualities.

24 February 2010

US - Firm Receives up to $78M More for Anthrax Vaccine Research

A Maryland biotechnology firm announced yesterday that it could receive as much as $78.4 million more in U.S. Health and Human Services Department funding for its work on a next-generation anthrax vaccine

24 February 2010

US - Doubts Remain Over Suspected Anthrax Mailer's Guilt

Even with the closing of the U.S. Justice Department's investigation of the 2001 anthrax mailing, some scientists who worked with former Army microbiologist and sole suspect Bruce Ivins contend that the federal case was weak and would never have stood up in court, the Frederick News-Post reported yesterday.

24 February 2010

New Zealand - Interpol Conducts Bioterrorism Defense Training

Interpol last week provided bioterrorism defense training for 38 officials from more than a dozen nations, who are expected to share the lessons learned in the five-day course in their home countries.

23 February 2010

International - Tunisian officials work with Air Force on CBRN simulation

Tunisian officers recently traveled to Ramstein, Germany to work with the United States' 17th Air Force to begin preparing for a medical exercise focusing on potential responses to biological, chemical, nuclear and explosive threats.

23 February 2010

US - Trenton, N.J. hit with anthrax hoax letter

A hazmat crew was called to a Trenton police building recently following the discovery of an envelope filled with an unknown white powder.

23 February 2010

UK - Anthrax death toll in Scotland rises

The death toll in Scotland for drug users infected by anthrax through intravenous injections has risen to 10, health officials have said.

22 February 2010

US - Nanomaterials could be key to fighting airborne biothreat

Nanomaterials developed at Montana State University could be used in the future to fight respiratory infections created by bioattacks, scientists have said.

22 February 2010

India - India to play high priority on biodefense

India's Defense Research and Development Organization has announced that it will place a high priority on the development of systems, including better biological and chemical defense systems, to combat the challenges of terrorism.

22 February 2010

International - Europe needs generic response plan to pandemic threats, expert says

Disease specific plans utilized by most European countries could cost precious time and resources, a study about gaps in pandemic preparedness has revealed.

22 February 2010

US - Montana State team developing new way to fight influenza, bioterrorism threats

Montana State University scientists are researching the use of nanomaterials to develop a new way of fighting influenza and other respiratory infections caused by viruses.

20 February 2010

US - F.B.I., Laying Out Evidence, Closes Anthrax Case

More than eight years after anthrax-laced letters killed five people and terrorized the country, the F.B.I. on Friday closed its investigation, adding eerie new details to its case that the 2001 attacks were carried out by Bruce E. Ivins, an Army biodefense expert who killed himself in 2008.

19 February 2010

US - HHS Sec. Sebelius speaks on health preparedness

At the summit, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius spoke about the ongoing efforts to strengthen America's preparedness and response to meet future health challenges, including a pandemic or biothreat.

19 February 2010

India - Indian scientific experts call for better safeguards on hazardous materials

Scientific experts in India have asked industries to better safeguard hazardous chemicals and materials to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.

19 February 2010

US - High-Precision Biosensor in Development

Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are working on a portable scanner capable of detecting even the smallest traces of dangerous biological agents and other hazardous materials, the laboratory announced last week.

19 February 2010

US - Many Would Delay Taking Recommended Antibiotics after Anthrax Attack, Poll Finds

In a national poll aimed at helping with planning efforts for a public health response to a possible bioterrorism attack, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that, in response to a fictional scenario describing a significant anthrax attack in their city or town, most Americans (89 percent) will likely follow public health recommendations to obtain prophylactic antibiotics.

18 February 2010

US - Hazmat scare at courthouse in Michigan upon receiving an envelope of white powder

The Ionia Public Safety Hazmat team was dispatched to the Ionia County Courthouse Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, at 3:24 p.m. after an envelope containing a suspicious white powder was opened in the clerk�s office.

18 February 2010

International - The digital revolution offers new ways to fight epidemics

There are more than 100 H1N1 applications for iPhone -- and several other apps dedicated to identifying, locating, and reporting the outbreak of epidemics; these digital tools could help people take preventive measures earlier than otherwise would have been the case, but they also open the door to mass panic from unreliable or false reports.

18 February 2010

US - Envelope found in U.N. cafeteria prompts evacuation

The U.N. cafeteria was evacuated on Thursday when a suspicious envelope was found, officials said, amid increased security precautions ahead of a session on Haiti with former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

18 February 2010

US - Mysterious white powder mailed to bank in New Jersey

An envelope containing white powder � and workers� fears about anthrax or other type of toxic poisoning � sent Cedar Grove police and hazardous materials officers racing to the Citibank on Pompton Avenue on Tuesday morning

18 February 2010

US - Biothreats see security firms expanding

Growing perceptions of unknown threats to communities from biological terrorism and warfare have led to the rise of security businesses dealing with detection and prevention of harmful substances targeting individuals and societies.

18 February 2010

Norway - Norway Considering National Biosample Company

The government of Norway is considering forming a national company to commercialize biomaterials assets from the nation's collection of human samples and related information, Oslo-based Hunt Biosciences said today.

18 February 2010

US - Suspicious package sent to Sen. Kerry�s Hub office

A suspicious package delivered this morning to the Boston office of U.S. Sen. John Kerry may contain cooking oil, authorities said.

17 February 2010

US - New diamond-based nanowire could open door to better biological sensors

A new type of diamond-based nanowire devices developed by researchers at Harvard University could potentially be used in new generations of biological and chemical sensors.

17 February 2010

US - Nanoviricides teams up with UC - Berkeley professor to test dengue virus drug candidates

A research and development agreement has been signed between NanoViricides, Inc., and the laboratory of Dr. Eva Harris at the University of California - Berkeley to evaluate the effectiveness of Nanoviricides drug candidates against dengue viruses.

17 February 2010

US - Expert says bioattack unlikely

Experts have said that a biological or nuclear attack on the United States by terrorist remains the nation's greatest threat but is unlikely to occur.

16 February 2010

India - Indian defense minister calls for end to bioweapons, wars

India's Defense Minister and President of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses Shri AK Antony, in a keynote address to the 12th Asian Security Conference 2010, called for an end of war to settle disputes, the destruction of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and a call to fight terrorism.

16 February 2010

Canada - Canada Prepared for WMD Terrorism at Olympics

Canada has deployed a small army of 15,500 military, police and security personnel in the Vancouver area in an effort to head off or handle any potential terrorist act during the Winter Olympics, including use of weapons of mass destruction

16 February 2010

US - Threat-detecting ship patrols L.A. harbor

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach have gained added protection from chemical and biological weapons following the launching of a new ship that can detect those potential terror threats.

15 February 2010

US - N.H. anthrax victim walking, remains hospitalized

The New Hampshire woman who contracted a rare form of anthrax two months ago is now able to get up and walk around, health officials have announced, but will remain hospitalized for some time.

12 February 2010

US - Irish Lawmaker Calls for Enhanced Bioweapons Bill

An Irish lawmaker argued this week that a pending legal prohibition against biological weapons should include a provision banning the movement of such armaments through the nation's airspace, the Irish Times reported.

12 February 2010

US - Yuma air station tests CBRN preparedness

Air station personnel at a Yuma air station have finished a joint training exercise with local emergency response services to assess their ability to respond to biological, chemical and nuclear attacks while coordinating their responsibilities.

12 February 2010

US - Report: For biodefense, US needs closer ties to industry

The US government needs much closer collaboration with private industry�like the arrangements used in building aircraft carriers and putting men on the moon�in order to improve the nation's medical defenses against biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear threats, says a report from a federal advisory panel.

11 February 2010

US - Anthrax scare at Salem, Mass. hospital

A letter sent to a Salem, Mass. hospital this week contained a small white powder, setting off fears of an anthrax attack within the building.

10 February 2010

Scotland - Anthrax-contaminated heroin kills drug user

Death in Blackpool follows nine fatalities in Scotland since the contaminated heroin emerged in December

10 February 2010

US - HHS advisors face short deadline for analyzing biodefense

A committee that advises the US Department of Health and Human Services on biodefense issues took the first steps today to meet the tough assignment of analyzing the challenges facing HHS's medical countermeasures program and completing a report by Mar 26.

10 February 2010

International - Mushroom fruit could aid in clean up of bioweapons

A strange new natural contender in aiding in the fight against biological weapons has stepped forward, with researchers learning that the fruit of mushrooms can be used in cleaning up following a biological attack.

9 February 2010

Gabon: un nombre �tonnant d'habitants immunis�s contre le virus Ebola

Une part �tonnamment �lev�e de la population gabonaise serait immunis�e contre le virus Ebola, probablement apr�s avoir consomm� des fruits contamin�s par de la salive de chauves-souris, selon des chercheurs de l'Institut de recherche pour le d�veloppement (IRD).

9 February 2010

US - Autonomous biothreat sensors to be developed

Qinetiq North America has announced that it is working in conjunction with Brewer Science and Applied Systems Intelligence on a new program to develop an autonomous, self-deploying sensor to serve as a roving, early-warning detector of biological warfare activity.

8 February 2010

Australia - Users gear up against anthrax-tainted heroin

Australian drug users have been warned to be wary of a deadly batch of contaminated heroin that is causing anthrax in the UK and has killed at least eight addicts.

6 February 2010

Europe - Anthrax contaminated heroin spreads

British authorities today warned drug users that heroin in London was highly likely to be contaminated with anthrax, after a first confirmed case there and following nine deaths in Scotland.

5 February 2010

Philippines - Abu Sayyaf, communists accused of using biological weapons

Manila : Bandits and communist rebels should be censured for using biological weapons and landmines, a local paper said.

5 February 2010

International - Five infectious diseases that might re-emerge

Dreaded infectious diseases of the past have largely been kept at bay by antibioitcs and other medical advances; these diseases still linger, though, and could pose a threat � either because some parents refuse to vaccinate their kids owing to concerns about possible links between such vaccination and autism (Mumps), or because terrorists might use the pathogens in a bioterror attack (small pox).

5 February 2010

France - Un nouveau plan de bataille contre la bombe sale

Confront�e au spectre tant redout� d'un attentat � la bombe �sale� ou d'un accident industriel majeur, la France cargue les voiles. Selon nos informations, une enveloppe de 150 millions d'euros a �t� d�bloqu�e pour d�velopper un vaste plan de bataille visant � prot�ger la population. [Confronted by the danger of a 'dirty bomb', France is developing a comprehensive battle plan with the view of protecting the civilian population.]

5 February 2010

US - Health Agency Plans Summit on U.S. Biological Threat Preparations

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department next week plans to conduct a summit with other government entities as it works to reassess the nation's strategy for producing treatments for biological weapons materials and other public health threats

5 February 2010

France - Un produit naturel contre les souches microbiennes

Une machine r�volutionnaire, produite par Atlas D�veloppement, vient d'�tre install�e aux �tablissements Calvet � Aimargues. Elle permet, au travers de l'�lectrolyse form�e par un m�lange d'eau et de sel, de d�truire toutes les souches microbiennes. Il suffit d'un quart d'heure pour d�truire l'anthrax. [A revolutionary machine can destroy microbacterial spores, such as anthrax within 15 minutes].

4 February 2010

Denmark - Danish Firms Face New Biosecurity Rule

Businesses and other entities in Denmark have until May 1 to acquire a government license to handle materials that might be employed to produce biological weapons, the Copenhagen Post reported Tuesday

4 February 2010

US - Biodefense Lab Proposed to Receive $40M

A federal laboratory in Kansas that would study diseases that could be used as biological weapons would receive $40 million under President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget proposal, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

4 February 2010

US - New bill would increase response effectiveness in face of bioattack

H.R. 4580, the Metropolitan Medical Response System Act, has been introduced by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) along with Reps. Jim Moran (D-Va.) and Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.), which would ensure the proper integration and coordination of local emergency management plans int he event of a biological attack, nuclear bomb or natural disaster.

3 February 2010

UK - New study shed light on how citizens will react to bio-outbreak

A new study published in the British Journal of Health Psychology has highlighted how people behave during pandemics and potentially paved the way to predict protective behaviors by identifying key demographic and psychological factors, giving light on how populations might react to a bioterror event.

3 February 2010

Us - CDC Disaster Funding Set at $1.5B

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's efforts to prepare for and respond to man-made and naturally occurring calamities would receive $1.53 billion under the fiscal 2011 budget of its parent agency, the Health and Human Services Department.

3 February 2010

US - Sebelius responds to president's 2011 HHS budget

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has released a statement highlighting critical components of President Obama's 2011 HHS budget that will not only protect citizens from bioterrorism but also protect the health and safety of American citizens.

3 February 2010

US - Seven exposed to white powder in NY federal building

Seven people were exposed to a suspicious white powder in a U.S federal building in downtown Manhattan on Wednesday, authorities said.

3 February 2010

US - Experimental Smallpox Vaccine to be Tested on Humans

Researchers from Saint Louis University in Missouri and other institutions are conducting a human study of an experimental smallpox vaccine that might be used to counter a possible bioterrorist attack, the St. Louis Business Journal reported Monday

3 February 2010

US - Obama must pay heed to al-Qaeda's quest for biological weapons

THREE THOUSAND people were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. More than 300,000 could be dead within one week after a modest attack with biological weapons. [editorial]

2 February 2010

UK - New clue in Scotland anthrax infections

The hunt for the source of heroin tainted with anthrax has been widened following the tenth reported death from the infection in Scotland.

2 February 2010

US - Hopes rise for Marbug and Ebola vaccines

The Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research has begun tests on an experimental vaccine against the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses.

1 February 2010

US - Pentagon to Augment Anti-WMD Capabilities

The U.S. Defense Department said today in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review that it intends to enhance its capabilities to prevent the spread and use of weapons of mass destruction.

30 January 2010

US - Malls could be targets for Al Qaida bioterror attacks

Counter terror experts have announced that Al Qaida has set its sights onto using biological and chemical attacks on shopping malls and other soft targets.

30 January 2010

International - Ethics of medicalized weapons questioned

A new report raises questions as to the ethics of so-called medicalized weapons, which are biological weapons meant to incapacitate rather than kill, and the implications of medical personnel designing, manufacturing and testing such weapons.

30 January 2010

US - Nunn-Lugar Cooperative releases 2009 report

To date, Nunn-Lugar has made substantial progress in combating the global risk of biological weapons, neutralizing chemical weapons, containing the nuclear threat and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

30 January 2010

US - Senate Homeland Security Committee senator weighs in on Obama's bioterrorism announcement

The ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee has weighed in on President Barack Obama's announcement during his State of the Union Address of a new initiative to fight bioterrorism.

29 January 2010

US - Stony Brook University-BNL Research Team Receives DOD Grant to Develop Botulism Antidote

The Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB&DD) at Stony Brook has been awarded a $1.4 million grant by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the Department of Defense to develop an antidote to botulism, a rare but potentially fatal disease that could potentially be used in biowarfare.

28 January 2010

UK - Sonic tweezers could be the future of bioterror analysis

Sonotweezers, a device being developed by a collaborative research team with partners from Bristol, Dundee, Southampton and Glasgow Universities, may soon allow first responders to detect bioterror agents with a tweezer-like device that utilizes ultrasonics.

28 January 2010

US - Obama Vows New Biodefense Initiative

The White House strongly disagreed with the final report card of the WMD Commission, released Tuesday, which concluded that the administration and Congress had failed to do enough to defend the public against the threat of biological agents in the past year.

27 January 2010

US - Commission report a step in the right direction, but international preparedness shouldn't be ignored, expert says

"The notion that we can insulate ourselves in any meaningful sense from a pandemic disease is naive and I would have preferred more discussion on international preparedness," Barry Kellman, president of the International Security & Biopolicy Institute said about the newly released Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism.

27 January 2010

US - NH Anthrax Victim Better, Building Cleanup Planned

A woman who contracted a rare form of anthrax nearly two months ago remains hospitalized but is now able to answer questions from state health officials, the deputy state epidemiologist said Wednesday.

26 January 2010

US - U.S. gets 'F' on bioterror response

commission set up to assess national security measures on Tuesday gave the U.S. government a failing grade in improving response time to a biological attack.

26 January 2010

US - Obama to announce plan to respond to bioterrorism

President Barack Obama will use his State of the Union address to unveil a new plan for a better and quicker response to bioterrorism threats and attacks, the White House said Tuesday.

26 January 2010

Scotland - Eighth anthrax death in Scotland

An eighth heroin user in Scotland has died after becoming infected with anthrax, health officials have confirmed, and another drug user has been confirmed to be infected with the bacteria.

26 January 2010

US - New report sheds light on Al Qaeda's biological attack capabilities

Years of work by Al Qaeda terrorists to acquire weapons of mass destruction and concoct the deadliest methods of using them have been assessed by a retired Central Intelligence Agency officer in a newly released research paper.

26 January 2010

US - Universal Detection Technology Responds to Failure of U.S. Bioterrorism Prevention in Congressional Commission's Report Card

Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, responded today to a bipartisan congressional committee's scathing report card failing the U.S. Government for adequately preparing the country for the threat of a bioterrorism attack.

26 January 2010

International - Officials fear toxic ingredient in Botox could become terrorist tool

In early 2006, a mysterious cosmetics trader named Rakhman began showing up at salons in St. Petersburg, Russia, hawking a popular anti-aging drug at suspiciously low prices.

26 January 2010

UK - Battling against biological threats with ultrasonics

Homeland security officials and first responders may be able quickly to separate and detect deadly biological weapons such as anthrax from samples using a microscopic tweezers-like device that relies on the power of ultrasound.

26 January 2010

India - Water filter to protect against bioattacks to debut in India

A new water filter that utilizes reverse osmosis to create potable water int he event of a biological, chemical or nuclear attack will soon be available in India.

25 January 2010

India - India debuts bioattack resistant frigate

India has revealed its fist indigenously built stealth class frigate, which will be inducted in April, that is equipped with state of the art defenses against biological, chemical and nuclear attacks

25 January 2010

UK - Scotland reports 15th heroin user infected with anthrax

A fifteenth heroin user has tested positive for an anthrax infection in Scotland, showing that the spread of the disease has not abated.A fifteenth heroin user has tested positive for an anthrax infection in Scotland, showing that the spread of the disease has not abated.

24 January 2010

US - The Anthrax Attacks Remain Unsolved

The FBI disproved its main theory about how the spores were weaponized. The investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks ended as far as the public knew on July 29, 2008, with the death of Bruce Ivins, a senior biodefense researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Fort Detrick, Md.

22 January 2010

France - France issues anthrax-laced heroin warning

At least eight people have died in Europe - seven in Scotland and one in Germany - since the beginning of December stemming from what is believed to be heroin tainted with anthrax.

22 January 2010

US - U.S. holds pre-Olympics bio-planning exercise

U.S. federal, state and local authorities have finished a planning exercise to respond to a potential massive health disaster in British Columbia during the 2010 Winter Games.

22 January 2010

India - India sets up special CBRN unit

India's Maharashtra home minister has ordered state police to set up a specialized unit with a goal of tackling biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in the face of future terror challenges.

21 January 2010

US - WMD and Terrorism Commission to Issue Report Card Grading Government on Protecting the United States

Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), chair and vice chair of the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, will issue a much-anticipated Report Card next week, evaluating the government�s ability to protect the United States from the threat posed by WMD and terrorism.

21 January 2010

Canada - Canada receives 13 CBRN shelter systems

The Canadian Department of National Defence has awarded Solon, Ohio-based HDT Engineered Technologies with a contract for 13 Transportable Collective Protection Shelter Systems. The shelter systems are meant to protect against chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear threats.

20 January 2010

Israel - 30 countries joined Israel in mass bio-terror drill

The security and health systems conducted a mass drill against a smallpox terror attack last week, involving a scenario whereby terrorists infected with a virus entered Tel Aviv posing as tourists from a European country. It was the largest drill of its kind ever held in Israel.

20 January 2010

Europe - Alarm over anthrax-tainted heroin

The health ministry in France has issued a warning after eight people died and seven fell sick in two European countries from using heroin contaminated by anthrax.

19 January 2010

US - Second round of anthrax testing in N.H. comes up negative

A second round of samples taken for testing from a Durham, N.H. building were a woman contracted a rare form of anthrax have returned negative for anthrax spores, New Hampshire health officials have revealed.

19 January 2010

UK - England reveals increased monitoring for dirty bombs, bioweapons

Major British ports have had high-tech machines installed to detect any materials that could potentially be used to build "dirty bombs," it has been revealed.

19 January 2010

US - Llamas� antobodies to aid bioterror fight

A new technique for detecting the seven types of botulinum neurotoxins simultaneously could lead to increased protection of food and water supplies if such BoNTs are used for bioterrorism. Scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SBFR) in San Antonio, Texas, developed the new system, which utilized antibodies found in llamas.

19 January 2010

US - Food facilities failing to comply with Bioterrorism Act of 2002

The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 requires food facilities to register with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but a recent government review revealed that nearly half of food facilities have failed to give correct information.

19 January 2010

US - Researchers Worried by Biosecurity Proposals

Some U.S. biodefense researchers are objecting to certain proposals for securing laboratories that handle infectious diseases that could be used in acts of bioterrorism, Popular Mechanics reported Friday

18 January 2010

Africa - Kenya to Host Workshop on Implementing Security Council Resolution 1540

A regional workshop will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2 to 4 February will aim to promote the building of national- and regional-level capacity to advance full implementation of Security Council resolution 1540 (2004).

15 January 2010

US - Drive-through clinics could stem effects of bioattack

A study by physicians at Stanford Hospital & Clinics has concluded that, in the event of a pandemic or biological attack, patients' own cars can be effectively utilized as a drive-through emergency department.

14 January 2010

UK - Four investigated for neo-Nazi links and possession of ricin, explosives

Two suspected neo-Nazis due to appear in court tomorrow are alleged to belong to the same extreme right wing organisation as a County Durham father and son arrested on terrorism charges.[One] is currently remanded in custody charged with offences under the Terrorism Act including acquiring a quantity of the toxin ricin, explosives and other manuals and disseminatingthem to others, encouraging others to commit acts of terrorism.

14 January 2010

US - Aethlon Medical advances therapeutic device for biological warfare pathogens

A company developing a therapeutic device meant to treat acute and chronic viral infections, biological warfare pathogens and other conditions has issued a research update.

14 January 2010

Scotland - An Outbreak of Infection with Bacillus anthracis in Injecting Drug Users in Scotland

An investigation is currently underway to explore and control an outbreak of Bacillus anthracis among drug users (mainly injecting) in Scotland. Contaminated heroin or a contaminated cutting agent mixed with the heroin is considered to be the most likely source and vehicle of infection.

14 January 2010

Germany - Preliminary Case Report of Fatal Anthrax in an Injecting Drug User in North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, December 2009

A fatal case of anthrax occurred in an injecting drug user in Germany, in December 2009. A potential link to similar cases in Scotland in the same time period is currently under investigation.

14 January 2010

Denmark - Denmark to offer bioattack insurance

A measure adopted by Denmark has been authorized by the European Commission under EU state aid rules to provide a state guarantee on non-life insurance against damages resulting from biological, chemical, nuclear or radioactive terrorist attacks exceeding a certain threshold.

14 January 2010

Europe - New EU states ranked in terms of biotech industry

The biotech industry in most of the EU's new member states lags behind that of their Western European neighbors, despite many declaring biotech a national priority. The 14 allbio report produced by EuropaBio and Zurich-based Venture Valuation is the first to gather data on the state of the biotech industry in the 12 new member states and 2 candidate countries.

13 January 2010

US - New biological decontamination service launched

The United State's largest precision cleaning and passivation company - Astro Pak Corporation - has launched a new subsidiary to provide on-site biological decontamination services.

13 January 2010

Israel - Massive biological attack drill begins

Days after an acid attack in downtown Hong Kong, and in preparation for a non-conventional attack on Israel, the National Emergency Authority (NEA) will hold the largest-ever exercise to train security forces how to respond to a citywide biological attack.

13 January 2010

Guam - Guam simulates attack

Guam simulated a biological, chemical and radioactive attack this week as part of a 36 hour training exercise to test local and federal agencies' preparedness in the face of a terrorist attack.

13 January 2010

US - Grant awarded to develop quicker methods of diagnosing bioagents

The US National Institutes of Health have awarded a grant to develop quick diagnostic methods for bacterial agents requiring limited resources and personnel.

12 January 2010

US - Microscopic Tools Studied for Biothreat Detection

Infinitesimally small strands of material are being studied for use as a diagnostic tool in identifying disease agents that could be used in acts of bioterrorism, Virginia Tech announced yesterday.

12 January 2010

US - More frequent screenings recommended for handlers of deadly pathogens

More frequent security screening has been recommended by a federal panel for researchers who handle the world's deadliest pathogens.

12 January 2010

US - High-Level Panel Calls for Biosecurity Improvements

The U.S. government should divide its list of deadly disease-causing pathogens and toxins into separate categories so that research facilities can implement security measures that correspond to the risk posed by those materials, according to the findings of a high-level panel of experts.

11 January 2010

US - Maryland hospital near Washington DC tabbed as destination in the event of bioattack

A newly announced federally funded partnership will make a Cheverly, Maryland hospital a destination in the event of a terrorist attack.

US - Budget Strips More Than $600 Million From Bioshield Program

A spending plan approved last month by U.S. President Barack Obama transfers more than half a billion dollars from the coffers of a leading effort intended to promote development of countermeasures against weapons of mass destruction.

US - First U.S. National Health Security Plan Released

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department yesterday released the country's first-ever National Health Security Strategy, which is designed to safeguard the health of the populace in the event of a bioterrorism incident or other large-scale crisis.

International - Ebola, Marburg vaccines undergoing tests

An experimental vaccine against the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses is undergoing tests at Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research. As we reported, the Dutch pharmaceutical company Crucell, which developed the vaccine under a $30 million contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will pay the foundation up to $2.7 million to test it in animals.

Pakistan moves to ban bioweapons

The federal Cabinet of Pakistan has given its tentative support to a new draft bill that would ban biological weapons activities.

US - Texas foundation wins contract to assist in fight against bioterrorism

Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research receives first installment of $456,216 of a $2.2 million contract to do research on Ebola and Marburg viruses, which could be used as potential bioterror weapons

UK - Scotland: Anthrax outbreak linked to contaminated heroin has caused 6 deaths, 12 infections

Contaminated heroin may have caused an anthrax outbreak among drug addicts in Scotland, killing six people and infecting 12 in total, health officials said Thursday.

US - Investigation launched into "Black Death" scare at UC-Irvine

An investigation has been launched by authorities into a series of suspicious envelopes containing white powder sent to University of California - Irvine.

US - Fraunhofer to receive $5.3 million in government funding to combat anthrax and plague

The Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology, a not-for-profit research organization, was awarded a $5.3 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense through the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for the Development of Dual Agent Countermeasures to Combat Anthrax and Plague.

Israel -Israel to simulate biological warfare attack

The exercise, which will be the largest of its kind in Israel's history, aims to evaluate the ability of the Home Front, the medical services, rescue teams and the municipal authorities to respond in the conditions created by a biological catastrophe caused either by terrorists or by accident.

US - Universal Detection Technology Issues Analysis of Anthrax Scare in Alabama

Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, issued today an analysis of the recent reports of white powder scares to government buildings across Alabama.

US - Video games to train emergency responders

Video games will be used to train workers in emergency response training in the face of a biological attack, U.S. authorities have announced.

US - Former Senator Talent critical of lack of preparation for biological event

Former U.S. Senator Jim Talent (R-MO) is sounding the alarm about America�s response to the H1N1 virus and how it proves the country needs better medical emergency plans to deal with any biological event, natural or manmade.

US - Department of Homeland Security seeks revolutionary bioterror technologies

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a long-range broad agency announcement seeking revolutionary technologies to improve homeland security missions and operations. The broad agency announcement seeks, among other things, to develop and demonstrate homeland security technology for a chemical and biological division.

UK -Counter terror cops in new tour of UK universities

The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) will launch Project Revise, a project which aims to sensitize university staff who work with hazardous materials on how to spot the warning signs of radicalisation among employees.

US - Alabama Anthrax: letters prompt scare across state

Envelopes containing white powder set off anthrax scares in five Alabama cities, shutting down two federal courthouses Monday and trapping a congressman in his office as authorities tested the substance.

31 December 2009

US - U.S. Postal Service to be in charge of drug delivery in the event of a bioattack

Following an executive order released Wednesday, the U.S. Postal Service will be put in charge of delivering drugs and other medical aid to Americans in the event of a large-scale biological weapon attack.

30 December 2009

US - Anthrax Case Linked to Drumming Circle, New Hampshire Officials Say

A New Hampshire woman who is critically ill with gastrointestinal anthrax most likely swallowed spores while participating in a community drumming circle, state health officials said Tuesday. Kris Neilsen, a spokeswoman for the State Department of Health and Human Services, said that after consulting with the F.B.I. the state had concluded the anthrax strain was naturally occurring and unrelated to terrorism.

30 December 2009

US - Executive Order "Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack" released by White House

Executive Order -- Medical Countermeasures Following a Biological Attack -ESTABLISHING FEDERAL CAPABILITY FOR THE TIMELY PROVISION OF MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES FOLLOWING A BIOLOGICAL ATTACK [text to follow]

29 December 2009

Switzerland - Alerte � l'anthrax dans une poste zurichoise

La poudre suspecte d�couverte mardi dans une enveloppe au principal bureau de poste de Zurich n'est pas dangereuse, selon l'analyse de sp�cialistes. L'exp�diteur de la missive, qui a provoqu� une alerte � l'anthrax, demeure inconnu, a annonc� la police municipale. [The suspicious powder discovered at the main post office in Zurich has turned out not to be dangerous, according to specialists' analysis].

29 December 2009

Turkey - Courrier suspect au pr�sident du CE turc

Une lettre contenant une poudre blanche suspecte destin�e au pr�sident du Conseil d'Etat, Mustafa Birden, a �t� intercept�e par les autorit�s turques, rapportent les m�dias.

29 December 2009

US - Synthetic Gene Firms Get Ahead of Government on Security

Synthetic biology companies and the US government appear to share many of the same ideas about measures that should be taken to keep potentially dangerous synthesized gene sequences out of the hands of bioterrorists.

28 December 2009

Asia - Kazakhstan opens its third bio-monitoring station in Almaty

Kazakhstan has opened its third biological agent monitoring station in Almaty.The new monitoring system has been built under the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program, which is better known as the Nunn-Lugar Program.

24 December 2009

US - Elusys scores federal contract to develop anthrax vaccine

A U.S. Health and Human Services agency has awarded an up to $143 million contract to further develop an inhaled anthrax treatment that could rival a similar product at Rockville-based Human Genome Sciences Inc.

24 December 2009

US - Biothreat response website launched for those with special needs

The Northeast Texas Public Health District has debuted a new website with a goal of making information on emergency preparedness information easily accessible to special needs residents.

23 December 2009

US - Defense Appropriations Act to fund biosensors

Southwestern Pennsylvania will receive more than $24 million in funding for projects, including some to fight bioterror, as part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Act recently approved by Congress and signed over the weekend by President Obama.

23 December 2009

International - In A Pandemic Best Go Digital

The use of a digital checklist for patients being administered emergency drugs during a pandemic or following a biological terrorist attack reduces the fatigue factor, according to a report in the International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, and could save lives.

22 December 2009

US - DHS biosurveillance center not getting enough data, GAO says

The Homeland Security Department�s effort to spearhead federal information-sharing for biosurveillance has encountered several obstacles that are preventing it from collecting the data it needs, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

22 December 2009

International - Scientists now know how smallpox kills

In a new research report appearing online in The FASEB Journal, researchers describe how the virus cripples immune systems by attacking molecules made by our bodies to block viral replication. This discovery fills a major gap in the scientific understanding of pox diseases and lays the foundation for the development of antiviral treatments, should smallpox or related viruses re-emerge through accident, viral evolution, or terrorist action.

22 December 2009

US - Oklahoma Representative reacts to cancellation of anthrax study

Phil Richardson, an Oklahoma State Representative, veterinarian and farmer, has taken aim at Oklahoma State University for its recent cancellation of an anthrax study that would have required testing and euthanasia on primates.

21 December 2009

US - FDA, USDA collaborate on bioterrorism risk evaluation tool for agriculture

The Food and Drug Administration and the United States Department of Agriculture collaborated on new set of tools designed to help food-animal producers mitigate risk of bioterrorism on their food production process.

21 December 2009

US - Pennsylvania hospitals given grant to fight bioterror and pandemics

Jameson and Ellwood City hospitals in Pennsylvania will receive a $1.6 million grant award to aid them in their fight against bioterrorism and pandemics.

21 December 2009

US - Department of Defense bill will fund biological attack sensors

Under the recently $636 billion Department of Defense appropriations bill passed by the Senate, Michigan companies will soon see grants to aid in the prevention of bioterrorism.

21 December 2009

US - Maine to receive more than $3 million to aid bioterror research

More than $3 million will be set aside for bioterrorism research in Maine by the Department of Defense's new appropriation bill, which has been sent to President Barack Obama for his signature

19 December 2009

International - Le Canada et les Philippines offrent une formation aux premiers intervenants

L�ambassade du Canada aux Philippines, en collaboration avec le Bureau de la protection contre les incendies et la Police nationale des Philippines, a organis� r�cemment le 13e Programme de formation chimique, biologique, radiologique et nucl�aire (CBRN) pour les premiers intervenants � Manille.

18 December 2009

UK - Anthrax found in Glasgow heroin users

Health agencies across Scotland have been placed on alert after a drug user who died in a Glasgow hospital tested positive for anthrax.

17 December 2009

US - CSTE National Assessment Finds Critical Public Health Disease Surveillance Capacity Lacking

There was [also] a substantial decrease in core epidemiology capacity over this same period, including epidemiology capacity for bioterrorism and emergency response

17 December 2009

US - NIH awards La Jolla Institute $18.8 million for major infectious disease study

The Institute received four project awards totaling $18.8 million from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to fund the study. The study also includes a component on smallpox, a deadly infectious disease eradicated worldwide, which remains a focus due to bioterrorism concerns.

17 December 2009

India - India to set up special training centres for cops

The Government of India has planned to set up a set of special training centres to train state police forces to deal with naxals, terrorist and face chemical and biological warfare challenges

16 December 2009

US - Study Confirms Restanza's Profile as a Broad Spectrum Countermeasure for Biodefense

Advanced Life Sciences Holdings today announced positive top-line results from a pivotal, non-human primate study of its novel, once-a-day, oral antibiotic Restanza(TM) (cethromycin) against an inhaled lethal dose of tularemia.

16 December 2009

US - New York scores high on report over bio-preparedness

New York has been named one of eight states to have met nine of 10 preparedness measures in the face of a pandemic, a first step in fighting a potential biological attack.

15 December 2009

NASA technology may help bioterror fight

Technology developed at NASA to guard against Earth-bound infections during space exploration may be used in finding ways to counter bioterrorism, new research indicated.

15 December 2009

US - Advocacy group says pandemic response shows strengths, weaknesses

The report, titled "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism" assesses the nation's preparedness for a public health emergency.

15 December 2009

Europe - Regional stockpiles could aid Europe in event of bioattack

A plan to ensure Europe is prepared for a biologic attack has been laid out by Allen Shofe, senior vice president of public affairs at Emergent BioSoloutions, as part of the Security & Defence Agenda's "Raising Biopreparedness Levels in Europe" report.

14 December 2009

Israel - Home Front Command Exercise in Jerusalem carried out against CBRN weapons

A simulation of an attack of three missiles with CBRN heads took place in Jerusalem in order to test first responders' preparedness.

14 December 2009

US - Universal Detection Technology Files White Paper for Bioterrorism Detection Research

Universal Detection Technology, Los Angeles, Calif., a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies, has reported that it has responded to the Department of Homeland Security�s request for a research proposal aimed at detecting and containing harmful bioagents, such as anthrax, used as bioterrorism weapons.

14 December 2009

International - Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties concludes in GenevaCONVENTION MEETING OF STATES PARTIES CONCLUDES IN GENEVA

States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) have concluded the 2009 Meeting of States Parties which was held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 7 to 11 December.

13 December 2009

US - Obama shifts bioterrorism strategy to preventive, but Congress slow to move

The Obama administration�s new biological threat strategy has put the U.S. back in the forefront of the international community striving to thwart biological terrorist attacks, after spending years on the fringes, but Congress�s role remains to be seen.

11 December 2009

US - Government auditors say food-tracing program flawed

A crucial part of the nation's rapid-reponse plan � the ability to trace food through the supply chain during an illness outbreak or bioterrorism attack � is seriously flawed, an independent watchdog agency has found.

10 December 2009

International - Preventing Synthetic Pathogens from Getting Into the Wrong Hands

Article about the US efforts to prevent synthetic pathogens from being misused.

10 December 2009

US - General Physics Corporations' Domestic Preparedness Equipment Training Assistance Program (DPETAP) Achieves Major Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Training Milestone

General Physics Corporation (GP), announced today it has achieved a major milestone by providing Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) detection, protection and decontamination equipment training to over 90,000 first responders.

9 December 2009

Smiths Detection Expands Advanced Metro Safety System in Washington D.C. to early detection of CBRN

Smiths Detection today announced it has been awarded multiple contracts for the expansion of the PROTECT security system at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The system to be upgraded and expanded is designed for early warning detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) materials.

9 December 2009

US - Under Secretary of State Ellen Tauscher: Address to States Parties of the BWC

Under Secretary of State Ellen O. Tauscher Address to the Annual Meeting of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention

9 December 2009

International - Detrick, Army make plague vaccine with Britain, Canada

A group of Fort Detrick researchers recently found out their 15-plus years of work to combat the plague would be the focus of a multinational effort to mass produce a vaccine.

9 December 2009

US - Cardin calls for enhanced coordintation against cyberattacks and bioterrorism

U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), chairman of the Judiciary Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, today expressed his concerns to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano about the level of coordination among agencies responsible for protecting Americans from the threats of cyber-attacks and bioterrorism.

9 December 2009

Breakthrough findings may lead to new treatments for Ebola hemorrhagic fever

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have determined the structure of a critical protein from the Ebola virus, which, though rare, is one of the deadliest viruses on the planet killing between 50 and 90 percent of those infected [and a potential bioterrorism agent].

8 December 2009

US - FDNY Chooses Lion�s MT94 CBRN Suit to Improve Safety, Ensure Mission-Specific Protection

Fire departments around the world are evaluating their operational readiness to respond to hazmat incidents. The Fire Department City of New York (FDNY), the largest fire department in the United States, has taken the lead in upgrading its response protocol to improve its ability to respond to chemical, biological and WMD incidents.

8 December 2009

US - US to unveil biological threat Strategy

The Obama administration has decided not to support a global monitoring system for biological weapons, a move that affirms an earlier determination by the Bush administration but that will disappoint some nonproliferation experts.

8 December 2009

US - DNA suppliers warned against bioterrorism threat

U.S. businesses that trade in DNA have been warned to stay on guard against abuses leading to bioterrorism.

8 December 2009

UK - Superlab aims to lead fight against cancer [and potential biological weapons agents]

The research facility will cover 3.6 acres near the British Library in King's Cross and house 1,500 scientists. Scheduled to open in 2014, it will study the basic biology that causes the formation and spread of cancer and other diseases such as malaria.

7 December 2009

Canada - Pathogen Audit at Canadian Labs Triggers Increased Bio-Security Measures

Concerns about the safety of Canadian biosecurity labs were raised after an audit revealed many safety breaches in the functioning of these labs.

7 December 2009

Europe - Cold reception for new EU chemical security drive

The Council of the European Union has adopted an action plan to strengthen chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) security in the EU. By committing to an 'all-hazard' policy package, the council hopes to reduce the risk of high risk materials being used as weapons.

7 December 2009

International - WMD proliferation the focus of annual NATO conference

More than 100 senior officials representing countries from five continents as well as a number of international organizations and academic institutions will meet on 10 and 11 December in Warsaw, Poland, for the annual NATO Conference on Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation.

7 December 2009

International - U.N. WMD Conference for African Nations Under Way

A number of African nations are expected to participate today through Thursday in a U.N. conference in Cairo, Egypt, on halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist organizations

7 December 2009

US - Medical countermeasure development should be priority, BARDA director says

The director of CBRN countermeasures at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Gerald Kovacs said that his agency still struggles to convince lawmakers and others that chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear countermeasures remain a priority for U.S. national security.

7 December 2009

US - HHS modifies approach to supporting second generation anthrax vaccine

The HHS Biomedical Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will cancel its request for proposal (RFP) for �Recombinant Protective Antigen Anthrax Vaccine for the Strategic National Stockpile� (RFP-BARDA-08-15).

7 December 2009

Africa - 3 people die after eating cattle infected with anthrax

An outbreak of anthrax, traced to naturally-occuring causes and involving 3 deaths has been reported in Zimbabwe.

7 December 2009

International - Opening up the Biological Weapons Convention to new voices

Each year, the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC), the world's foremost forum to abolish biological weapons, focuses on one or two areas that have been identified by States Parties as warranting more collective work. This year, [it was] capacity building in the fields of disease surveillance, detection, and diagnosis and infectious disease containment

5 December 2009

US - Feds, MBTA hold bioterror drill

Federal and state officials are at Haymarket Station in Boston today testing how contaminants might spread through the MBTA system, part of a weeklong U.S. Homeland Security Department study involving public transportation in the Hub.

5 December 2009

UK - Doctors Seek to Reopen Inquest in to Death of U.K. Weapons Expert

Six doctors, convinced that the man said to have revealed how the government of Tony Blair exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction did not commit suicide, are pressing for a new inquiry in to the man's death.

4 December 2009

US - Bioattack threat to U.S. ignored, Commission Claims

Senators heading the US Commission on Prevention of WMD Proliferation warn US government is not taking seriously the possibility of an attack using biological weapons.

4 December 2009

A biodefense company announced results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of Valortim� in an inhalation anthrax model in the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit.

Anti-toxins such as Valortim� are a key element in combating and treating anthrax infection, in addition to vaccines and antibiotics, and are an essential requirement for the Strategic National Stockpile.

4 December 2009

US - Researcher at Army Lab Infected With Rabbit Fever

A researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) in Frederick, Maryland, has contracted rabbit fever�also known as tularemia, USAMRIID officials announced today.

4 December 2009

US - UIC given funds to develop new bioweapon antibiotics

Four million dollars in stimulus package funds will be given to researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago to aid in the development of new antibiotics to treat anthrax, tularemia and plague.

4 December 2009

Switzerland - Biological Weapons Convention Members to meet in Geneva from 7 to 11 December

The Meeting of States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) for 2009 will be held in the United Nations Office at Geneva from 7 to 11 December.

4 December 2009

Russia - Blogger arrested for pneumonic plague, bioterrorism rumors

Ivan Peregorodiev, a 22-year-old medical student and blogger, has been arrested on December 3 for spreading rumors about pneumonic plague in the city of Saratov. Authorities accused him of disseminating false information related to an act of terrorism.

4 December 2009

U.S. to Announce Framework for Bioweapons Treaty Policy in Geneva

The Obama administration is expected to reveal its approach to controlling biological weapons at a key international meeting next week, and a number of experts hope the new U.S. policy will help reduce global vulnerabilities and strengthen implementation of the 1975 Biological Weapons Convention.

3 December 2009

France - Mauvais pli pour une habitante de Recquignies, qui re�oit une enveloppe contenant une poudre suspecte.

Un l�ger moment de panique s'est produit hier apr�s-midi au commissariat de police de Jeumont, lorsqu'une habitante de Recquignies s'est annonc�e porteuse d'une enveloppe contenant une poudre suspecte, qu'elle venait remettre aux autorit�s. [Person from Recquignies received a suspicious letter containing white powder].

3 December 2009

US - HazMat team simulates biohazard scenario in Mesquite, Nevada

Nevada National Guard team practices their response to a CBRN hazard.

3 December 2009

US - Brookline, Mass., stages bioterror drill

More than 100 volunteers will take part in a rapid vaccination program in Brookline, Mass., this weekend to prepare the town for a serious pandemic situation or a bioterrorist attack.

3 December 2009

Africa - Bioterror alert raised in Uganda

Uganda's minister of health has announced that the nation's government has raised a full alert through its national disease surveillance network for any possible biological or chemical terrorist attack.

2 December 2009

Canada - Il est maintenant possible de savoir quelles sont les bact�ries utilis�es dans les armes bact�riologiques en moins d�une heure.

Une �quipe de l�Institut universitaire en cardiologie et pneumonie de Qu�bec vient de mettre au point une m�thode d�identification des bact�ries qui s�av�re beaucoup plus rapide que celle utilis�e � ce jour. [It is now possible to know which bacteria where used in biological weapons in less than an hour.]

2 December 2009

US Senator Pryor to file emergency preparedness bills

U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor said Wednesday he plans to file a bill this week that would make public health emergencies, terrorist attacks and man-made disasters eligible for federal emergency assistance.

2 December 2009

US - Public health threat plans under review

Citing the balky swine flu vaccination campaign and other shortcomings in the nation's medical defenses, a top Obama administration official has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats.

2 December 2009

US - Secretary Napolitano Announces New Study to Protect Against Chemical Attacks and Bolster Emergency Planning Efforts

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority today announced a new DHS Science & Technology Directorate-led study that will examine the behavior of airborne contaminants if they were to be released into the subway.

2 December 2009

Canada - Smallpox vaccine adds to potential biodefense stockpile

Bavarian Nordic A/S, focusing on biodefense, has announced that it expects to file a new drug submission for Imvamune, its third-generation smallpox vaccine.

2 December 2009

International - Workshop for Central Asian countries on Non-Proliferation and International Legal Cooperation

For two days, prosecutors, law enforcement representatives and judicial experts involved in prosecution of terrorist cases and related international judicial co-operation, will have an opportunity to discuss universal conventions and protocols related to nuclear, biological and chemical terrorism and relevant international and regional instruments pertaining to non-proliferation of WMD.

1 December 2009

US - Heritage Foundation report calls for robotics funding to aid in fighting bioterror

The emerging field of robotics technology has opened up a whole host of opportunities to fight terrorism, including methods to prevent infection after a bioterror attack or provide relief to those already affected.

1 December 2009

US - Secret Service won't comment on biological detection at state dinner

The Associated Press is reporting that the U.S. Secret Service will not comment as to if anyone at last week's White House state dinner was screened for radiological or biological weapons.

1 December 2009

International - Medizone International Takes Aim at the Bioterrorism Countermeasures Arena

Medizone believes that a field hardened variant of the AsepticSure(TM) hospital unit currently being readied for scale up testing will have wide bio defense applications internationally

1 December 2009

Europe - Operation �Early Bird� targets nuclear, chemical and biological weapons

The first joint operation to combat the proliferation and dual-use of sensitive goods was recently undertaken by 18 Customs administrations of EU Member States on behalf of the Council of the European Union. Called Operation �Early Bird�, this joint Customs operation was aimed at preventing the movement through major airports of sensitive goods destined for sensitive countries.

30 November 2009

US - Government Guidance for Gene Firms to Prevent Bioterrorism

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has proposed a set of guidelines for how providers of custom-made DNA sequences should do business.

30 November 2009

US - TSA report says airline industry vulnerable to attack

A recently released report by the Homeland Security Department's inspector general has raised questions about the safety of air cargo, leaving cargo vulnerable to a bioterror attack.

30 November 2009

US - House passes legislation to force companies to use safer chemicals

Chemicals that could potentially be used in bioterror attacks will be replaced with safer alternatives following the passing of new legislation.

30 November 2009

Oklahoma State University rejects anthrax study over euthanasia of primates

A project to test anthrax vaccines and treatment on baboons was quashed by Oklahoma State University administrators because the primates would be euthanized.

30 November 2009

EU - EDA announces CBR training exercise

The European Defense Agency announced plans to organize a chemical, biological and radiological explosives ordnance disposal training exercise.

30 November 2009

Europe - Lithuania and the USA strenghten cooperation regarding non-proliferation of WMD

Lithuania�s Minister of Foreign Affairs Vygaudas U�ackas and U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne E. Derse signed a protocol, which strengthens the cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S.A. concerning the prevention of illegal transfer and trafficking in nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and related materials.

29 November 2009

US - A vaccination against biologicals. Smallpox and anthrax can be neutralized.

Executive director of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, Col. Larsen calls for vaccination against smallpox and anthrax, the two biological agents most likely to be used by terrorists.

27 November 2009

US - State dinner gate crashers raises bioweapon fears

Gatecrashers at President Obama's first state dinner have raised questions of how secure the president is kept and what steps are being taken to protect him from non-traditonal bioweapons.

27 November 2009

US - Major smallpox vaccine order announcement expected

The biodefense company SIGA Technologies, which engages in the discovery, development and commercialization of products for use in defense against biological warfare agents, is expected to make a major announcement about government orders of its product soon.

25 November 2009

Israel - Chemical and biological attacks simulated in Israel

Unconventional methods of attack such as biological and chemical weapons were also simulated by Israeli and U.S. armies last month as part of a joint preparedness drill.

25 November 2009

Iran: Man�uvres de protections des sites nucl�aires

Les forces arm�es iraniennes ont men� hier un exercice de d�fense contre une �ventuelle attaque nucl�aire, bact�riologique ou chimique (NBC). [Iran's armed forces led yesterday a defense exercise to simulate a possible nuclear, biological or chemical attack]

25 November 2009

UK - Inquiry told Iraq could not 'use' chemical weapons

The UK received intelligence days before invading Iraq that Saddam Hussein may not have been able to use chemical [or biological]weapons, an adviser has said.

25 November 2009

Cowpox's genetic code could lead to bioweapon vaccines

Research into deciphering the cowpox virus' genetic coding has revealed the potential to treat other diseases, including those that pose a biothreat such as ebola.

25 November 2009

Pacific - Previously unknown toxin with bioweapon possibilities found in Australian river

A previously unknown toxin with the potential to be used for bioterror has been found deep in Australia's Fitzroy River.

24 November 2009

US - Export of bioweapon technology to India to remain restricted

The United States has maintained restrictions on the export of as many as 11 of its 16 dual use technology regimes to India, including on dual use technology in chemical and biological weapons.

24 November 2009

New bioweapon detector showcased

Universal Detection Technology has demonstrated its latest development in bioweapon technology at the 2009 Milipol Conference, a five-agent biodetection handheld assay.

24 November 2009

US - Outdated vaccine making shows nation is not prepared for bioterrorism attack

The swine flu has become the vehicle for a homeland security message from former US Senators, who say that even though bioterrorism � not nuclear proliferation � is the nation's leading terrorist threat, the country isn't equipped to respond quickly.

24 November 2009

Africa - South African government trained in identification of bioweapons, other WMDs

A workshop on identifying potential chemical, biological and nuclear weapons has been completed by South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry in collaboration with the National Nuclear Security Administration.

21 November 2009

US - Safety breach at IU sends 7 to hospital as precaution

An Indiana University laboratory that does research on deadly bubonic plague bacterium sent seven people to Bloomington Hospital after a small amount of potentially infected material was discovered in a place where it shouldn't have been in the lab.

20 November 2009

US - Companies Form Consortium to Develop Thermostable Technology to Advance RiVax(TM) and Other Rapidly Acting Vaccines

Soligenix received a $9.4 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to support this work.

20 November 2009

US - New technology allows for sanitizing of potential bio-infected mail

The MailDefender might look like a cross between a safe and a washing machine but it could be the missing piece to protecting the public from lethal bio-agents sent through the mail.

20 November 2009

Positive results reported for fight against VHF

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc., has announced that its researchers have presented positive data on progress as part of its federally funded preclinical viral hemorrhagic fever program.

19 November 2009

US - Book "Living Weapons" tackles biowarfare

Political scientist and author Gregory Koblentz attempts to explain the reality behind biological weapons in his book Living Weapons: Biological Warfare and International Security.

19 November 2009

International - World�s Top Gene Synthesis Companies Establish Tough Biosecurity Screening Protocol

Five of the world�s leading gene synthesis companies today announced agreement that they will apply a common screening protocol to promote biosecurity in the gene synthesis industry.

19 November 2009

US - Group Warns Biosecurity Bill Could Burden Scientific Research

Mandates included in new federal legislation could impair the ability of U.S. laboratories to conduct important biodefense research, according to a leading U.S. science organization

19 November 2009

US - Grant goes to Purdue University to fund research into life cycle of potential bioweapon viruses

The life cycles of two virus types that could be used as biological weapons will be researched with funding from a National Institutes of Health agency with the hope of creating better treatments against them.

18 November 2009

Pacific - Rabies originated in Indonesia, not bioterrorism, says virologist

The Molecular Biology Laboratory at the University of Udayana's School of Medicine has confirmed the rabies outbreak in Bail originated in Indonesia, an expert confirmed. Ni Nyoman Sri Budayanti, head of the laboratory, denied reports the virus was related to international bioterrorism as previously speculated by a government official.

18 November 2009

Switzerland - Tiny chip could diagnose disease

Researchers have demonstrated a tiny chip based on silicon that could be used to diagnose dozens of diseases.

18 November 2009

U.S. Funds Development of Freeze-Dried Smallpox Vaccine

The United States expects to pay Danish biotechnology firm Bavarian Nordic up to $40 million to adapt its smallpox vaccine so that it can be freeze-dried, the company announced yesterday

18 November 2009

Pacific - New checks for bio-terror agent handlers in Australia

People handling biological agents that could be used for terrorist attacks will face new background checks under a measure that has been introduced to parliament.

18 November 2009

US - Man challenges 2003 conviction for making ricin

Kenneth Olsen, a former computer programmer and part-time massage therapist, is scheduled for a hearing early next year on his request to set aside his 2003 jury conviction for making ricin, one of the deadliest chemical poisons known.

18 November 2009

US - Critics say swine flu reaction shows lack of preparedness for biological attack

With H1N1 vaccinations efforts not going as smoothly as planned as lower-than-expected vaccine yields have reduced the number of doses available, questions have been raised about national preparation for biological attacks.

17 November 2009

US - Discovered WWII Japanese submarines were designed to carry bomber aircraft to launch biological attacks

One of the earliest missions called for the aircraft to drop rats infected with bubonic plague and insects carrying cholera, dengue fever, typhus and other diseases on cities on the West coast of America.

17 November 2009

US - Army signs agreement to roll out new biological agent detector

Defense contractor General Dynamics and the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center have signed an agreement to work in tandem to roll out a new biological agent detector for commercial use.

17 November 2009

US - Is Hendra and Nipah a threat to US?

Amid concerns about H1N1, H5N1 (bird flu), Anthrax and other biological agents that can easily be used for biological warfare, two relatively new viruses are slowly making their mark and causing concern in some parts of the world.

16 November 2009

UK - U.K. Firm Keeps Emergency Personnel Prepared

A British company set up by the government more than 60 years ago to provide work for soldiers maimed during World War II has morphed into a world leader in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protection. Now it is preparing to compete for a potentially huge U.S. military requirement for lightweight suits.

16 November 2009

US - Boston biodefense complex faces legal challenges

A $198 million Boston University Medical Center biological defense laboratory complex's opening has been blocked by federal and state lawsuits brought by the public.

16 November 2009

US - FDA denies approval for Human Genome's anthrax drug

Human Genome Sciences Inc (HGSI.O) said the U.S. health regulators declined to approve its experimental treatment for anthrax infection.

16 November 2009

US - Congressional commission says threat of bioterrorism not being addressed

An interim report by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism states that the United States has failed to address the threat of bioterrorism.

16 November 2009

Canada - Labs have difficulty containing their own biological agents

Federal laboratories in Canada do not have enough security measures in place regarding the storage of dangerous pathogens, a study revealed. ARTICLE IN FRENCH

16 November 2009

US - New bioterror response research institute opens near Washington, D.C.

The Stanford Research Institute International's new research facility in Harrisonburg, Va., has officially opened after four years of planning and construction.

16 November 2009

US - Feds ride rails to stop bombers in their tracks

Federal officers equipped with nuclear- and biological-weapons detectors have begun to ride the nation's rail system, including Amtrak, to prevent terrorists from hauling dirty bombs and other explosives to big-city target.

13 November 2009

US - Disinfectant that quickly wipes out swine flu, anthrax spores, is being tested

A disinfectant that quickly eradicates organisms from the swine flu virus to deadly anthrax spores is being tested by scientists at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, a report in NorthJersey.com said.

12 November 2009

Scholars argue for biodefense policy changes in new book

With their new book, "Breeding Bio Insecurity: How U.S. Biodefense is Exporting Fear, Globalizing Risk, and Making Us All Less Secure," Edward Sylvester, an Arizona State University journalism professor, and Lynn Klotz, a senior science fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, investigate the implications of costly, complex and secretive U.S. biodefense policy.

12 November 2009

International - Scientists Announce Possible Treatment for Deadly Virus

A team of Australian and U.S. scientists believe they have found an antibody that could protect humans from the deadly Hendra virus, Australia's Northern Miner reported yesterday

12 November 2009

US - Anticipating new diseases, bioterror methods - look into emerging pathogens lab

The 150 researchers at the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute work to anticipate and respond to new diseases and old ones -- such as tuberculosis and cholera -- that can turn into new threats or make a comeback.

11 November 2009

International - Researcher says ICC needs stronger biological, chemical weapons provisions

There is potential for biological and chemical weapons to be included in the review of the Rome Statute, the ICC's governing document, in Uganda in 2010.

11 November 2009

US - Ricin 'antidote' to be produced

An anti-toxin that protects against ricin poisoning is to move into production for the first time. Security experts say ricin - roughly 1,000 times more toxic than cyanide - could be used in a bio-terror attack.

11 November 2009

US - UIC receives federal grant to develop new antibiotics against anthrax, tularemia and plague

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have received a $4 million federal grant to develop new antibiotics to treat anthrax, tularemia and plague.

11 November 2009

US - U.N. Missions Received Flour

The number of U.N. missions to receive envelopes filled with a suspicious white powder had increased to five yesterday. The material, though, appears to be flour, United Press International reported

11 November 2009

US - Suspicious envelope found at 6th U.N. mission

A sixth U.N. mission in New York has received an envelope filled with a suspicious white powder, Reuters reported Nov. 11.

10 November 2009

US - BU student caught bacterial infection from lab, tests show

Sophisticated genetic fingerprinting confirmed that a laboratory experiment was the source of a bacterial infection that sickened a graduate student on Boston University�s medical campus, city disease investigators said yesterday.

10 November 2009

US - Poudre-NY: "Al-Qa�da" dans une lettre

Des lettres contenant de la poudre blanche ont �t� adress�es lundi aux repr�sentations de la France, de l'Autriche et de l'Ouzb�kistan � New York, rapporte la police. Les premiers r�sultats sur l'un des pr�l�vements sont revenus n�gatifs � l'anthrax. [Preliminary tests of letters addressed to three consulates in NYC have come back negative for anthrax.]

10 November 2009

EU - Mysterious flu in Ukraine continues to intensify

The mysterious flu strain has caused a variety of theories such as biological warfare.

9 November 2009

EU - European States Press to Make Chem, Bio Weapons Usage War Crimes

The Netherlands is expected to request that the International Criminal Court expand its definition of what actions constitute war crimes to include the use of chemical and biological weapons, Deutsche Presse-Agentur reported Friday.

9 November 2009

US - Suspicious powder sent to French, Austrian and Uzbekistan consulate in NYC

Envelopes containing suspicious powder were sent to three foreign consulates in Manhattan on Monday, but initial tests suggested the mailings were a hoax, police officials said.

9 November 2009

US - Sensors Provide Early Warning of Biological Threats

Ultrasensitive biosensor developed in order to detect biological traces on Mars can be also applied for biosecurity measures.

6 November 2009

Afghanistan: Rare virus poses new threat to US troops

U.S. military officials sent a medical team to a remote outpost in southern Afghanistan this week to take blood samples from members of an Army unit after a soldier in the unit died from an Ebola-like virus.

5 November 2009

US - After Delay, Senate Committee Approves Biosecurity Bill

The U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill intended to improve security at the nation's biological research facilities

5 November 2009

US Defense Study: Predicting 9/11- Type Catastrophes Not Possible

Predicting the occurrence of a terrorist event using a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is not possible under any approaches identified to date, concluded a recent report from a federally funded research corporation, making it extremely difficult to foresee a massively catastrophic event like the 9/11 terrorist attack or a bioterrorism attack.

4 November 2009

US - NIAID announces new human immunology research awards to help fight emerging infectious diseases

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded approximately $208 million to two programs that support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism.

3 November 2009

US - Soldiers Nearly Killed with Military's Bioterrorism Vaccine

Approximately 200 soldiers have suffered from serious and even life-threatening complications from the government-mandated smallpox vaccine, and one has even died.

2 November 2009

US - Seaports need more safeguards against bio/chem weapons

U.S. Customs and Border Protection should consider taking additional steps to counter biological and chemical threats in maritime cargo, according to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.

2 November 2009

International - Resurge temor a bioterrorismo.

El sector farmac�utico no es el �nico que est� sacando provecho del brote de influenza A H1N1. Tambi�n espera beneficiarse la industria encargada de desarrollar aplicaciones civiles y militares para responder a un acto de terrorismo qu�mico, biol�gico o nuclear. [The CBRN protection and prevention industry stands to gain from surge of interest in bioterrorist and pandemic-related issues.]

30 October 2009

US - Powder scare prompts partial evacuation of state office in Virginia

The customer service area of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles' central office in Richmond was evacuated briefly Oct. 28 after a suspicious white powder spilled out of an envelope in the agency's basement mailroom.

30 October 2009

UK - 'Anthrax bomb' answers demanded

An MP is demanding reassurances that nothing remains of an anthrax bomb tested in a south Wales estuary during World War II.

30 October 2009

International - European Commission Finalizing Plan to Bolster WMD Defenses

An action plan that seeks to strengthen European Union defenses against the threat of a WMD attack is being considered for enactment by the close of 2009, Europolitics Environment reported

30 October 2009

US - Student's Illness Spurs BU Biolab Concerns

A graduate student on Boston University�s medical campus developed a bacterial infection just days after conducting experiments with dangerous meningitis germs, prompting city health investigators yesterday to scour the lab where he worked and university officials to dispense antibiotics to other scientists.

29 October 2009

US Lawmakers Delay Vote on Biosecurity Bill

A key U.S. Senate committee yesterday delayed the vote on legislation aimed at strengthening security at the country's biological research facilities

29 October 2009

Australia - Other nations fear Hendra virus, conference told

OVERSEAS researchers were investing in Hendra virus research, despite it only occurring in Australia, because of fears it could be used in biological warfare, a conference has heard.

28 October 2009

UK - British Army considers downsizing CBRN role

Senior British Army commanders are looking to downsize the service's role in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) operations to divert personnel to support the war in Afghanistan.

21 October 2009

Middle East - Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism: US

If increasingly bold attacks on well guarded targets in Pakistan remain unchecked, it could help Al Qaeda develop and use a biological weapon or a nuclear device against the US or its allies, a Congressional Commission has warned.

23 October 2009

Questions raised about Human Genome Science's anthrax vaccine

A report prepared for a Food and Drug Administration panel scheduled to consider approval of Human Genome Sciences Inc.�s experimental anthrax drug questions whether it works better in humans than existing treatments.

27 October 2009

US - Anthrax Drug Stirs concern

The Food and Drug Administration said it has concerns about the reliability of human data involving an experimental anthrax treatment from Human Genome Sciences Inc., and that it can't make a "complete judgment" about whether the product should be approved

26 October 2009

US -Harvard Tightening Security After 6 Poisoned Students, Researchers Ingest Lethal Chemical

Harvard University Medical School will increase security and install new video cameras at its laboratories this week as police work to determine whether six people were intentionally poisoned at a research building.

26 OCtober 2009

U.S. Government Formulation Used to Fight Bio-Terrorism is Released For Retail Sale to Fight H1N1

The formulation is best known for its role in helping to remediate anthrax-contaminated buildings in Washington, New York and Florida in 2001.

26 October 2009

DHS Proposes Guidance for Anthrax Responders

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today announced new proposed guidance for protecting the health of emergency responders during an anthrax attack on a major U.S. city.

24 October 2009

Poland - INTERPOL organized a Bioterrorism Tabletop Exercise in Warsaw

This exercise, the third in a series organized by INTERPOL, simulated a global bioterrorism attack and its aftermath.

23 October 2009

Africa - South Sudan finds no sign of feared Ebola outbreak

Health officials said they had found no evidence to back up reports of a suspected outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in south Sudan, suggesting locals may have made it up to draw doctors to the underdeveloped area.

20 October 2009

US - Boston University biosafety lab ignites critiques

Boston University�s (BU) recently-constructed Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory has raised concerns among local residents and academics who question the new building�s ability to facilitate the safe study of dangerous pathogens that have no known cure.

22 October 2009

US - Report: White House neglecting bioterrorism

The Obama administration is working hard to curb nuclear threats but failing to address the more urgent and immediate threat of biological terrorism, a bipartisan commission created by Congress is reporting today.

22 October 2009

US - Former senators discuss WMD threat

Members of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism underlined the imminence of a biological weapons attack

19 October 2009

US - Chemist Develops High-Speed Test to Improve Pathogen Decontamination

This new method may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria, such as a causative agent for anthrax, and may also be useful in the medical, pharmaceutical and other fields.

20 October 2009

UK - Universal Detection Technology to Present Hand-Held Bioterrorism Detection

Universal Detection Technology announced that it will present its rapid response biodetection kits to the 2012 London Olympics organizers at the 2009 Terrorism & Security Conference in London November 17th and 18th.

20 October 2009

Africa - Ebola: Outbreak Fears in Sudan, Vaccine Trials in Uganda

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed a possible Ebola outbreak in Kitkit village and Timsah village of Raja county

15 October 2009

International - United Nations and Saudi Arabia work to strengthen barriers against biological weapons

Workshop in Riyadh to Focus on Effective National Implementation of Biological Weapons Convention in Member States of Gulf Cooperation Council

16 October 2009

International - Train-the-Trainers session for CBRN first responders organized by NATO takes place

A NATO Train The Trainers session for first responders in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear incidents took place from 12 to 16 October in Kuopio (Finland). ARTICLE TO FOLLOW IN FRENCH

15 October 2009

US - PanThera to develop bio-threat antidote

The U.S. Defense Department has contracted PanThera Biopharma to continue its development of a medical countermeasure for biological defense initiatives.

14 October 2009

USA - Threat of bioterrorism out of the spotlight in recent years

While bioterrorism is a valid threat, the amount the U.S. spends for defensive programs is unnecessary, a bioterrorism expert told an audience Tuesday at the OU College of Public Health.

14 October 2009

Belgium - Roundtable discussion on the preparation for biological dangers

Emergent BioSolutions are organizing a roundtable on the preparation for biological dangers, in the framework of the Programme for Security and Defense. NOTE: article to follow in FRENCH

13 October 2009

US PanThera Biopharma has received a $1.6 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense for further development of an antidote to treat botulism.

The one-year contract with the U.S. Army's Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center is aimed at making a countermeasure against botulism, a biodefense priority for protecting military and civilian populations against bioterrorism, the company said yesterday.

13 October 2009

France - Un gendarme s'�croule apr�s l'ouverture d'une lettre empoisonn�e

Un gendarme ayant ouvert un courrier d�gageant une forte odeur, ainsi que trois pompiers venus le secourir, ont �t� pris de malaise mardi matin � Meilleraye-de-Bretagne. [Gerdarme falls ill after opening foul-smelling envelope].

12 October 2009

Switzerland - Swiss professor receives prize for studies on bacteria, vital for fighting bioterrorism

Fran�oise Gisou van der Goot re�oit le Prix Marcel Benoist 2009 pour ses �tudes sur le m�canisme par lequel les toxines, utilis�es par les bact�ries lors d'une infection, se fraient un chemin dans les cellules et comment celles-ci r�agissent.

US - Research centre's anthrax discovery could lead to improved vaccine

OMRF anthrax discovery could lead to improved vaccine

China - China traces nerve gas back to North Korea

Beijing is suspecting an accidental release of a deadly nerve gas in North Korea, after detecting the substance at the border of its southern neighbor.

North Korea- �North Korea possesses 13 types of biological weapons�

SEOUL: North Korea is thought to have 13 types of viruses and germs which can be used in biological weapons, as well as up to 5,000 tons of chemical weapons, South Korea�s defence ministry said Monday.

US - BioWatch system looks for bioterrorism attacks in urban areas

This federally funded, locally-run program with an $80 million annual depends on a network of vacuum pumps that draw surrounding air through filters, sniffing for signs of biological agents.

Singapore - Tracking Technology for Timber

Canada - Canada protects deadly bio-lab

Canada plans to spend $30-million to build a high-level bio-security lab in Kyrgyzstan, the centrepiece of efforts to keep terrorists from getting their hands on anthrax, plague and other dangerous diseases stored in the former Soviet republic.

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