TERRORISM: FBI Training Elite Deep-diving Counterterrorism unit

photo courtesy fbi.gov

Underwater terrorismFBI training elite deep-diving counterterrorism unit

Published 18 October 2011

To bolster its counterterrorism capabilities, the FBI has created an elite group of special agents trained to track terrorism underwater.
Next year the ten-member Technical Dive Team will begin searching for evidence left behind by international terrorists in waters contaminated by chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear waste.
Pointing to the 2008 attack in Mumbai, India where terrorists entered the city by boat, supervisory special agent James Tullbane, a Technical Dive Team member, said, “There have been enough scenarios recently,” to justify the creation of the special unit.  Full article

BIOTERRORISM: Obstacles Seen to Ebola Treatment

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011

The United States has backed efforts to develop a vaccine for Ebola, but specialists said scientists must look into a number of areas in pursuing defenses against the potential bioterrorism agent, The Lancet reported last week (seeGSN, Jan. 21).

image courtesy
biologynews.net

Weaponizing the Ebola virus appears to be a daunting task, the magazine said; the virus dies rapidly when exposed to sunlight, and the high speed with which it kills carriers minimizes opportunities for its spread.

Still, the Defense Department has provided $291 million for the development of two potential countermeasures for the Ebola and Marburg viruses at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Ft. Detrick, Md. Each of the highly lethal agents causes hemorrhagic fever in humans.

“There have been quite a few promising vaccine candidates in post-exposure treatment strategies that have successfully protected nonhuman primates,” said Thomas Geisbert, an expert with the University of Texas at Austin who led a research group that determined one such treatment was 100 percent effective in animal testing. A vaccine would be useful to laboratory personnel and to medical workers in areas where the virus exists in nature, according to the magazine.  Read more

BIOLAB: India Finishing Work on High-Security Biolab

Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011

photo courtesy of
nari-icmr.res.in

India's National Institute of Virology has almost finished work on the nation's first Biosafety Level 4 laboratory, which would conduct research on some of the world's most highly contagious and lethal pathogens, the Indian Expressreported on Tuesday (see GSN, Dec. 17, 2010).

The BSL-4 laboratory, located at the NIV campus in Pashan, is expected be operational no later than November. The laboratory is being built to the highest biosafety standards. Biosafety Level 4 laboratories are authorized to handle diseases for which there are no known cures, such as the Ebola and Marburg viruses. There are reportedly fewer than 40 such facilities on the planet (see GSN, Sept. 8, 2010).

"This laboratory will not just be the first in the country but the only one in entire Southeast Asia," NIV Director A.C. Mishra said.

Seven NIV researchers received instruction in the United States on how to safely manage a Biosafety Level 4 institution.

Mishra said multiple filter systems have been designed for the laboratory to prevent the escape of any disease material. The laboratory was designed with hermetic walls. All water and air that exits the facility is to be scanned for pathogen contamination. Samples of Ebola, anthrax and other diseases would be kept under strict security and site would be surrounded by an electrified fence.

Additionally, 12 protective suits, each with a personal oxygen line, have been shipped from Italy for use by laboratory scientists.

"Virologists are always the first responders in case of any outbreak. Viruses can be used as a bioterrorism agent and the BSL-4 laboratory has been designed in such a way that it can detect the virus and counter any bioterror attack," Mishra said (Anuradha Mascarenhas, Indian Express, Aug. 2).  Read more

FREE COURSE > Risk Communication Strategies for Public Health Preparedness

Description

Risk communication is an exchange of information about the likelihood and consequences of adverse events. In an emergency, effective risk communication is vital because it helps the public respond to the crisis, reduces the likelihood of rumors and misinformation and demonstrates good leadership. This training product will help you be more effective as a communicator and member of a crisis response team. After reviewing basic ideas about risk communication, you will learn to develop crisis communication plans and deliver public health messages by working with the media.

TOPIC 1: RISK COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PREPAREDNESS

• Part 1: Background on Risk Communication
• Part 2: What is Risk Communications?
• Part 3: Working with the Media
• Part 4: Communications Plans and Strategies
• Part 5: Crisis Communications
• Part 6: Implications and Action Steps

Useful Risk Communication-related Web sites:

Review CDC-Funded Cooperative Agreements on Public Health Preparedness and Response for Bioterrorism—Budget Year Four

CDC Guidance for Risk Communication and Health Information Dissemination (“Public Information and Communication, Focus Area F”)
Cross-Cutting Areas (co-funded with Health Resources and Services Administration)
Metropolitan Medical Response Systems (now part of the Department of Homeland Security)

FREE COURSE > BIOTERRORISK

[This is a really good course for any and all who have any degree of disaster response/management]

Who is responsible for protecting the public's health against a
bioterrorist threat?

Since the events of 9/11/2001 and the Anthrax outbreak in the U.S., it is now recognized that bioterrorist risk may come to attention and require "first response" from physicians, nurses, laboratory personnel, communicable disease surveillance specialists, public health officers, and environmental hazmat teams.
Bioterrorisk is a case-based, mini-course in hazard recognition, interagency communication, risk assessment, and risk communication for the public health workforce.

At the end of this course, you will be able to:
1.	Identify your role in responding to a bioterrorist event
2.	Recognize circumstances that may indicate bioterrorism
3.	Establish intra- and interagency communication
4.	Follow an appropriate protocol for responding to a bioterrorist event
5.	Communicate with the public regarding risk
6.	Assemble a list of resources available to assist in a bioterrorist event

ANTHRAX > Experimental Anthrax Vaccine Shows Three-Year Stability

image courtesy of:  scientistlive.com

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

A Maryland biotechnology firm on Tuesday said research has shown that an experimental anthrax vaccine can remain stable in the stockpile for three years (see GSN, Feb. 24, 2010).
PharmAthene's SparVax recombinant protective antigen vaccine is intended to provide protection against infection by the potential bioterror agent with fewer doses over a shorter timespan than the current treatment.
"Demonstration of 36 month final product stability is considered an important technical milestone under our current contract with the [Health and Human Services Department's] Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)," PharmAthene Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Thomas Fuerst said in a press release. "We are extremely pleased to announce this achievement, which suggests that our rPA product candidate is both highly stable and potent. Stability has historically been a stumbling block for other recombinant anthrax vaccine programs, so we're especially excited about these ongoing results, which represent an important breakthrough for PharmAthene's rPA vaccine program" (PharmAthene release, July 12).

FREE > Isolation & Quarantine Response Planning Toolkit

In the absence of rapid and definitive diagnostic tests, vaccines, or cures, isolation and quarantine remains Public Health's best strategy against the spread of mass illness. Public Health - Seattle & King County (Public Health) is an Advanced Practice Center for Emergency Preparedness and established this Planning for Isolation & Quarantine Response Web Toolkit to support local Public Health jurisdictions in their efforts to plan for and manage a large-scale isolation and quarantine response. The Toolkit is designed for all types of users and is separated by topic for the ease of use and navigation.

BIODEFENSE > Nano detector spots deadly anthrax

Published 7 July 2011

image coutesy of powells.com

An automatic and portable detector that takes just fifteen minutes to analyze a sample suspected of contamination with anthrax is being developed by researchers in the United States. The technology amplifies any anthrax DNA present in the sample and can reveal the presence of just forty microscopic cells of the deadly bacteria Bacillus anthracis.

B. anthracis, commonly known as anthrax, is a potentially lethal microbe that might be used intentionally to infect victims through contamination of food and water supplies, aerosolized particles, or even dried powders, such as those used in bioterrorist attacks in the United States in fall 2001. Detection is crucial to preventing widespread fatalities in the event of an anthrax attack.

The complexity of the microbe’s biology have so far made it difficult to build a portable system that can be employed quickly in the field. That said, there are several systems available that use PCR to amplify a particular component of the genetic material present in anthrax and then to flag this amplified signal. These systems are fast and sensitive but do not integrate sample preparation and so are not as convenient as a single detector unit would be.  Full article

FREE Medical Training > Immunization Project

[Great NEW training for nurses, immunizations and more. READ MORE]

photo courtesy of University at Albany, Center for Public Health

Nurse Training on Immunization Project

Nurse TIP

Nurse TIP recognizes that nurses play an integral role in the success of immunization programs. Nurses are often the first point of contact at any health care visit and can have considerable influence on the public health practices of a community.

Goals: Increasing the knowledge and competency of nurses in immunization by offering relevant content in a variety of distance-learning approaches.

Engaging nurses in program planning, dialogues with other nurses, and exploring strategies to promote immunization.

Target Audience: Nurses working in medical offices, clinics, community health centers as well as other settings.

Small Pox > Decision Delayed on Eliminating Smallpox Stocks

Decision Delayed on Eliminating Smallpox Stocks

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

photo courtesy  ki4u.com

The World Health Assembly on Tuesday pushed back to 2014 any decision on setting a deadline to eliminate smallpox virus strains held by Russia and the United States, Reuters reported (see GSN, May 23).  

Moscow and Washington have said they need to hold onto the world's last known variola virus stocks to allow for continued research and development of additional vaccines and antivirals. They had pressed for delaying a decision on the matter for five years.

While the European Union and nations such as China and Israel backed that position, a bloc of some 20 countries led by Iran had reportedly pressed for a schedule to be set at this meeting of the decision-making body for the World Health Organization. The gathering ended on Tuesday, following two days of consideration of the matter.

"There has been a lot of discussion around the smallpox issue," WHO official Pierre Formenty said to reporters. "Three years from now, we will resume the discussion" (Barbara Lewis, Reuters I/Yahoo!News, May 24).

Iran on Monday had taken the rare step of calling for a vote on establishing the smallpox destruction deadline, Reuters reported.

The 193-member state World Health Assembly typically makes decisions based on consensus. Tehran's proposal was dismissed by other countries who instead backed forming a working group to attempt to bridge disagreements on the schedule issue.  Full article

image coutesy of: diseasepicture.com

Anthrax Attack Threat Persists, DHS Says

Wednesday, May 18, 2011The U.S. government must remain poised to deal with another attack involving anthrax, a senior Homeland Security Department official warned last week (seeGSN, May 9).The U.S. government must remain poised to deal with another attack involving anthrax, a senior Homeland Security Department official warned last week (seeGSN, May 9).The U.S. government must remain poised to deal with another attack involving anthrax, a senior Homeland Security Department official warned last week (seeGSN, May 9).

"The threat of an attack using a biological agent is real and requires that we remain vigilant. A wide-area attack using aerosolized Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria that causes anthrax, is one of the most serious mass casualty biological threats facing the U.S.," DHS chief medical officer Alexander Garza said during a May 12 hearing of the House Homeland Security emergency preparedness subcommittee.

Five people died and more were made sick by the 2001 anthrax mailings. The FBI years later identified Army scientist Bruce Ivins as the perpetrator, but the microbiologist committed suicide before charges were filed (see GSN, April 21).

"An anthrax attack could potentially encompass hundreds of square miles, expose hundreds of thousands of people, and cause illness, death, fear, societal disruption and economic damage," Garza said. "If untreated, the disease is nearly 100 percent fatal, which means that those exposed must receive life-saving [medical countermeasures] as soon as possible."  Full article

India's Army Could Receive WMD-Resistant Gear

When you go to the webpage to read this article, be sure and read the referenced web pages also; otherwise, the article gets confusing.  3 mins read.  This is the future of gear for responders.

image courtesy of:  answers.com

India's army could receive new gear designed to provide protection against chemical, biological or nuclear materials, the Press Trust of India reported on Wednesday (see GSN, April 26).

Kanpur's Defense Material and Stores Research Development Establishment "has developed a new NBC or nuclear-biological-chemical suit that would be proved effective against any kind of dangerous weapons or chemicals and protect soldiers from any sort of attack," agency head Arvind Kumar Saxena said.

Read more

Technology > New insect repellant may be thousands of times stronger than DEET

Excellent,  good to know info.  Two pg article; first page is for laymen to read, second page for scientists!


The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been supporting a major interdisciplinary research project to develop new ways to control the spread of malaria by disrupting a mosquito's sense of smell; as part of the project, Vanderbilt University researchers developed an insect repellant which is not only thousands of times more effective than DEET -- the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellants -- but also works against all types of insects, including flies, moths, and ants

Free Courses > CDC Public Health

Several free Public Health courses

E-learning encompasses interactive instruction delivered through a computer by way of the Internet, intranet, compact disc, or other digital media designed to support specific learning objectives.

The following e-learning products are featured. They have been reviewed by CDC staff and met the following specific selection criteria:

• Instructional design and usability best practices manifested through sound learning objectives, use of media, interactivity, and technical operation
• Accurate content, aligned with CDC recommendations and policy
• Compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Available at no cost

Featured E-learning Products by Title

• BioterroRisk
• Chronic Disease Series — Nutrition and Health
• Chronic Disease Series — Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health
• Chronic Disease Series — Obesity Prevention in Children
• Dating Matters: Understanding Teen Dating Violence Prevention
• Health Literacy for Public Health Professionals
• Hemochromatosis: What Every Clinician And Health Care Professional Needs To Know
• IS-100.b: Introduction to the Incident Command System
• IS-200.B: ICS for Single Resource and Initial Action Incidents
• IS-700.A: National Incident Management System (NIMS), An Introduction
• IS-800.B: National Response Framework, An Introduction
• Preparedness and Community Response to Pandemics
• Ready, Set, Surge! Fundamentals of Responding to a Public Health Emergency at U.S. Ports of Entry
• Smoking Cessation Clinical Intervention Tutorial
• Social Marketing for Nutrition and Physical Activity
• STD Self Study Modules: Chlamydia
• STD Self Study Modules: Gonorrhea
• STD Self Study Modules: Herpes
• STD Self Study Modules: HPV
• STD Self Study Modules: Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• STD Self Study Modules: Syphilis
• STD Self Study Modules: Vaginitis