HHS [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] To Purchase 10,000 Courses Of Anthrax Immune Globulin
“The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it will purchase 10,000 therapeutic courses of treatment of Anthrax Immune Globulin (AIG) from Cangene Corporation of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, for a total of about $143.8 million. This acquisition is via modifications to an existing HHS contract for anthrax therapeutics awarded to Cangene last September. Deliveries of AIG to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile are expected to begin in 2007.” (U.S. Medicine, 29Aug06)
http://www.usmedicine.com
Utah County signs deal to use LDS (Latter Day Saints) buildings in health emergency
“Utah County has entered into an agreement with the LDS Church to use church buildings in the case of a public health emergency. County commissioners signed paperwork Tuesday allowing county health officials to staff LDS Church facilities to administer vaccines, immunizations or other medical needs in the case of a bioterrorism attack, pandemic influenza or other health crisis.” (The Salt Lake Tribune, 29Aug06, Todd Hollingshead)
http://www.sltrib.com
/portlet/article/html/fragments
/print_article.jsp?article=4255587
Potent Anthrax Inhibitor Tested in Animals
“A new anthrax toxin inhibitor designed to fight antibiotic-resistant strains performed successfully in laboratory and animal tests, a new study says. This new inhibitor was developed by scientists at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., and at the University of Toronto, and reported on in the Aug. 28 online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This new inhibitor blocks the receptors where anthrax toxin attaches in the body. The inhibitor is able to bind to multiple sites on the host receptor, which makes it much more potent than an inhibitor that binds to a single site, the researchers said.”
(MedicineNet.com, 28Aug06, Health Day News)
http://www.medicinenet.com
/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=63761
Bavarian Nordic A/S Has Been Granted Another US Patent on MVA [Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara]
“Bavarian Nordic A/S announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent to the company which further strengthens its intellectual property position on MVA. With this patent Bavarian Nordic gets exclusivity to manufacture MVA-based vaccines for vaccination of small children. The new patent (‘Modified vaccinia virus Ankara for the vaccination of neonates’ - US Patent No. 7,097,842) covers use of MVA derived vaccinia viruses for inducing a general immune stimulation, including the use of MVA-BN® used for protection against smallpox in neonates, i.e. young children with an immature immune system according to the patent. The granted claims are directed to inducing a general immune stimulation in neonates and, thus, the patented technology cover the high risk group of the young, particularly young children with an immature immune system. This population of individuals is difficult to vaccinate because their immune systems are not fully developed and are therefore as such at risk from viral based vaccines.” (PharmaLive, 29Aug06)
http://www.pharmalive.com
/News/index.cfm?articleid=368397&categoryid=32
Army system reaches milestone at Pine Bluff Arsenal: RRS [Rapid Response System] prepares for final project to destroy chemical agent identification sets
“Rapid Response System (RRS) operators celebrated a major milestone here [at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas] Wednesday when they completed destruction of the largest known inventory of K941 chemical agent identification sets (CAIS). The milestone marked destruction of 4,906 K941 items by the Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project's RRS operation. A total of 481 additional CAIS items remain with scheduled completion in October after a brief changeover procedure. The RRS began operations here in August 2005 for a scheduled multi-year mission to destroy more than 5,000 CAIS items. These items were once used to train Soldiers and civilians to identify and handle chemical agents.” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, 29Aug06)
http://www.cma.army.mil
/docviewerframe.aspx?docid=003675936
Leaking mustard bulk container detected in storage igloo
“Toxic chemical materials handlers moved a bulk-storage container leaking mustard agent vapor Thursday, to another structure where they replaced plugs and valves with new hardware today. The leaking container was identified as a source of agent vapor following routine monitoring operations in a storage igloo at Deseret Chemical Depot.” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, 28Aug06)
http://www.cma.army.mil/
docviewerframe.aspx?docid=003675929
Chemical Warfare Protection is Developed
“U.S. scientists say they've created a fabric with polyurethane fibers that may prove a boon to protection against chemical warfare. Seshadri Ramkumar, an assistant professor at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech, and graduate student Thandavamoorthy Subbiah discovered the honeycomb polyurethane nanofabric by using electrospinning. The nanofabric, created by exposing polyurethane to high voltage, cannot only trap toxic chemicals but also be used in a hazardous material suit.
These fibers are tiny, Ramkumar said. ‘They're about 1,000 times smaller than microfibers. We are able to develop honeycomb-like structures with this method, which makes a mesh within a mesh. This may not only provide increased surfaces area but also can trap toxic chemicals more efficiently.’” (Red Orbit, 28Aug06) http://www.redorbit.com
/news/science/635483
/chemical_warfare_protection_
is_developed/index.html?source=r_science
State [of Massachusetts] to conduct terrorism drill next month
“Massachusetts plans to conduct a wide-ranging anti-terrorism drill next month that will cover a number of potential nightmares in the Boston area ranging from a threat to an LNG facility to a ‘dirty’ bomb at a mall. The drill, expected to be announced soon, will take place early Sunday morning, Sept. 17, state and local officials told The Boston Globe, which cited a memo outlining the scenarios included in the drill. Conducted by the Executive Office of Public Safety, and Boston’s mayoral Office of Homeland Security, it will include federal, state and local agencies as well as hospitals and the National Guard to test response to a fast-moving series of threats. They will be tested on how public safety responders are able to deal with a bombing in which secondary explosives could be planted in other locations.” (Boston Herald, 29Aug06, AP)
http://news.bostonherald.com
/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=154975
Homeland Security planning training day [in Missouri]
“A bomb in Maryville’s historic court house? Burlington Junction under attack? Chemical weapons at Mozingo lake? Terrorist attacks in Nodaway County?
This is just a drill. The State Emergency Management Agency is planning a large-scale emergency training day for northwest Missouri, and only the people in the highest authority positions know the full extent of what will be covered in the drills. The giant training exercise will mobilize seven separate Homeland Security Response Teams in and around northwest Missouri, and pit them against several hypothetical emergency situations.” (Maryville Daily Forum, 28Aug06, John Ludwig) http://www.maryvilledailyforum.com
/articles/2006/08/28/news/news2.txt
Protective suit shields soldiers from toxic agents
“Canadian defence scientists have designed a first-of-its-kind protective suit to deal with terrorist chemical and biological attacks, while giving military personnel the same freedom of movement as with a regular combat uniform. Current military protective gear, often worn on top of a uniform, is considered bulky and stiflingly hot and can limit the physical performance of a soldier. But the new suit, dubbed CB Plus, is similar in appearance to a standard combat uniform and allows troops the same range of motion they would enjoy with their day-to-day uniforms. The unique suit, which also protects against toxic industrial agents, has sparked interest from the military in both the U.S. and Britain, as well as from other NATO nations. DRDC, the Canadian military's science agency, has been developing CB Plus for about the last five years. It would be used by soldiers as their standard uniform when there is the danger of a chemical, biological or toxic industrial agent threat.” (The Star Phoenix; 28Aug06; David Pugliese, CanWest News Service)
http://www.canada.com
/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/national
/story.html?id=
0f20579a-1348-4647-9319-e813f904b0d1
Security stepped up at checkpoints to block smuggling of illegal items “Security at the Singapore checkpoints has been heightened to prevent the smuggling of undesirable persons, weapons, explosives and other security items into the country. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) says its officers are trained to look out for irregularities in travel documents and travelers bearing false identities. ICA has also boosted its counter-terrorism capabilities by acquiring portable equipment to detect explosives, radiation and chemical warfare agents at the land, sea and air checkpoints.” (MediaCorp News; 30Aug06; Rita Zahara, Channel NewAsia) http://www.channelnewsasia.com
/stories/singaporelocalnews
/view/227641/1/.html
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