Countermeasures
A research study by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has found that even 40 years after their infection, survivors of the first known Ebola outbreak bear resistances to future infection.
For the purposes of the study--which was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases last... Read More »
First responders from the United States and Canada recently took part in a training exercise that demonstrated communications interoperability between the two countries if disaster strikes on or near the border.
The fifth Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE V) was held in November... Read More »
El Centro Sector Border Patrol agents from the Indio Station arrested a woman suspected of smuggling 0.75 pounds of cocaine and 4.07 pounds of heroin inside her vehicle’s battery this week at the Highway 86 immigration checkpoint.
After a Border Patrol detection canine team alerted officers... Read More »
Just a week after an international coalition carried out airstrikes on an ISIS chemical weapons facilities, marines and sailors took part in a three-day course on combating, adapting to and overcoming chemical and biological contaminations from Dec. 5-8.
The course was administered by Corps... Read More »
In a recent survey conducted by Accenture and the American Medical Association (AMA), 83 percent of physicians reported that they had experienced a cyberattack at their practice.
Of those who experienced a cyberattack, 55 percent of the attacks involved phishing, and 48 percent involved... Read More »
A bipartisan congressional caucus launched on Tuesday will work to bolster the Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), which fortifies national security through 24/7 operations around that world that supply military leaders with real-time information.
U.S. Reps. Don Bacon... Read More »
A multinational effort from the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region drew first responders to Qatar this week to bolster their emergency response and protection skills in the field.
The large-scale event was hosted by Qatar’s National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW)... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate would be tasked with developing new tools and safeguards to protect against vehicular terrorist attacks under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY) introduced the... Read More »
North Korea’s threats to carry out a nuclear strike on the United States underscores the need for the medical community to be prepared to treat potentially large numbers of patients contaminated by radiation in the event of an attack, but new research shows more training is needed among emergency... Read More »
A Houston man who allegedly told undercover FBI agents that he planned to fight for ISIS or carry out a domestic terrorist attack on the group’s behalf in online conversations was arrested by federal agents on Dec. 8.
Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 18, is charged with unlawfully distributing... Read More »
Border Patrol agents recently seized 35.27 pounds of the opioid Fentanyl worth an estimated $1,126,400.00 at a Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 in Laredo, Texas.
“Fentanyl is an extremely dangerous narcotic, responsible for numerous deaths in the United States,” Acting... Read More »
A report released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday outlines the Trump administration’s planned cuts to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) counterterrorism programs.
The Administration plans to eliminate Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response... Read More »
A team at the Texas Biomedical Research Institute recently created an alternative model to mimic Zika virus infection, allowing for further steps on the road to a vaccine and treatment.
The virus wreaked havoc in South America over the last couple years, and even Texas has seen its first... Read More »
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) recently tested a stronger single-dose of a live oral vaccine for cholera and found that it offers faster protection than the standard two-dose regimen of treatment.
UMSOM's Center for Vaccine Development (CVD) developed the... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently issued new treatment guidelines to eliminate lymphatic filariasis, a parasitic tropical disease spread by mosquitoes that has infected an estimated 70 million people around the world.
WHO’s new treatment guidelines reflect research from the... Read More »
The chair and executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey commended four Port Authority Police Department (PAPD) officers Monday for their actions following an explosion in a passageway near the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT).
“Thanks to the quick response of these... Read More »
Topics related to terrorism financing and cybersecurity issues highlighted at the recent Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum, a multinational gathering that drew government, diplomatic, intelligence and industry leaders from 53 countries.
Hosted by U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC), the... Read More »
The House of Representatives approved legislation on Monday that would recalibrate the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity and infrastructure security functions by establishing the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), a standalone organization.
Under the Cybersecurity... Read More »
The Canadian Department of National Defense awarded today an $8 million contract for delivery of the anthrax combating drug Anthrasil to Emergent BioSolutions Inc.
The news comes on the heels of Health Canada’s approval of Anthrasil under new regulations. With that approval, it is marked for... Read More »
Thanks to cooperative efforts from Ugandan and Kenyan authorities working with international health organizations, an outbreak of Marburg virus disease has been contained in Uganda just a few weeks after its detection.
The reversal of fortunes has been praised by the World Health Organization,... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced its end-of-year immigration enforcement numbers for New England for fiscal year 2017 (FY17).
“CBP officers at the ports of entry throughout New England are committed to enforcing the border security laws of our nation, which... Read More »
The recent Chemical Biological Defense Science and Technology Conference featured presentations from 70 U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) researchers on topics ranging from protective armor coatings to battlefield sensing to pharmaceutical-based agents.
Organized by the... Read More »
The Fingerprints unit of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) recently held the first INTERPOL Fingerprint and Face Symposium, which brought together approximately 125 experts on fingerprint examination and facial recognition from 58 countries in Lyon, France.
Speakers at... Read More »
A self-propelled, semi-submersible vessel that was allegedly smuggling 3,800 pounds of cocaine was intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) last month near Corpus Christi, Texas.
During a multi-day operation, AMO crew used a P-3 Long Range Tracker... Read More »
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the FBI testified before a Senate panel on Friday about evolving international terrorist threats and the impact of $582.8 million in proposed cuts to counterterrorism programs.
U.S. Sen. Claire... Read More »
Plants serve a variety of purposes ranging from food and medicine to clothing and furniture. And now they have a new use – in the Department of Defense (DOD).
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is working on a plan to use plants to gather intelligence information.... Read More »
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has discovered one of the natural factors aiding the spread of dengue globally: common fungus.
Apparently, the fungus lives in the gut of certain mosquitoes, and its presence there helps dengue virus to survive in the... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) recently launched a pilot program to collect and share biographic information on pedestrians leaving the United States for Mexico at the San Ysidro-El Chaparral Port of Entry.
The Joint Pedestrian Land... Read More »
The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) defined a Phase II program of work to increase the scope of its activities at its fifth plenary meeting recently held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Phase II aims to emphasize the importance of verification ahead of the... Read More »
A new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consolidate the efforts to thwart and counter WMD attacks, the department announced on Thursday.
DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the creation of the CWMD Office, which will... Read More »
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal to begin consolidation of chemical, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) functions this month does not reflect recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in August 2016.
Congress directed DHS to review its weapons... Read More »
A witness at a House subcommittee hearing on Thursday identified drone delivery of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons as one of the newest threats to homeland security, as lawmakers examined a proposal to reorganize and enhance U.S. defenses against weapons of mass destruction.
The... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of rapidly spreading cases of Diphtheria in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have taken shelter.
Already, six have died and more than 110 suspected cases have been linked to the disease by health partners in-country. A mix... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported on Wednesday significant increases in seizures of cocaine and unreported currency at eight South Texas ports of entry in fiscal year (FY) 2017 as compared to FY2016.
CBP officers at the eight ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio that... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) requested information this week about how many government agencies have complied with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive to identify Kaspersky Labs software on government computers and to plan for its removal.
DHS Binding Operational Directive (BOD)... Read More »
