Countermeasures
Smiths Detection recently introduced the HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX checkpoint scanner, the first product to feature the company’s proprietary CT (Computed Tomography) scanning technology, which is designed to enhance checkpoint security and efficiency.
The new scanner, which is being launched at... Read More »
A next-generation Zika virus vaccine candidate was the first to safely elicit an immune response in humans, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the Wistar Institute, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, and GeneOne Life... Read More »
Democratic Senators introduced Wednesday a bill regarding the ban the sale of accessories that accelerate the rate of fire of semi-automatic weapons, such as those used by the gunman during the shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday.
This bill would prohibit the sale, transfer, importation,... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) agents stationed at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Texas recently seized approximately $4,199,321 worth of alleged methamphetamine and marijuana in separate incidents.
The first incident began on Sept.... Read More »
The U.S. State Department needs to improve data collection and participant oversight of its Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program, according to a recently published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO was tasked by Congress to examine the State Department’s... Read More »
A bipartisan bill that would establish a bug bounty program using “white hat” ethical hackers to search for and identify vulnerabilities within U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) networks was recently advanced by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.... Read More »
After evaluating 36 women and fetuses exposed to Zika from January 2016 to May, researchers at Children’s National Health System found that 89 percent of those infected were exposed through a mosquito bite and 48 percent of were also exposed through an infected sexual partner.
Roberta... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced plans this week to join Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a partnership focused on the development of infectious disease treating products.
Specifically, it will be the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA)... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently began implementing new screening procedures at airports across the country that require travelers to place all electronics larger than a mobile phone in bins for X-ray screening at checkpoints.
Passengers at various U.S. airports,... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced Tuesday that it would sponsor the development of radiation exposure tests.
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a component of... Read More »
The Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), an initiative of more than 50 United Nations’ agencies, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations, recently announced the launch of a new strategy that aims to reduce deaths from cholera by 90 percent by 2030.
The effort, called... Read More »
At a recent hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Subcommittee, members examined how the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) is carrying out the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) national cybersecurity mission.... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said on Wednesday it was awarded a contract valued at up to $25 million from the U.S. State Department to supply Trobigard, an intramuscular auto-injector treatment to be used in the event of chemical threats such as nerve agents, in countries outside of the United... Read More »
With the threat of chemical incidents growing worldwide, an international assortment of medical professionals gathered in Xi’an, China last month to train for the danger.
The event lasted from Sept. 18-22 and saw experts trained in advanced hospital care for victims of toxic or weaponized... Read More »
The Security Industry Association (SIA) announced Tuesday its endorsement of H.R. 3548, the Border Security for America Act of 2017 (BSAA), which would strengthen tactical infrastructure on the U.S. northern and southern borders.
SIA sent a letter to the House Homeland Security Committee last... Read More »
Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford visited Smiths Detections, Inc. (SDI) facility near Edgewood, Maryland this week where he was given a demonstration of technologies to detect and identify opioids to help protect first responders from exposure.
Smiths Detection develops and manufactures... Read More »
Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Tucson Office of Field Operations recently hosted a two-day conference for law enforcement personnel on the dangers of the synthetic opioid fentanyl.
Held at the headquarters of the Tucson Police Department, the event featured... Read More »
There is something to be said for adapting to modern technology, but the Los Alamos National Laboratory is taking that a step further – leveraging technology with a project that combines Brazilian social media and traditional clinical data to track the growth of infectious diseases.
Nick... Read More »
A collaborative effort aimed at bringing together a variety of health and security experts to chart the future of U.S. leadership in global health security was recently launched by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Officially slated to begin work in February 2018, the... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and Applied Research Associates, Inc. recently partnered to advance the development of respirators that can be reused up to 100 times for use in public health emergencies.
Under the agreement, which spans 15 months for a total... Read More »
The World Health Organization (WHO) is stepping up its presence in Madagascar to contain an outbreak of plague that has infected more than 100 people and led to the death of a foreign national in recent weeks.
According to WHO, the plague has struck both port towns and the capital alike. Thus... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. said on Tuesday it completed the acquisition of raxibacumab, an antibody for treatment and prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax, from GSK.
Emergent said raxibacumab is the only fully human monoclonal antibody approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for... Read More »
The recent active shooter attack in Las Vegas serves as a reminder of the ever-present threats facing the United States and the importance of such events as New York’s Excelsior Challenge.
Modeled after other real-world incidents that have recently occurred in Orlando, London, Paris, and... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently announced it would provide funding through Project BioShield for manufacturing process validation, regulatory approval, and stockpile purchases for four Ebola vaccines and drugs.
The vaccines and drugs are the first for... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) recently delivered official notice of State Plans to governors regarding the nationwide broadband network for public safety personnel.
Governors have until Dec. 28 to choose to either accept the FirstNet/AT&T plan to deploy the network or begin... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced it deactivated its emergency response for Zika virus on Sept. 29 in order to transition its efforts to normal program operations.
Beginning on Jan. 22, 2016, the CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) as a... Read More »
Hamid Ali Rao, Deputy Director-General for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), recently participated in a ceremony marking the completion of the full destruction of 39,967 metric tons of chemical weapons previously possessed by the Russian Federation.
Largely... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced it will purchase a lyophilized, or freeze-dried, smallpox vaccine for use by women who are pregnant or nursing and for people of any age who have HIV or atopic dermatitis.
The vaccine, developed by Denmark-based... Read More »
More than $3.2 million in crystal meth was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in two separate attempted smuggling incidents across the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge last week.
One incident involved a 40-year-old Mexican citizen crossing the bridge from Nuevo... Read More »
In response to the damage left by Hurricane Maria, more than 500 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) personnel were recently deployed to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist in medical and public health efforts.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also... Read More »
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) needs to improve the management policy and practices of its Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation (DNN), according to a recently published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
For its report, GAO was tasked by... Read More »
A new report by the RAND corporation recommends that the United States, Russia, and China cooperate to hinder the proliferation of hypersonic missiles to reduce the risk of strategic missile-based war.
All three countries are currently developing hypersonic missile technology. Technologies such... Read More »
A new initiative aiming to utilize the benefits of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as customer-produced solar energy for restoration and recovery purposes after severe storms, was recently launched by researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
Led by LLNL... Read More »
With the awarding of a contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Bavarian Nordic A/S will be the sole source for the freeze-dried IMVAMUNE smallpox vaccine to the U.S. government.
The contract with BARDA, which operates as part of the U.S. Department of... Read More »
The Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, made a statement Wednesday marking the destruction of the remainder of the chemical weapons possessed by the Russian Federation.
“The completion of the verified destruction of... Read More »
