Countermeasures
Two Ebola vaccine candidates pose no major safety concerns and can elicit immune responses by one month after initial vaccination, according to a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial conducted in Liberia
The clinical trial was coordinated by researchers with the Partnership for... Read More »
The U.S. Border Patrol, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney Office for the District of Vermont, recently announced criminal charges for three individuals connected to a 15-person human smuggling attempt in Derby, Vermont.
Hector Ramon Perez-Alvarado, a 25-year old Honduran citizen, was charged... Read More »
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T recently launched a developer program aimed at encouraging public safety innovation to equip first responders with state-of-the-art communication tools.
FirstNet said the initiative would also bring public safety professionals closer to... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Wednesday it would conduct a technical demonstration of facial recognition biometric technology at one Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) for 30 days.
As part of the... Read More »
Looking to a drug already on the market for treating thrombocytopenia, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has joined a private corporation in evaluating its use against radiation injuries.
The drug in question is approved for use to treat low blood platelet counts resulting... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently began phasing in new security at airports through upstate New York, which requires passengers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening.
“TSA constantly enhances its security procedures to stay ahead... Read More »
A group of Latin American and Caribbean first responders recently participated in an emergency response training event involving chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals held at the Spanish National NBC Defense School in Madrid, Spain.
Developed by the Organization for the... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently entered into a nine-month, $12 million contract with Achaogen, Inc to develop an antibiotic called C-scape that could treat certain types of drug-resistant bacteria and infections caused by bacteria used in biowarfare.... Read More »
A research team at the George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) was recently awarded more than $2 million from Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. to begin a Zika virus vaccine trial in Brazil.
Led by David Diemert and Jeffrey Bethony, both professors of... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations at Charleston Seaport as well as local, state, federal law enforcement and emergency services agencies recently participated in a training session aboard the Carnival Ecstasy cruise ship.
The training session, led by CBP,... Read More »
Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) recently wrote to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to ask for an evaluation of the resiliency of the United States’ wireless networks.
Pallone requested that the commission review the... Read More »
In response to reports that more than 230 cases of plague have appeared in Madagascar since August, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently sent a shipment of 1,190,000 doses of antibiotics and released $1.5 million in emergency funds in order to mitigate the spread of the disease.
The... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently unsealed federal terrorism charges against three men who allegedly plotted attacks in New York City in summer 2016 in support of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which were ultimately stopped by law enforcement.
The three men, a 19-year... Read More »
Amendments to the Border Security for America Act that include provisions to conduct thorough threat assessments, equip front-line agents with the latest technology and ensure accountability from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were recently passed by the House Homeland Security... Read More »
Sanofi’s ACAM2000 and associated contracts are now in the possession of Emergent BioSolutions Inc, following payment of a $117.5 million acquisition.
In all, Emergent has gained control of the only smallpox vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a cGMP live viral... Read More »
A joint project between private, academic and military interests has the potential to make screening and treating populations for infectious diseases easier and safer.
The $11.7 million multi-year project, to create a new universal surveillance platform for infectious disease outbreaks, will be... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is urging the importance of preparedness when it comes to biomedical research in the face of major disease outbreaks and pandemics.
In an article published in The Journal of the American Medical Association by Anthony Fauci,... Read More »
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 »
