News
NIAID officials provide update on tuberculosis research
Officials at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) authored an article in The Journal of Infectious Diseases that updates the institute’s progress on tuberculosis (TB) research. Specifically, the article summarizes recent progress in improved TB diagnostics,... Read More »
Senators urge HHS to reimburse state, local governments for coronavirus aid
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently called on the Department of Health and Human Services to set guidelines for how state and local governments will be reimbursed for costs incurred while assisting the federal response to the coronavirus outbreak. “Many state and local health... Read More »
Efficacy of travel bans in disease containment largely unknown, study finds
Since the rapid outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Wuhan, China, and beyond, numerous governments have restricted travel to and from China, but a new university-run study reminds one and all that the effectiveness of travel bans remains unknown. While the World Health Organization... Read More »
Experts voice concern about drug supply chain, safety during coronavirus epidemic
Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, is also a production hub for pharmaceutical ingredients for the United States. As the virus spreads throughout China, the U.S. drug supply remains vulnerable to reduced production and export of essential materials. There are 400 drug... Read More »
Senators press for appointment of senior global health security expert for first time in nearly two years
With the growing weight of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) felt at home and abroad, members of the Senate have grown increasingly uncomfortable with a nearly two-year-old vacancy for a national senior public health security expert -- and last week, 27 of them pushed for a change. The vacancy... Read More »
Autonomous-vehicle technology would make convoys safer, study finds
Implementing autonomous-vehicle technology would make U.S. Army convoys safer by reducing the number of service members needed to operate the vehicles, according to a study by RAND Corp., a research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges. “With current technology,... Read More »
Rep. Granger says US needs to do more in fight against coronavirus
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) said the federal government must strengthen its capacity to produce pharmaceuticals to fight the novel coronavirus. “For years, I have fought to ensure that funds are available in case of a public health emergency, and I was assured the Administration has the... Read More »
BAE Systems to develop WMD detecting technology for DARPA
U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Defense Sciences Office awarded a contract to BAE Systems to develop technology to help detect weapons of mass destruction (WMD) activity. The analytics technology will leverage multiple data sources and uses data fusion, adversary... Read More »
IDSA criticizes White House 2021 budget cuts that leave US open to disease outbreaks
While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has prompted a public health emergency declaration in the United States and renewed global concerns over pandemics, the White House 2021 budget would cut programs that help prevent infectious disease outbreaks and earned the ire of the Infectious Diseases... Read More »
WHO gathers global health experts to identify gaps, set priorities for COVID-19 research
Over the course of a two-day forum this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) brought together leading health experts and major research funders to discuss COVID-19. They addressed the novel coronavirus from all angles: assessing current knowledge, identifying gaps, and collaborating on the... Read More »
TSA should develop plan for safety working group, GAO says
Threats in the public areas of airports have increased, prompting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to issue a recommendation to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) administrator. The recommendation suggests the administration develop a plan outlining roles and... Read More »
Cybersecurity, election security programs to be fully funded
Programs that promote election security and combat cyberthreats will be fully funded in the next fiscal year’s budget, a DHS official confirmed at a Senate hearing. The Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) program as well as the Election Infrastructure Information... Read More »
House bill would help state, local governments fight hackers
Legislation was introduced this week to authorize a new grant program at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to address cybersecurity vulnerabilities on government networks. State and local governments have been frequent targets of cybercriminals. In 2019, ransomware attacks hit... Read More »
HHS expands partnership with Janssen Research & Development for research share into COVID-19 vaccine
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends to add a new layer to its relationship with Janssen Research & Development as part of efforts to contain COVID-19 -- the 2019 novel coronavirus -- through shared R&D costs on the company's investigational vaccine. The Biomedical... Read More »
Internet crime becoming more sophisticated, spawning highest losses and complaints to date
The FBI Internet Complaint Center’s (IC3) 2019 Internet Crime Report found that last year, internet-enabled crimes spawned the highest number of complaints and losses since May 2000. In all, IC3 took in 467,361 complaints in 2019 and tracked more than $3.5 billion in losses among individuals... Read More »
Legislation would ensure Border Patrol agents receive overtime pay
A recently introduced bipartisan bill would bring the Border Patrol pay system in line with other federal law enforcement agencies. The Border Patrol Pay Security Act would ensure agents who work more than 80 hours per week would receive overtime pay at time and a half their normal rate. It... Read More »
Trump Administration launches School Safety website
The Trump Administration launched a new website called Schoolsafety.gov, which is a resource for kindergarten through grade 12 administrators, educators, parents, and law enforcement to prepare for various threats to safety and security. "School safety is the number one priority of parents... Read More »
HHS creates its first Foundry for American Biotechnology
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services created the first Foundry for American Biotechnology to produce technological solutions to enhance medical care and respond to health security threats. The Foundry will be located in Manchester, N.H., and managed by the Advanced Regenerative... Read More »
Sens. Murphy, Rubio encourage FDA to secure imports from China due to novel coronavirus outbreak
Fearing for the pharmaceuticals, food, and medical supplies coming from China amid the novel coronavirus, U.S. Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CN) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) implored the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action this week. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, the senators... Read More »
Coronavirus Task Force briefs National Governors Association on COVID-19 outbreak
The National Governors Association (NGA) received a briefing on the U.S. response to the novel coronavirus, which was officially renamed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization this week, during its winter meeting this week, from representatives of the White House-appointed Coronavirus Task... Read More »
Panelists discuss wildlife trade, international policy in midst of coronavirus spread
In the wake of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, policymakers and the public are asking what more could have been done to prevent the spread of that disease. Public health officials participated on Monday at the Hudson Institute in a panel discussion to answer that question. The talk,... Read More »
Senators request more aircraft at Nevada base to fight wildfires
U.S. Senators from California and Nevada are requesting the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the Nevada Air National Guard Base in Reno with eight new aircraft. Upgrading the Nevada Air National Guard’s C-130J fleet would help improve the Nevada Air National Guard’s ability to fight wildfires in... Read More »
Bill to make fentanyl Schedule I substance signed into law
The Temporary Reauthorization and Study of the Emergency Scheduling of Fentanyl Analogues Act was signed into law last week by President Donald Trump. The legislation extends the Drug Enforcement Agency’s temporary order making fentanyl-related substances Schedule I, a designation reserved... Read More »
Senators urge selection of Fort Benning as new Army Corps headquarters
Sens. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA) recently urged the U.S. Army to select Fort Benning as the Army’s fourth corps headquarters. Fort Benning is one of three finalists for the headquarters that is needed to fulfill National Defense Strategy requirements. In their letter to... Read More »
NASA grants $730,000 to University of Oklahoma researchers for emerging diseases research
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma received a $730,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) last week, to aid their investigations of emerging diseases -- research made all the more timely by the emergence of the Chinese novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The... Read More »
Democrats urge Trump administration to fully fund pandemic preparedness and response
Faced with a novel coronavirus outbreak that has taken the world by storm, U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) recently highlighted lax pandemic funding from the Trump administration. The group of Democrats pressed the administration... Read More »
Alliance for Biosecurity urges Congress to quickly increase funding to address coronavirus
National health security advocates argue the U.S. government is not fiscally prepared to address the possible spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States, and it must take rapid steps to ensure funding is in place to head off potential threats. In Feb. 7 letters addressed to... Read More »
NIST releases publication on how businesses can minimize cybersecurity risk
A new publication by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) outlines a set of risk management techniques for businesses to reduce cybersecurity risk to global supply chains. The publication, called Key Practices in Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management, addresses the... Read More »
Senate Intelligence Committee releases report on Russian election interference
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released the third installment of its investigation into Russian interference in U.S. elections. The third volume of the report, “U.S. Government Response to Russian Activities,” examines the Obama Administration’s reaction to initial reports of... Read More »
Sen. Gardner requests committee assistance to bring HHS funding to coronavirus efforts
Faced with more than 28,000 cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) worldwide and more than 550 deaths confirmed so far, U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) called on Senate committees this week to guarantee response funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As of this month, HHS... Read More »
Researchers develop portable lab that can diagnose infectious diseases
University of Cincinnati (UC) engineers have developed a portable lab that plugs into smartphones and can be used to diagnose health conditions and infectious diseases including HIV, Lyme disease, malaria, depression, anxiety and coronavirus. The lab is the size of a credit card and connects... Read More »
CDC begins shipping novel coronavirus test kits to labs at home and abroad
No longer will health professionals have to send samples of potential novel coronavirus cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for testing -- beginning this week, diagnostic test kits allowing qualified labs to test themselves are out for shipping. This, the CDC says, will... Read More »
DHS works with Cactus League spring training teams on park security
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) consulted with Major League Baseball teams to review incident preparedness measures and response plans at stadiums during spring training. The review was done with teams participating in the... Read More »
HHS accepting submissions for the development of coronavirus diagnostics
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is accepting abstract submissions for potential funding for the development of coronavirus molecular diagnostics. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary... Read More »