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Threats
With cases of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) now rooted in 25 countries and afflicting more than 24,000 people, the international community is attempting to fight back with a $675 million Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP).
While many nations have responded swiftly to the novel... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently granted the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Sonoma County $2 million for long-range fire detection cameras for its Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
The program aims to prevent the loss of life as well as property... Read More »
The U.S Food and Drug Administration licensed Audenz, an influenza vaccine designed to protect against the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
AUDENZ was developed by Seqirus with support from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Office of the Assistant... Read More »
Research biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences announced last week that it has joined efforts to contain the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) through requested release of an experimental drug known as remdesivir.
Remdesivir is not yet licensed or approved anywhere in the world. However,... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is calling for actions to counter the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) this week, with a new vaccine-focused request for proposals, millions in funding additions, and new partnerships.
CEPI desires rapid development and... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) has offered recommendations for the United States to prevent and respond to potential biological catastrophes, such as the novel coronavirus.
NTI officials say global biological catastrophes may not only impact millions of lives but could have a huge impact on... Read More »
A bipartisan group of 10 House of Representative members recently introduced a resolution commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) going into effect.
The NPT at 50 Resolution reaffirms Congress’ support for the treaty.
The treaty was... Read More »
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and Angus King (I-ME) recently requested information on why the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) PREDICT program was ended.
The USAID PREDICT program was founded in 2009... Read More »
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and biopharmaceutical company CureVac AG announced that, as of last week, they are linked in the effort to accelerate development of vaccines against the novel coronavirus (nCoV-2019).
While the pair had already been partnering to create... Read More »
The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion for the approval of Emergent Biosolutions’ oral cholera vaccine, Vaxchora.
Authorization from the European Commission is anticipated within three months. The marketing... Read More »
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar began a new path last week in the previously measured efforts to contain the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), declaring a public health emergency for the nation and opening more flexibility for health authorities to respond.
The emergency... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) introduced a bill that seeks to ensure that federal prosecutors can effectively enforce the federal hate crimes law.
Since it was passed in 2009, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crimes Prevention Act in 2009, federal courts... Read More »
A collaboration between Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Beijing Advaccine Biotechnology Co. announced last week intends to take on the rapidly spreading novel coronavirus -- 2019-nCoV -- through advancement of the INO-4800 vaccine.
Inovio recently began developing INO-4800 through Phase 1... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processed $2.7 trillion of imports and 410 million travelers last year, according to its Trade and Travel Fiscal Year 2019 Report.
“CBP continues to make lawful trade and travel more efficient and convenient while protecting the American people and our... Read More »
Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee were briefed this week on the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak by top members of the Trump administration and reiterate that risk remains low.
These members were addressed by Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »
DNA synthesis technologies— a cornerstone of life sciences research and biotechnology development—are becoming more advanced and commercially available. Although much of this technology is used for clinical diagnosis and treatment, its potential exploitation may lead to ominous biological... Read More »
A bill that would grant subpoena authority to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in certain cases was approved by the House Committee on Homeland Security Wednesday.
The Cybersecurity Vulnerability Identification and Notification Act (H.R. 5680), introduced by Rep. Jim... Read More »
The House Homeland Security Committee advanced three bills designed to improve cybersecurity.
The three bills are the CISA Director Reform Act (H.R. 5679), introduced by Rep. John Katko (R-NY); the Transportation Security Transparency Improvement Act CISA Director Reform Act (H.R. 5670), ... Read More »
Scientists from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research turned to an old plant virus -- the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) -- as the foundation for a new research effort: a second-generation malaria vaccine candidate.
Demonstrated in the Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences, the... Read More »
With those infected by the novel coronavirus – 2019-nCoV – now topping 7,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Economic Forum have jointly created a public-private collaboration known as the Pandemic Supply Chain Network (PSCN) to drive the emergency supply chain.
The network... Read More »
Faced with five confirmed cases and dozens of potential infections being traced across the U.S., senators from both parties have called on the federal government for updates and strategies for how to contain the recent outbreak of coronavirus.
For some, the concern lay with the Department of... Read More »
Though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) continue to call risk to Americans by the Wuhan coronavirus -- 2019-nCoV -- low, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) became the latest federal lawmaker this week to call for a public health... Read More »
As the outbreak of novel coronavirus -- 2019-nCoV -- continues unabated, a meeting of top officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the People’s Republic of China this week aimed to lockdown next steps for a unified assault on the virus.
The biggest news to come out of the meeting... Read More »
Researchers at the University of Southampton in England have identified areas in China and around the world that are considered high-risk from the spread of the coronavirus.
The university’s WorldPop research team found that Bangkok, Thailand, is most at risk from a global spread of the... Read More »
Raytheon Company has secured a five-year, $197 million contract Air Force contract to aid the branch in modernizing its missile warning architecture.
The effort involves developing the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution (FORGE) Mission Data Processing Application Framework (MDPAF),... Read More »
U.S. Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) is urging the Trump Administration to reestablish the White House global health security and biothreats directorate within the National Security Council.
In 2016, after the Ebola virus emerged, the Obama administration created the global health and biothreats... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that provides grants to nonprofits and faith-based organizations to secure their facilities against a potential terrorist attack.
The Protecting Faith-Based and Nonprofit Organizations from Terrorism Act authorizes $75 million annually for five years... Read More »
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) CEO and Co-Chairman Ernest J. Moniz called on public and private sector leaders at last week’s 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) to work to reduce the biological risks associated with advances in technology.
Safety and security measures have not kept pace with... Read More »
Faced with a novel coronavirus -- 2019-nCoV -- that continues to spread worldwide, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced this week that it will commit $10 million toward containment in China and Africa.
The funds will be split down the middle: $5 million will go to response support in... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has joined the international effort to fight the Wuhan coronavirus -- a novel coronavirus known as 2019-nCoV -- through assistance to developers, a public information campaign and diagnostics development.
“We have a vital mission to protect and... Read More »
Global health security may need an overhaul.
That’s how Kathryn Bouskill, a social scientist at the RAND Corporation and associate director of the RAND Center for Global Risk and Security, sees the future of the discipline.
In her recently published paper ‘Global Health and Security:... Read More »
A bill that would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a Cybersecurity State Coordinator program was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week.
The legislation would ensure that each state has its own Cybersecurity Coordinator, who would be responsible for responding to... Read More »
Two new reports reveal a weak pipeline for new antibiotics to combat drug-resistant infections.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says this is due to declining private investment and the lack of innovation in the development of new antibiotics.
“Never has the threat of antimicrobial... Read More »
Virginia’s congressional delegation is urging the Army National Guard to prioritize funding for a new aviation facility in Richmond, Va., as part of the Future Years Defense Program (FYDP).
The lawmakers said the funding would help complete a facility to house the Virginia Army National... Read More »
Confirmed infections of the Wuhan coronavirus reached five people in the United States over the weekend, with already known cases in Washington state and Chicago being joined by new patients in California and Arizona.
In all cases, the patients recently returned to the United States from Wuhan,... Read More »
