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Threats
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) unveiled a new partnership with SeLux Diagnostic, Inc. this week with the goal of developing faster tests for bacterial infection identification and matching those individual infections with appropriate antibiotics.
The Biomedical Advanced... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) to bolster America’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies, including biological threats like emerging infectious diseases, as well as chemical, bio or nuclear... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is teaming up with Israeli company MediWound Ltd. in the creation of a new treatment of skin injuries resulting from exposure to sulfur mustard.
Sulfur mustard, more commonly known as mustard gas, has seen devastating use since World War I,... Read More »
In a move the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association warn could threaten public health responses, the Trump Administration has transferred funds from infectious disease prevention, care, and biomedical research programs into its unaccompanied alien children... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for replacement helicopters.
The original cost estimate for the program was about $4.1 billion. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said that the $1.7 billion in savings was due to strong competition.
The first helicopter... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office develop a plan to help DHS coordinate chemical defense programs and activities.
The GAO’s study came about in response to concerns about... Read More »
Quanergy Systems, Inc. received $200,000 from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) last week for the development of LiDAR-based technology for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging – is a means of... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations (CBP OFO) seized $4.2 million worth of heroin and methamphetamine last week at the Pharr International Bridge, between Texas and Mexico. The narcotics were hidden inside a commercial trailer carrying fresh produce.
A red Kenworth... Read More »
Fiji is subjected to a smallpox outbreak where social norms breakdown and medical experts scramble to get the outbreak under control.
This wasn’t reality, but it was the simulation exercise for participants of a workshop held last month at the University of New South Wales Sydney. The event... Read More »
During the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Sept. 25, Alex Azar, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary, will call on world leaders to address the evolving threat of antibiotic resistance.
Failure to prepare for and reverse antibiotic resistance could lead to... Read More »
Researchers from Harvard University urged government officials this week to develop new measures to detect and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, like dengue fever, in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
In a report published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the researchers --... Read More »
President Donald Trump launched the National Cyber Strategy last week, the first “fully articulated” cyber strategy since 2003.
The strategy calls for integrating cyber into the four pillars of the National Security Strategy. Specifically, the strategy is designed to defend the homeland by... Read More »
As part of an effort to counter multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and the TB Alliance are collaborating -- with monetary support from the Medical Research Council (MRC) -- to investigate new combination TB therapies.
A £1 million ($1.3... Read More »
Researchers from Imperial College London are taking a new tack in the battle against malaria, focusing on
the compounds that could prevent malaria parasites from being able to infect mosquitoes, halting the spread of disease.
As a disease delivery system, mosquitoes are infamous, but... Read More »
The bicameral Hold the Low-Yield Nuclear Explosive Act, or the Hold the LYNE Act, was introduced in Congress on Sept. 18, a measure that would prohibit the research, development, production and deployment of a low-yield nuclear warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
The legislation,... Read More »
A Phase 1 trial is underway for a new nasal flu vaccination designed for ages 9 to 17 years old.
Testing is taking place at Saint Louis University, with support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Unlike traditional flu vaccines, which must be reformulated... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has developed an online tool to help security professionals for commercial office buildings perform assessments.
The web-based tool streamlines from the application process for building owners applying for... Read More »
The Sept. 18 release of the 2018 National Biodefense Strategy and a newly signed National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) will bolster the nation’s defenses against man-made, accidental or intentional, and naturally occurring biological threats to Americans’ health and safety, said U.S.... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) provide funding estimates for its mandated nuclear proliferation plan.
A federal law introduced in 2015 and 2017 directed the President to submit a proliferation plan to Congress. A... Read More »
A new test, according to information presented to the European Respiratory Society International Congress, can identify viral infections in just 50 minutes -- something that could save hospitals approximately €2,500 ($2922) per patient prevented from requiring admission.
The other advantage of... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded contracts to five researchers to develop new methods to identify Network/Internet-scale Disruptive Events (NIDEs).
When internet connectivity is disrupted, it can have a major impact on critical... Read More »
Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) are encouraging the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to assess threats posed by deepfake technology.
The three representatives forwarded correspondence last week to DNI chief Dan Coats requesting the Intelligence... Read More »
The Active Assailant Training, Readiness and Response Act, introduced to the House by U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) last week, will seek to establish a Department of Education grant for active assailant situation training.
The grant would be used to improve security through university-based... Read More »
Seeking to expand the workforce for cybersecurity, U.S. Reps. Dan Donovan (R-NY) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced last week the Cyber Ready Workforce Act, which would support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship programs therein.
“Cybersecurity threats will continue to present... Read More »
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security recently advanced the Hack Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Act that was introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
The act would establish a bug bounty pilot program to strengthen cyber defenses at the Department of... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation last week to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fight terrorist threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The House unanimously approved the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018 (H.R. 6198), which enables DHS... Read More »
A research team has uncovered how W protein -- a viral protein that factors into both Nipah and Hendra virus infections -- targets critical cell functions, leading to suppression of immune responses and spreading of these viruses.
W protein binds to proteins in the host cells and allows for... Read More »
A group of five bipartisan senators recently urged the State Department to adopt cybersecurity measures to protect against phishing and other cyberattacks.
The letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo follows multiple reports by the Office of Inspector General that outside auditors found the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Mike Conaway (R-TX) introduced a bill to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to submit a report to Congress on Iran’s use of assets received from sanctions relief.
The bill, the Iran Payments Accountability Act of 2018 (H.R. 6774), states that... Read More »
Tuberculosis (TB) has been successfully treated in animals utilizing a non-antibiotic drug, according to scientists at the University of Manchester.
The success makes the drug the first non-antibiotic to successfully treat TB -- a disease that kills around 1.7 million people worldwide each year.... Read More »
Cocaine valued at more than $25 million was seized last month during a Joint Interagency Task Force South interception of a low-profile vessel moving in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
In all, nearly a ton of cocaine was pulled from the vessel after it was spotted by a... Read More »
As Hurricane Florence, a category 4 storm, bears down on the Carolinas, the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) is warning about the potential for public health threats in the storm’s aftermath.
IDSA points out that with over 1 million people being evacuated from their homes, shelters... Read More »
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in conjunction with the Duke University School of Medicine, has begun enrolling for a Phase 1 clinical trial of a new antimalarial drug and its efficacy in humans.
This early stage trial is being led by Dr. Michael... Read More »
Boeing gained a $2.9 billion contract from the United States Air Force this week, making them responsible for the fourth production lot of KC-46A tanker aircraft and all associated equipment.
The KC-46A is a tanker with multiple roles, able to refuel allied and coalition military aircraft, as... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced the Protecting our Communities and Rights Act of 2018 this week, which would establish a process to allow law enforcement to confiscate guns from individuals who are dangerous or unfit to have them.
It is a federal version of “red flag” laws that have... Read More »
