Recent News

By Region: North America

Bioterrorism and the Pandemic Potential

(WallStreetPit) Periodic media reports of bird flu, a new SARS-like virus and a case of drug-resistant tuberculosis have kept the world informed, but they have also contributed to a distorted perception of the true threat such contagions pose. Perhaps the greatest value of the media coverage is the opportunity it provides to discuss the uncertainties Read More »

March 8, 2013
| Filed under North America and Public Health
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Rep. Markey Introduces SAFE Seafood Act to Combat Fish Fraud

(FoodSafetyNews) U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA.) on Wednesday re-introduced a new, bipartisan version of a previously-introduced bill to combat widespread seafood fraud “that cheats fishermen and consumers, while posing health risks to pregnant mothers and others,” according to Markey. The bill comes on the heels of recent studies that found, on average, 33 percent of Read More »

March 8, 2013
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, and Policy & Initiatives
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Bio attack/pandemic preparedness bill approved by Congress

(GovernmentSecurityNews) A bill that improves the ability of U.S. infrastructure to respond to a bio terror or pandemic has been approved by both the House and Senate and now awaits the president’s signature to become law. The bill, Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 307), was passed by the House on March Read More »

March 8, 2013
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Gates Foundation Funding for Neglected Tropical Diseases

(GlobalBiodefense) The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its funding partners have announced an invitation to innovators to apply for grant funding of ‘New Approaches for Detection, Treatment, and Control of Selected Neglected Tropical Diseases.’

March 7, 2013
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Lethal, Drug-resistant Bacteria Spreading in U.S. Healthcare Facilities

(CDC) Drug-resistant germs called carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE, are on the rise and have become more resistant to last-resort antibiotics during the past decade, according to a new CDC Vital Signs report. These bacteria are causing more hospitalized patients to get infections that, in some cases, are impossible to treat.