Recent News

By Region: North America

Q&A: How real is the threat of a global pandemic involving H5N1 or a related virus?

(Reuters) How real is the threat of a global pandemic involving H5N1 or a related virus? Very real. Two studies published this year in Nature and Science highlight the pandemic potential of viruses possessing an H5 HA, and it appears to be much easier than previously thought. The continued evolution of H5N1 viruses reinforces the Read More »

July 19, 2012
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, and Research
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Novel anti-malarial drug target identified

(EurekAlert!) An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, have identified the first reported inhibitors of a key enzyme involved in survival of the parasite responsible for malaria. Their findings, which may provide the basis for anti-malarial drug development, are Read More »

July 19, 2012
| Filed under North America and Research
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Taiwan finds H5N1 virus in birds smuggled from China

(AFP) – Dozens of pet birds smuggled from southern China into Taiwan tested positive for the deadly H5N1 avian flu virus and were destroyed, Taiwanese authorities said Tuesday. The smuggler bought the 38 birds in the Chinese city of Guangzhou and was caught at the Taoyuan international airport in northern Taiwan when he returned via Read More »

July 18, 2012
| Filed under North America and Agriculture
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Scaled-back NBAF and NBAF as designed are options that could meet critical US lab needs

(e! Science News) It is “imperative” that the U.S. build a large-animal biocontainment laboratory to protect animal and public health, says a new report by the National Research Council. Two options that could meet long-term needs include the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) facility as currently designed, or a scaled-back version tied to a Read More »

July 17, 2012
| Filed under North America and Policy & Initiatives
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Trial Concludes for Experimental Bioagent Detector

An exhaustive trial has concluded for a technology touted as a potential component of the U.S. biological-strike warning infrastructure, the system’s developer announced on Tuesday. Northrop Grumman’s Next-Generation Automated Detection System is designed to independently capture atmospheric vapor and assess the gathered material for a number of potentially harmful organisms. The technology would provide multiple Read More »