Recent News

By Region: North America

Debate Persists Over Publishing Bird Flu Studies

(NPR) A federal advisory board has urged scientific journals not to publish the research from two labs that have developed an airborne flu virus. Microbiologist Vincent Racaniello discusses why the move sets a bad precedent. Biosecurity expert D.A. Henderson talks about the risks of publishing the research. This is SCIENCE FRIDAY. I’m Ira Flatow. Our Read More »

January 9, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Agents & Toxins, International, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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State, area health officials stay on guard against viruses

(Sacramento Bee) The terrorist attacks and anthrax scare of 2001 gave them warning that they should plan for a sudden and fierce outbreak of disease, and the swine flu pandemic of 2009 gave them practice. Yet there is no way to prevent an influenza pandemic from coming …

January 9, 2012
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Public Health
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Infectious disease lab under construction in Winnipeg

(Journal of Commerce) A vacant former laboratory building in Winnipeg’s inner city is being transformed into a state of the art infectious diseases research centre. Work is well underway on the Public Health Agency of Canada’s (PHAC) new J.C. Wilt Infectious Diseases Research Centre. The impetus for the new project is that the National Microbiology Read More »

January 6, 2012
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Public Health, and Research
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Controversial bird flu studies defy easy solutions: WHO

(CTV.ca) While it’s tempting to boil the arguments down to a single issue — the evils of censorship, the sanctity of open science, the dangers of bioterrorism — to do so ignores the many difficult questions that the scientific, public health and security …

January 6, 2012
| Filed under Europe, North America, Bioterrorism, Public Health, and Research
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Recently Discovered Compound Can Curb Pox Virus Duplication

(Global Security Newswire ) Researchers have pinpointed a new compound that has the ability to curb virus duplication, which could promote development of new countermeasures for smallpox and other pox viruses, Asian News International reported on Wednesday. Smallpox, which is considered a potential bioterrorism agent, and other pox viruses spread through the body via replication.