Recent News

By Region: North America

Editorial: USA focuses on Ebola vaccine but research gaps remain

(The Lancet) — As the hunt for an Ebola vaccine receives a boost, experts say that other avenues of research also need to be explored to help tackle the highly virulent disease. Talha Khan Burki reports. WHO describes Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) as “one of the most virulent viral diseases known to man”. The US Read More »

August 5, 2011
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Countermeasures, and Research
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CDC moves disease surveillance system to the cloud

(GCN) — The BioSense program, created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attacks, is remaking itself to provide a cloud-based collaboration platform for federal, state and local health officials. “It essentially is for the rapid, automated collection and dissemination of data,” said Dr. Taha Kass-Hout, BioSense Read More »

August 4, 2011
| Filed under North America and Public Health
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U.S. Pushes to Standardize Collection of Biothreat Samples

(GSN Daily News) The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology on Tuesday said it is collaborating with the National Guard to ensure that federal, state and local emergency response personnel are trained to collect disease materials for analysis in accordance with recently adopted procedures (see GSN, Aug. 1).

August 4, 2011
| Filed under North America, Policy & Initiatives, and Research
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We are diminished. Jonathan Tucker

Ploughshares Fund — Today we learned that Jonathan Tucker has passed away. Jonathan was a highly respected expert on chemical and biological weapons and policy issues and Ploughshares Fund is proud to have supported his efforts towards a safer and more peaceful world. Most recently Jonathan was heading up a program at the Federation of Read More »

August 3, 2011
| Filed under North America and Research
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BWC Review Conference Should Not Address Verification, Diplomat Says

GSN Daily News — WASHINGTON — The Biological Weapons Convention review conference this December is not likely to revive talks on the divisive topic of standing up an international verification regime for the accord, according to a senior U.S. diplomat (see GSN, July 8). (Aug. 2) – U.S. Special Representative Laura Kennedy last week expressed Read More »