Recent News

By Region: North America

H7N9 animal model looks at transmission of H7N9 influenza virus

(EurekaAlert) Embargoed until 2:00 PM – An international team of scientists has proved that the H7N9 influenza virus is efficiently transmitted when animals are in close contact — defined in the study as touching, coughing and the exchange of bodily fluids. “This study was designed to give us clues about the transmission of H7N9 which Read More »

May 24, 2013
| Filed under North America, Countermeasures, Public Health, and Research
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Chorizo Likely Source of Las Vegas’s Firefly Salmonella Outbreak | Food Safety News

(FoodSafetyNews) Epidemiologists think they have found the source of a Salmonella outbreak linked to Las Vegas’s Firefly restaurant that is now known to have sickened at least 294 people – almost 100 more illnesses than health officials previously reported. The Southern Nevada Health District announced Wednesday that the outbreak strain of Salmonella had been found Read More »

May 22, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agents & Toxins, Agriculture, and Public Health
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Agroterrorism: Attacking with food

(MedillReports) In April food was used as a weapon when an unidentified person sent ricin-laced letters to President Obama and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Ala.). Ricin, a derivative of castor beans, was the poison in this case of agroterrorism. “This is the terrorism of the past and a potential arena for the future,” said Dr. Read More »

May 22, 2013
| Filed under North America, Agriculture, Biological Weapons, Policy & Initiatives, Public Health, and Research
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Bioterrorism drills in Ore., Wash. next week

(KGW) Fire crews, police and health officials in the Portland Metro area next week will simulate a terrorist attack involving a biological weapon. “The incident is simulated, the sickness and death imagined, yet all involved will take it very seriously,” said Port of Portland spokeswoman Kama Simonds.

May 16, 2013
| Filed under North America, Biosafety, Countermeasures, and Policy & Initiatives
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MIT summit to explore new approach to diseases

(TheBostonGlobe) More than 300 scientists will gather this weekend at MIT for the first international workshop devoted exclusively to exploring this simple idea: Approach diseases such as cancer and diabetes with an engineer’s mind-set, including thinking about cells as if they were software and hardware that can be rewired, debugged, programmed, and hacked.