Nuke-Bio-Chem
World prepares for new flu pandemic
Added: 9/30/05. Sources: Breitbart Breitbart Seattle Times USA Today USA Today.
Since 2003, at least 65 people have died of bird flu. So far the virus does not easily transfer from birds to humans but flu viruses mutate regularly, and officials are sounding a warning.
In 1918, influenza pandemic killed more than 40 million people. The UN coordinator for avian and human influenza, Dr. David Nabarro, estimates between 5 and 150 million deaths from a new global pandemic. "The work we're doing over the next few months on prevention and preparedness will make the difference," he said, in determining the number of deaths.
Dick Thompson, World Health Organization spokesman, adds, "We're not going to know how lethal the next pandemic is going to be until the pandemic begins." At this time, only one source of Tamiflu, a flu vaccine, is available but the WHO rejects the idea of pressuring for rights to produce a cheaper, generic version. Currently, demand is outstripping supply.
Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt has called for a Tamiflu stockpile to treat 20 million people, yet there are only enough pills on hand to treat a few million. The Senate has added funds to the 2006 Defense budget for stockpiling flu vaccine to prepare for a potential outbreak. The budget is in the process of being negotiated by Congress.
Bio-Hazard Update: No deadly viruses released from "hot labs."
Added: 9/15/05. Source: WWL-TV
Dr. Raoult Ratard, Louisiana's chief epidemiologist, enlisted state police on a mission Sept. 13th to break into a high-security government lab and "do what had to be done." Armed with bolt-cutters and bleach, they destroyed the live cultures before they could escape or fall into the wrong hands. About 300 federally funded projects at New Orleans colleges and universities worth more than $150 million -- including 153 projects at Tulane. LSU lost all of its 8,000 lab animals.
Tulane cancer specialist Dr. Tyler Curiel was one of the few researchers who decided to ride out the hurricane in New Orleans in an effort to salvage decades worth of research. After the storm passed, Curiel spent the first few days transferring vials from broken freezers to liquid nitrogen tanks with the help of a flashlight. He later fled to his in-laws' house in Denver and then returned to his lab for a day, grabbing whatever he could in an effort to save blood and tissue samples from an ongoing ovarian cancer project.
All the labs in Katrina's path that handle bioweapons defense research involving pathogens such as anthrax reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that their security wasn't compromised, according to CDC spokesman Von Roebuck.
Russia Warns U.S. Against New Nuclear Doctrine
Added: 9/13/05. Source: Wired News
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov warned the US against "any change of its defense doctrine to allow pre-emptive use of atomic weapons, saying it would prompt others to seek nuclear arms." A draft revision of the U.S. Defense Department's nuclear operations doctrine was made available this weekend. It outlines pre-empt an enemy's attack with weapons of mass destruction with the use of nuclear weapons.
"Lowering the threshold for use of atomic weapons is in itself dangerous," Ivanov said prior to a NATO defense ministers meeting in Berlin. "Such plans do not limit, but in fact promote efforts by others to develop (nuclear weapons)." He hoped Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would inform him if such a change to the U.S. military doctrine were planned.
The draft "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations," dated March 15, revised the "discussion of nuclear weapons use across the range of military operations." Combatant commanders could request approval from the president to use nuclear weapons under a variety of scenarios, such as pre-empting use of WMD against the US, multinational or alliance forces or civilian populations, according to the document.
Hurricane Bio-Hazard? Infectious Disease Research in New Orleans
Added: 9/13/05. Source: Memory Blog.
This blog entry calls for an investigation, and I hope it is being done. First, we have the summary: "At the very least, there are two Level-3 biolabs in New Orleans and a cluster of three in nearby Covington. They have been working with anthrax, mousepox, HIV, plague, etc. There are surely other labs in the city."
Research at Tulane National Primate Research Center centered on infectious diseases, including biodefense related work, gene therapy, reproductive biology and neuroscience. A watchdog group adds that Tulane "scientists are working with anthrax, plague, and other biological weapons agents."
On the website for the Center for Disease Control's “Select Agents Program” is the following notice: "Entities that are registered with the Select Agent Program who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina may contact the CDC Select Agent Program for guidance on actions that should be taken to transfer Select Agents to another registered entity or report the theft, loss, or release of select agents that might have occurred due to storm damage." Emphasis added.
Rural Montana Prepares for Major Bio Defense Lab
Added: 9/13/05. Source: Wired News
"Western Montana will soon host one of the nation's few biowarfare defense labs, a controversial $66.5 million building where scientists will research dangerous pathogens in an effort to stem deadly attacks. Community concern "intensified with the announcement of biodefense plans that would involve staff wearing space-age contamination suits in airtight labs. The new facility should be ready next year with biodefense work scheduled for 2007."
Since 2001, Washington has spent billions fighting germs such as anthrax and plague, and has announced plans to add to the nation's four existing Biosafety Level-4 biodefense facilities. The Rocky Mountain Labs would become the only such facility in the American West. Some experts caution that biodefense skates close to banned offensive bioweapons research while others feel it is necessary to understand "the virus' tricks" in order to defend against or treat it.
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