What's New

Dr. Tara O'Toole Nominated to Head S & T at DHS: President Barack Obama has nominated Dr. Tara O'Toole as Under Secretary for Science & Technology in the Department of Homeland Security. White House press release |Sec’y Napolitano’s statement (posted May 7, 2009).
 

Biosecurity News in Brief: May 12, 2009

WHO & CDC updates on 2009 H1N1 flu • New CDC case definition • Anthrax outbreak in India • Fast evolving and spreading rabies virus • FDA isn’t meeting food-safety goals • White House healthcare reform meeting • EU extends Tamiflu shelf-life • Public health response and law in EU • New research on smallpox • Bio-hacking • Talks with North Korea. Read Now.
    
                         
2009 H1N1 Influenza Issue Briefs | Updates | Resources

Social Stigma Attached to “Swine Flu”—An FAQ for U.S. Elected Leaders and Health Officials: HTML | PDF (May 1, 2009).

Can the Current Swine Flu Outbreak Be Contained? In A Word, No: HTML | PDF (April 30, 2009). 

Stigma: Its Harm and Its Remedy in Outbreaks Like Swine Flu: HTML | PDF (April 29, 2009). 

Border Restrictions: Not an Effective Means of Preventing the Spread of Swine Flu: HTML | PDF (April 28, 2009).

An Influenza Virus Naturally Can Have Multiple Genetic Sources: Why the Current Swine Flu Virus Is Not Bioterrorism: HTML | PDF (April 28, 2009). 

FDA Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs): What Are They and What Do They Mean for the Swine Flu Response?: HTML | PDF (April 27, 2009).

Recent Publications by Center Staff

Disease and Terror: The swine-flu outbreak caught health officials completely by surprise—just as a bioterror attack would (by Dr. D.A. Henderson, April 30, 2009) Read the full article on Newsweek's site.

Hospitals Rising to the Challenge: The First Five Years of the U.S. Hospital Preparedness Program and Priorities Going Forward: Executive Summary | Full Report (April 23, 2009).                  

Biosecurity Memos to the Obama Administration: In response to the new administration’s stated commitment to strengthening American biosecurity, the Center has offered strategic recommendations regarding priorities for U.S. biosecurity as well as an array of specific program recommendations. These memos appear in the March issue of the journal Biosecurity and Bioterrorism (March 27, 2009). Read all memos.

Individual Memos:

• Strategic Priorities for U.S. Biosecurity: (O'Toole T and Inglesby T)
  
• Developing Medical Countermeasures for Biodefense: (Smith BT, Mair M, Gronvall GK, Matheny J)
  
• Developing a National Biosurveillance Program: (Nuzzo JB)
  
• Expanding the Public's Role in Health Emergency Policy (Schoch-Spana M, Courtney B, Norwood A)
  
• Funding Biodefense (Franco C)
  
• Preparing the Healthcare System for Catastrophic Emergencies (Courtney B, Toner E, Waldhorn R)
  
• Preserving Gains from Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreements (Nuzzo JB, Mair M, Franco C)
  
• Preventing the Development and Use of Biological Weapons (Gronvall GK)