January 23, 2018
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Tom Inglesby
Before its eradication from nature in 1980, smallpox was humanity's greatest infectious disease killer. Almost none of the global population in 2018 has effective immunity, and smallpox vaccine supplies are available only to protect a small fraction of the world. There are only two declared smallpox repositories, one in the United States and one in Russia. Any research that reduces the challenges of synthesizing smallpox de novo outside these repositories -- as this work does -- should be off limits unless, perhaps, there were to be extraordinary benefits that make the risks worth taking.
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Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
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NEWS
What the Government Shutdown Means for the Nation's Top Public Health Agencies.
Half of the Department of Health and Human Services' 80,000-member staff are expected to be furloughed, cutting the federal health staff down to only 40,000 employees. That includes some of the people at the CDC who monitor outbreaks, the researchers at the National Institutes of Health who are looking for disease cures, and the inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration who look out for pharmaceutical and food safety. More than that, it means some patients won't be able to enroll in clinical trials for potentially lifesaving procedures.
(Vox, 1/20/18)
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NEWS
What Happens When CHIP Funds Run Out.
One of the central issues of the shutdown battle is the Children's Health Insurance Program. NPR's Michel Martin talks with Alabama CHIP Director Cathy Caldwell about the program, which covers 9 million low-income kids across the US.
(NPR, 1/20/18)
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UPDATE
Renewal of Determination that a Public Health Emergency Exists.
As a result of the continued consequences of the opioid crisis affecting our nation, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Eric D. Hargan, Acting Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective January 24, 2018, my October 26, 2017, determination that a public health emergency exists nationwide as a result of the consequences of the opioid crisis.
(ASPR, 1/19/18)
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GUIDANCE
Material Threat MCM PRV Guidance.
FDA has issued a draft guidance, Material Threat Medical Countermeasure Priority Review Vouchers, which explains how FDA intends to implement the material threat MCM PRV program.
(FDA, 1/17/18)
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BLOG
Educating Children After Hurricane Maria.
In September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria roared through the Caribbean just 12 days apart. The schools on St. Croix and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) did not re-open until October 24. Teachers talked about how many of the books and materials in their classrooms were moldy and how teachers and staff had to help the janitorial staff clean up classrooms. Parents shared stories of their children coming home from school with mosquito bites all over their arms and legs. Schools could not always run the air-conditioning because they were operating using generators.
(CDC, 1/17/18)
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Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
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Science & Technology Policy
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BLOG
Hype to Reality: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Can Transform Health and Healthcare.
Artificial intelligence (AI) -- the ability of computers to learn human-like functions or tasks -- has shown great promise. What was previously considered the sole domain of human cognition is already being leveraged successfully across many industries. Now, the technology sector is witnessing what appears to be important new advances in AI that are bringing a new wave of interest for how it might shape the future of health and healthcare.
(HealthIT.gov, 1/17/18)
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| There are no hearings scheduled for this week. |
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