In a move designed to create significant new opportunities for research and for contributing to national and international public health policy, the Center for Health Security - previously affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - has joined the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Read now

 
Today's Headlines: January 20, 2017

Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

Chinese Team Posts Analysis of Early, Sudden H7N9 Spike ( CIDRAP) Increased levels of highly pathogenic H7N9 contamination in the environment may be one reason for China's early sudden increase in human cases, Chinese researchers said in a new review of the 5th wave of illness activity that is still underway. Go to article

See Also: Sudden Increase in Human Infection with Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus in China, September-December 2016 ( WHO) Since the 1st outbreak of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus in humans was identified in 2013, there have been 5 seasonal epidemics observed in China. An earlier start and a steep increase in the number of humans infected with H7N9 virus was observed between September and December 2016, raising great public concern in domestic and international societies. Go to article


Government Affairs & National Security

NIH Director Francis Collins Staying On--For Now ( Nature) On the eve of his inauguration, president-elect Donald Trump has decided to retain Francis Collins as director of NIH--at least temporarily. Go to article

Gene-Edited Animals Face US Regulatory Crackdown ( Nature) Researchers transforming animals with the latest genome-engineering tools may be disappointed by draft rules released by the FDA on 18 January--2 days before US President Barack Obama leaves office. Go to article


Global Health Security

Hope for Global Health in 2017 ( Project-Syndicate) Looking back on 2016, there may not seem to be much to celebrate. In terms of global health alone, the year appeared to be one of unrelenting tragedy. But, buried among all of the bad stories, there were some inspiring developments in global health in 2016. Go to article

Combating the Menace of Lassa Fever ( Vanguard) This week, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed 9 deaths and 20 cases arising from fresh outbreaks of Lassa fever in 7 states of the Federation. Go to article

Ebola, War... But Just Two Psychiatrists to Deal with a Nation's Trauma ( The Guardian) Overwhelmed counsellors and medical staff in Sierra Leone must contend with suspicion and a collapse in funding. Go to article

Transmission of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in South Africa ( The New England Journal of Medicine) We conducted a prospective study involving 404 participants in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, with a diagnosis of XDR tuberculosis between 2011 and 2014. Go to article

War as a Driver in Tuberculosis Evolution ( Contagions) Russia has been all over the news lately. Beyond our recent election, increased Russian activity on the world stage has public health consequences for Europe and farther afield. It has been known for a long time that post-Soviet Russia had and continues to have serious public health problems.  Go to article


Science & Technology

CRISPR Meets Single-Cell Sequencing in New Screening Method ( Phys.org) Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 "gene scissors" is a powerful tool for biological discovery and for identifying novel drug targets. In pooled CRISPR screens, a large number of cells are edited simultaneously using CRISPR guide-RNAs against thousands of different genes.  Go to article

New Blood Test Can Predict Outcome For Ebola-Infected Patients ( GEN) Scientists at the University of Liverpool, in collaboration with Public Health England, Boston University, and other international partners, say they used blood samples taken from infected and recovering patients during the 2013-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak to identify gene products that act as strong predictors of patient outcome. Go to article
STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH OUR NEWSLETTERS

Health Security Headlines: Daily news related to US and global health security.
   
Preparedness Pulsepoints: Weekly updates on USG action on readiness and response. 
  
Clinicians' Biosecurity News: Analysis of advances and challenges in clinical biosecurity.


Published by JHSPH Center for Health Security | 621 East Pratt Street, Suite 210 | Baltimore, MD 21202
Visit us on the Web: centerforhealthsecurity.org