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Today's Headlines: May 23, 2017
 
Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases

WHO Optimistic on Controlling DRC Ebola Outbreak ( VOA News) The WHO's regional chief for Africa reports prospects for rapidly controlling the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo are good. Go to article

Vietnam: Hanoi Dengue Tally Passes 700, 1st Fatality Reported ( Outbreak News Today) In a follow-up on the dengue fever situation in Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi, the Hanoi Department of Health has reported more than 700 dengue fever cases since the beginning of the year, double the number of cases during the same period in 2016. Go to article

The Resistome of Important Human Pathogens ( BioRxiv) Genes capable of conferring resistance to clinically used antibiotics have been found in many different natural environments. However, a concise overview of the resistance genes found in common human bacterial pathogens is lacking, which complicates risk ranking of environmental reservoirs. Go to article


Government Affairs & National Security

Trump Budget Seeks Huge Cuts to Disease Prevention and Medical Research Departments ( Washington Post) President Trump's 2018 budget request, delivered to Congress on Tuesday with the title "A New Foundation for American Greatness," has roiled the medical and science community with a call for massive cuts in spending on scientific research, medical research, disease prevention programs and health insurance for children of the working poor. Go to article

DHS Increases US Security After Manchester Bombing ( The Daily Beast) DHS said late Monday night that Americans should expect to see a heightened security presence in public venues with large crowds--soft target" areas--in the wake of the Monday night attack in Britain that killed at least 22 people.  Go to article

US Budget Chief Explains Deep Foreign Aid Cuts ( Devex) As the US aid community braces for Tuesday's release of the White House budget proposal, budget director Mick Mulvaney offered some insight into why the Trump administration sees fit to slash foreign aid spending. Go to article


Global Health Security

UN Refugee Agency Ramps Up Response as Libya's Humanitarian Crisis Deepens ( UN News Centre) Conflict, insecurity, political instability and a collapsing economy have contributed to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Libya, prompting the UN refugee agency to announce plans to step-up its presence and programmes there. Go to article

WHO Elects Ethiopia's Tedros as New Director General ( New York Times) In the 1st election conducted under new, more open and democratic rules, Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus of Ethiopia was elected director general of the WHO on Tuesday. Go to article

A Global Health Scorecard Finds US Lacking ( New York Times) Over the last 25 years, China, Ethiopia, the Maldive Islands, Peru, South Korea and Turkey had the greatest improvements in "deaths avoidable through health care at their economic level," a complex but intriguing new measure of global mortality described last week in the Lancet. Go to article


Medicine & Public Health

Absolute Heroes: Praise for Medics Treating Manchester Victims ( The Guardian) Hospital staff tell of 'superb' response of medics who worked through the night to help those injured in Manchester attack. Go to article

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Actions Needed to Address the Challenges of Responding to Zika Virus Outbreaks ( GAO) Since Zika virus disease was a newly emerging disease threat in the US, and relatively little was known about the Zika virus prior to the 2016 US outbreak, the CDC, and the states were not fully equipped with needed information and resources at the beginning of the outbreak.  Go to article

Baking Soda Shortage Has Hospitals Frantic, Delaying Treatments and Surgeries ( arsTechnica) Amid a national shortage of a critical medicine, US hospitals are hoarding vials, delaying surgeries, and turning away patients, The New York Times reports. The medicine in short supply: solutions of sodium bicarbonate--aka, baking soda. Go to article


Science & Technology

Influenza: Predicting Outbreaks with Patch-Like Wearable Thermometer ( Outbreak News Today) Through integration with a wearable thermometer, the Thermia online health educational tool developed at Boston Children's Hospital has enabled prediction of seasonal influenza outbreaks in China 1 month earlier than before, according to a new study in the American Journal of Public Health. Go to article

Silicon Valley Meets Biomedical Research in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative ( Cell) The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropy launched by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, drew attention with its stated goal of helping to "cure, manage, or treat all diseases" by the end of the century. They intend to do it through funding basic research and addressing gaps in biomedical technology. Go to article

BARDA Awards 46M for Treatment System that Cleans Pathogens from Blood ( Global Biodefense) BARDA, part of HHS ASPR, has awarded $46.6 million in contract options to Cerus Corporation in support of a treatment system which helps 'clean' pathogens from blood. Go to article


Other 21st Century Threats

Islamic State Claims Responsibility for Deadly Concert Blast in Manchester ( Washington Post) The Islamic State claimed Tuesday that one of its "soldiers" carried out an apparent suicide blast in Manchester that killed at least 22 people, including teenagers and others streaming out of a pop concert. Go to article

The Daring Laborers Who Sandblast Chernobyl's Radioactive Metal ( Wired) Photographs of the daring laborers who worked on Chernobyl's radioactive metal and the cure-all they claim keeps them safe. Go to article

The Poisoned Generation ( The Atlantic) The story of a decades-long lead-poisoning lawsuit in New Orleans illustrates how the toxin destroys black families and communities alike. Go to article

Bridging the Divide: How the International Community is Adapting to the Threat of WMD Smuggling ( Homeland Security) American television shows like "NCIS" and its various locally based variants like "NCIS Los Angeles," "Designated Survivor," the iconic "24," and movies like, "The Sum of All Fears" and "By Dawn's Early Light," have developed a cult status. They are seen across the world. Their success is down to a simple combination of 2 things: the people who play the roles of those involved...and the plot lines. Go to article
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