December 18, 2018

NEWS
Biodefense Leader Kadlec Praises Schar School Program at 15th Anniversary Lecture. America's biodefense efforts began in 1777 when General George Washington, horrified at the prospect of losing a significant percentage of his troops to smallpox, ordered the Continental Army to be inoculated against the disease through a practice known as variolation. (GMU, 12/14/18)

REPORT
Influenza Activity - United States, September 30-December 1, 2018. Influenza activity in the United States was low during October 2018, and, although it increased slowly during November, activity remains low across most of the country. During the week ending December 1, 2018, the percentage of outpatient visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) was equal to the national baseline. (CDC, 12/14/18) 

REPORT
Notes from the Field: Follow-Up on 11 Infants Born to Women with Evidence of Zika Virus Infection During Pregnancy - Los Angeles County, 2016. During 2016, 11 infants were born to women in LAC who met the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists case definition ( 6) for confirmed (four infants) or probable (seven infants) Zika virus infection. Follow-up through age 12 months was completed for nine infants; two infants (numbers 3 and 5) were evaluated at birth, and their parents declined to participate after delivery. (CDC, 12/14/18)

RESEARCH
QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Had an Influenza Vaccination in the Past 12 Months, by Diagnosed Diabetes Status and Age Group - National Health Interview Survey, 2017. In 2017, among adults aged ≥18 years, those with a diagnosis of diabetes were more likely to have had an influenza vaccination in the past 12 months than those with a diagnosis of prediabetes (62.5% versus 56.1%); those with no diagnosed diabetes were the least likely to have had an influenza vaccination (40.1%). (CDC, 12/14/18)

NEWS
Reps. Chabot, Connolly Sponsor Global Health Security Bill. The Global Health Security Act would codify how the United States prepares for and responds to public health threats. Typically, US global health security staffing and activities are reliant on an executive order and not explicitly supported in law. (Homeland Preparedness News, 12/14/18)

BLOG
Pandemic Influenza Vaccine: An Investment in Preparedness that Lasts More Than a Decade . As part of our nation's overall pandemic preparedness strategy, HHS set a preparedness goal of establishing and maintaining a stockpile of bulk vaccine antigen and adjuvants for influenza viruses with pandemic potential to vaccinate 26 million people immediately after a pandemic is declared. (ASPR, 12/13/18)  

STATEMENT
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D. and FDA Deputy Commissioner Frank Yiannas on New Findings and Updated Consumer Recommendations Related to the Romaine Lettuce E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Investigation. We have new results to report from this investigation tracing the source of the contamination to at least one specific farm. Based on these and other new findings, we're updating our recommendations for the romaine lettuce industry and consumers. (FDA, 12/13/18)

NEWS
CDC Food Safety Alert: Update on Outbreak of Salmonella Infections Linked to Ground Beef . CDC continues to advise consumers and retailers to check their freezers for recalled ground beef produced by JBS Tolleson, Inc., which is linked to a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infections. (CDC, 12/12/18) 

NEWS
DHS Seeks Biowatch Sample Laboratory Information Management System. The Department of Homeland Security Office of Procurement Operations is conducting market research on technologies that can provide a comprehensive, cost effective solution to BioWatch's current laboratory information management system. (Global Biodefense, 12/12/18)

NEWS
Innovating to Protect the US Blood Supply from Pathogens. Draft guidance recommends additional measures to help control the risk of bacterial contamination of room temperature stored platelets intended for transfusion. (FDA, 12/12/18)

REPORT
Russia, the Skripal Poisoning, and US Sanctions. On August 6, 2018, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo determined that in March 2018 the government of Russia had used a chemical weapon in the United Kingdom in contravention of international law. When such a determination is made, US law requires the President to impose economic and diplomatic measures that initially cut off foreign aid, arms sales, and export licenses for controlled goods, services, and technology, and ratchet up in intensity if certain conditions are not met within 90 days. (Congressional Research Service, 12/17/18) 

BLOG
Fighting Fire with Fuel Treatments: A Shared Stewardship Approach . Fire season is now about two months longer than it was in the 1970s. Before summer even begins, forests are primed for large fires that spread rapidly in trees that are dehydrated from drought, compromised from fighting off bugs, and often competing for space in overly dense forests. (USDA, 12/14/18) 

NEWS
Technology Will Help First Responders Monitor Patient Vitals in Chaotic Situations. The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate and the Department of Energy (DOE) Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed VitalTag, technology that can assist medical first responders in monitoring the vital signs of victims in a mass casualty situation. (Homeland Preparedness News, 12/14/18)

NEWS

Biodefense Institute Names New Lab Director.

 

REPORT
Long-Range Emerging Threats Facing the United States As Identified by Federal Agencies. Threats to U.S. national security continue to evolve with technological, economic, and social changes. Federal agencies identified 26 long-term threats within 4 categories. (GAO, 12/13/18)

NEWS
The Government's Bioterror-Response Website May Be Leaking Sensitive Data. The US government's chief tool to coordinate responses to bioterror events has for years suffered from big security problems, according to DHS inspectors and a former employee.  (Defense One, 12/13/18)

NEWS
Feinstein-Murkowski Earthquake Resilience Bill Signed into Law. Sen. Murkowski and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., introduced the bipartisan legislation and secured unanimous passage in the Senate on Sept. 27, 2018, with House passage by voice vote following on Nov. 27, 2018. The bill modernizes safety programs that help states like Alaska prepare for and respond to earthquakes. (Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, 12/12/18)

NEWS
Bringing Advanced Microelectronics to Revolutionary Defense Applications . Today's critical Department of Defense (DOD) systems and platforms rely on advanced electronics to address national security objectives. To help tackle obstacles facing a half-century of electronics advancement, DARPA launched the Electronics Resurgence Initiative (ERI) - a five-year, upwards of $1.5 billion investment in the future of domestic electronic systems. (DARPA, 12/10/18)

NEWS
NIH Report Scrutinizes Role of China in Theft of US Scientific Research. Institutions across the US may have fallen victim to a tiny fraction of foreign researchers who worked to feed American intellectual property to their home countries, an advisory committee to the National Institutes of Health found in a report issued Thursday. (STAT, 12/13/18)

See also: Foreign Influences on Research Integrity. (NIH, 12/13/18)