April 24, 2018

PRESS RELEASE
HHS Purchases Anthrax Antitoxin for Strategic National Stockpile. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will purchase an anthrax treatment for $25.2 million from Elusys Therapeutics Inc. of Pine Brook, New Jersey, as part of the department's ongoing national preparedness efforts.  (Department of Health & Human Services, 4/23/18)

REPORT
Protracted Outbreak of Salmonella Newport Infections Linked to Ground Beef: Possible Role of Dairy Cows - 21 States, 2016-2017. This report summarizes the investigation by CDC, state and local health and agriculture departments, and the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) and discusses the possible role of dairy cows as a reservoir for strains of Salmonella that persistently cause human illness.  (CDC, 4/20/18)

STATMENT
Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, on New Steps to Encourage More Widespread Innovation and Development of New Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder. This is the most profound public health crisis facing the US Food and Drug Administration and Americans. The FDA remains committed to take steps across all of its authorities to make significant inroads against this tragic epidemic. As part of this effort, we are committed to take steps to help those currently addicted to opioids, while taking steps to help prevent new cases of addiction. (FDA, 4/20/18)

See also:

• HHS Provides States Second Installment of Grant Awards to Combat Opioid Crisis (Department of Health & Human Services, 4/18/18)
• Illicit Synthetic Opioids (GAO, 4/19/18)

PRESS RELEASE
FDA Authorizes New Use of Test, First to Identify the Emerging Pathogen Candida auris. Today the US Food and Drug Administration authorized the first test to identify the emerging pathogen Candida auris ( C. auris), which can cause serious infections in hospitalized patients. Specifically, the FDA permitted marketing for a new use of the BRUKER MALDI Biotyper CA system for the identification of C. auris, adding to the system's already cleared uses for the identification of 333 species or species groups, covering 424 clinically relevant bacteria and yeast species. (FDA, 4/20/18)

NEWS
Rep. Cole Advocates Sustained Funding for Biodefense and Emergency Health Response. US agencies need a more predictable and accessible source of funds to support a rapid response to public health emergencies, including outbreaks of disease and bioterror attacks, Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said Wednesday. (Homeland Preparedness News, 4/19/18)

COMMENTARY
Monoclonal Antibodies for Emerging Infectious Diseases - Borrowing from History. Recent conceptual and technological advances in mAb development could have an enormous impact on the field of infectious diseases, particularly in the context of emerging infectious disease (EID) outbreaks, in which the process of vaccine development for new pathogens may be difficult and prolonged. NIAID researchers describe how the rapid development and strategic deployment of effective, highly specific preventive and therapeutic interventions have the potential to alter the course of an epidemic. (New England Journal of Medicine, 4/19/18)

NEWS
Does the US Have A Secret Germ Warfare Lab on Russia's Doorstep? The American and Georgian governments say the lab's primary mission is to detect and tackle disease outbreaks. But the Kremlin refuses to accept that the US government has spent $350 million of taxpayers' money to build a research center on Russia's doorstep simply to deal with public health hazards.   (Coda, 4/19/18)

NEWS
"Thank You for Your Service": Surgeon General's Uniformed Corps Battles Opioid Epidemic. As the opioid epidemic kills more than 100 people a day and surpasses natural disasters, the corps is up against some challenges from within. It was accused of failing to keep up with the "public health needs of the nation" and requiring modernization in President Trump's proposed 2019 budget. (USA TODAY, 4/18/18)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
BARDA Division of Research, Innovation and Ventures (DRIVe) Accelerator Network. The purpose of this FOA is to solicit applicants interested in working with BARDA DRIVe to stimulate the public good by creating or leveraging a network of accelerators across America to promote national health security innovation. In order to address the serious 21st century health threats facing our nation, BARDA DRIVe invests in innovative products (therapies, vaccines, diagnostics, and devices), technologies and tools in order to increase our capability and capacity to respond.  (Grants.gov, 4/18/18)

NEWS
How Trump's Obamacare Administrator is Taking a Hatchet to Obamacare. We're talking about Seema Verma, who as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also is effectively the administrator of the Affordable Care Act. In the Trump administration, that has made her the point person for the Trump campaign to dismantle the act, preferably behind the scenes.  (Los Angeles Times, 4/17/18)

REPORT
The Public Health Preparedness and Response 2018 National Snapshot. The Snapshot highlights preparedness activities and investments at the federal, state, and local levels, and features stories that demonstrate the impact of these activities. (CDC, 4/16/18)

See also:  Moving the Dial on Preparedness: CDC's 2018 National Snapshot (CDC, 4/16/18)

PRESS RELEASE
Genetically Altered Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies Protect Monkeys from HIV-like Virus. Two genetically modified broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) protected rhesus macaques from an HIV-like virus, report scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. (NIH, 4/16/18)

See also: A Single Injection of Crystallizable Fragment Domain-Modified Antibodies Elicits Durable Protection from SHIV Infection (Nature Medicine, 4/16/18)

NEWS
Fort Detrick-Based Lab Investigating After Tuberculosis Found Among Lab Animals, Caretaker. The disease was found among a group of cynomolgus macaques, also known as crab-eating macaques - an important species to biomedical research. One monkey was identified as a suspect for tuberculosis in late February and tested positive for the disease in March after a necropsy, said Caree Vander Linden, a spokeswoman for USAMRIID. (Frederick News Post, 4/12/18)

NEWS
Foreign Aid Makes America Safer. Public bluster and daily rhetoric continue to degrade America's global image and create a healthy dose of skepticism about Washington's intentions, even among the staunchest US allies. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the Trump administration's drastic action in cutting the once-ambitious efforts of US global diplomacy, international aid, and public health infrastructures.  (Foreign Policy, 4/11/18)

RESEARCH
The Case for Streamlining Emergency Declaration Authorities and Adapting Legal Requirements to Ever-Changing Public Health Threats. The nation's response system is built to be flexible and responsive to all threats, including those we cannot predict. As a result, federal, state, and local governments adopted the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a framework developed by the US Department of Homeland Security, for responding to all forms of emergencies, including terrorist attacks, natural
disasters, oil spills, and emerging infectious diseases. (Emory Law Journal, 4/18)

NEWS
One-Million-Liter Test Sphere. The One-Million-Liter Test Sphere, aka "The 8-Ball," is undeniably an impressive structure the largest biological warfare chamber and testing facility of its kind ever made. The sphere was used most notoriously during the Operation Whitecoat study that began in 1954 (shortly before the start of the Vietnam War). This biodefense medical research program was carried out by the United States Army at Fort Detrick, using volunteers who were all conscientious objectors.  (Atlas Obscura, 4/18)

REPORT
National Preparedness: FEMA Has Taken Steps to Strengthen Grant Management, But Challenges Remain in Assessing Capabilities. According to DHS, the department has awarded over $49 billion to a variety of DHS preparedness grant programs from fiscal years 2002 through 2017, to enhance the capabilities of grant recipients. This statement addresses progress and challenges in FEMA's efforts to manage preparedness grants and GAO's prior recommendations to strengthen these programs.  (GAO, 4/23/18)

NEWS
The Government's Two-Decade Ban On Studying Gun Violence Was Supposed To End. It Hasn't. In March, Congress gave CDC the green light to study the causes of gun violence. One month later there is no sign of that work starting, and there is little research on what causes high gun death rates in the US.  (BuzzFeed News, 4/19/18)

PRESS RELEASE
FEMA Assistance Tops $1 Billion for Florida Hurricane Irma Survivors. The $1 billion, approved through FEMA's Individuals and Households Program includes $693.4 million in Housing Assistance-$503.8 million to help pay rent for those whose homes were not habitable after the storm and another $180.8 million for home repairs. Nearly $307 million was approved for Other Needs Assistance, which helps with other losses and disaster expenses that can make it hard for people to get back on their feet, such as transportation to and clothes for work, childcare and disaster-related funeral expenses. (FEMA, 4/19/18)

NEWS
House Bill Would Require Plan to Bolster Military Biodefense Readiness, Research. Introduced by Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), the Military Biodefense Readiness and Protection Act of 2018 (H.R. 5482), would require the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs to draft and submit a plan to Congress that outlines specific steps to improve biodefense readiness and coordination among civilian and military agencies. (Homeland Preparedness News, 4/18/18)

BLOG
Cyber Storm VI: Testing the Nation's Ability to Respond to a Cyber Incident. Cyber Storm VI was led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and involved more than 1,000 members of the private industry, government and international partners who participated in a three-day distributed exercise that focused on the critical manufacturing and transportation sectors. The exercise evaluated and improved the capabilities of the cyber response community, informed preparedness and resilience planning efforts, and evaluated the effectiveness of the National Cyber Incident Response Plan in guiding response.  (Department of Homeland Security, 4/13/18)

NEWS
Contamination from a Nuclear Cleanup Forced a Shutdown. Investigators Want to Know Who is Responsible. The releases at the Department of Energy's Hanford cleanup site spewed unknown amounts of plutonium dust into the environment, coated private automobiles with the toxic heavy metal and dispensed lifetime internal radioactive doses to 42 workers. Now, state health and environmental regulators, Energy Department officials and federal safety investigators are trying to figure out what went wrong and who is responsible. (Los Angeles Times, 4/16/18)

NEWS
Chain Reaction: How a Soviet A-Bomb Test Led the US Into Climate Science. At first glance, DARPA might have seemed like an odd place to study climate change. The agency was created in 1958 as a response to the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, to help the United States get into space. But in those years, DARPA was also deeply involved in nuclear issues. It had created an extensive monitoring system precisely to tip off the Pentagon to secret tests like the Soviet effort in 1971. (Undark, 4/20/18)

NEWS
US Agencies Clash Over Who Should Regulate Genetically Engineered Livestock. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus is one of the latest examples of a condition that scientists believe they can beat with genetic engineering, and one that's caught up in a disagreement between the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration over how quickly such methods should be approved, and by whom. (Science, 4/19/18)

This Week's Hearings

There are no hearings scheduled for this week.