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Published by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
Sanjana Ravi, MPH, Editor
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May 15, 2018
The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is hosting Clade X, a pandemic tabletop exercise, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15. The exercise will illustrate high-level strategic decisions and policies needed to prevent a severe pandemic or diminish its consequences should prevention fail.
A livestream of the exercise will be available on the Center's page on Facebook. We hope you and many others interested in biosecurity will join us online and share the link in your networks.
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Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
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NEWS
Ebola Returns Just as the White House Loses its Top Biodefense Expert. This week, three things happened with painfully ironic synchronicity. First, the Democratic Republic of the Congo revealed that it is facing down its ninth Ebola outbreak. Second, President Trump asked Congress to rescind a $252 million pot that had been put aside to deal with Ebola. And third, global health expert Tim Ziemer unexpectedly departed the National Security Council, where he served as senior director for global health security and biodefense. With Ziemer gone, oversight of the strategy now falls to Andrea Hall, the senior director for weapons of mass destruction and biodefense, according to an administration official with knowledge of the matter.
(The Atlantic, 5/11/18)
See also:
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RESEARCH
Study Upends Conventional View of Opioid Mechanism of Action. When researchers funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) used a novel molecular probe to test the common assumption that opioids used to treat pain act only on the same surface receptors as endogenous opioids, they discovered that medically used opioids also bind to receptors that are not a target for the naturally occurring opioids.
(NIH, 5/10/18)
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RESEARCH
Investigational Testing for Zika Virus Among US Blood Donors. Because of the potential severe clinical consequences of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection, the large numbers of asymptomatic travelers returning from ZIKV-active areas, the detection of ZIKV nucleic acid in blood, and reports of transmission of ZIKV through transfusion, in 2016 the Food and Drug Administration released recommendations for individual-unit nucleic acid testing to minimize the risk of transmission of ZIKV through blood transfusions.
(New England Journal of Medicine, 5/10/18)
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WEBINAR
Be Antibiotics Aware: Smart Use, Best Care. Speakers will discuss efforts to measure and improve antibiotic prescribing through antibiotic stewardship so that these medications are only prescribed when needed. Antibiotic stewardship also aims to ensure that the right antibiotic, dose, and duration are selected when they are needed. Join CDC to hear lessons learned from improving antibiotic use in pediatrics, and what providers and health systems can do to improve use for adults. The webinar will take place on May 15, 2018,1 PM EST.
(CDC, 5/18)
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Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
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BLOG
2018 Predicted to be Challenging Wildfire Year. The USDA Forest Service is well prepared to respond to wildfires in what is currently forecast to be another challenging year. In 2018, the agency has more than 10,000 firefighters, 900 engines, and hundreds of aircraft available to manage wildfires in cooperation with federal, tribal, state, local, and volunteer partners.
(USDA, 5/11/18)
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Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
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Science & Technology Policy
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REPORT
Artificial Intelligence and National Security. Although AI has the potential to impart a number of advantages in the military context, it may also introduce distinct challenges. AI technology can facilitate autonomous operations, lead to more informed military decision-making, and will likely increase the speed and scale of military action. However, it is also unpredictable, vulnerable to unique forms of manipulation, and presents challenges to human-machine interaction.
(Congressional Research Service, 4/26/18)
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