April 2002

Below is a listing of bioterrorism-related events this month, part of an ongoing bioterrorism chronology that begins with Sep 11, 2001. To see events from other months, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page.

April 30

Three Russians hospitalized with suspected anthrax
Three Russian residents of Altay Territory are hospitalized with suspected anthrax. Doctors are keeping an eye on 11 others who have had contact with the sick. The first samples taken for laboratory analysis have not yet confirmed the preliminary diagnosis, and doctors are not ruling out the possibility that other illnesses could have produced symptoms similar to those of anthrax.

Officials say rundown USDA labs are endangering livestock industry
Scientists and government officials say that lax security and rundown facilities at the US Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, are putting the livestock industry at risk. The facilities are used to test animals for deadly diseases, including anthrax and "mad cow" disease. "It is embarrassing when people from other countries come and visit our facilities," Randall Levings, head of the USDA laboratories, tells Reuters at an animal disease conference. "One of the nicer comments they have said was that it was 'appalling."' Last year the National Association of State Agriculture Departments reported after a review that many USDA facilities had problems that were "so deep that the system cannot appropriately respond to a severe animal health crisis." In response, the USDA developed a 10-year plan to modernize all its laboratories. So far Congress has appropriated $113 million of the $450 million needed for the renovations.

April 29

Brookings report says major bioterroist attack could kill 1 million
A new study from the Brookings Institution says a million people could die if terrorists launched a biological attack that widely dispersed smallpox, anthrax, Ebola virus, or other agents. Though the team of scholars believes such an attack is unlikely, they say the Bush administration should concentrate homeland security efforts on doomsday terrorism scenarios with the potential for causing many deaths and great economic and psychological damage. The study estimates that 100,000 people would die if a nuclear bomb hit a major city and that 10,000 would die in a successful attack on a nuclear or toxic chemical plant. "There are an unlimited number of potential vulnerabilities," says report author Michael E. O'Hanlon. "We're going to have to spend some time prioritizing and organizing our thinking. We really should be focusing on potentially catastrophic attacks, meaning large numbers of casualties or large damage to the economy."

British leader to propose new plan to strengthen bioweapons treaty
The London Times reports that British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will launch a new effort to tighten the international ban on biological weapons. Straw plans to publish a paper proposing ways to strengthen the 1972 biological weapons convention after the last attempt to do so was blocked by the United States last December. Talks broke down after the US objected to the proposed inspection system, arguing that allowing outside bodies to inspect American biological facilities could result in the disclosure of commercial secrets. The US proposed that an international inspections team should investigate suspicious outbreaks of disease and that possession of biological warfare agents should be made a criminal offense. The foreign secretary sees his new initiative as a way of reviving momentum for fresh talks on the convention, which are due to begin in November 2002.

Electronic disease-surveillance systems getting federal support
Federal funding is supporting the development of at least five sophisticated disease-surveillance systems, as the United States rushes to establish an electronic line of defense against bioterrorism, according to a report in The Scientist. Two additional groups already have products on the market. The goal is to help contain disease by installing a national sentinel network that can detect suspicious trends in medical data and illness behavior. Called syndromic surveillance because it tracks signs and symptoms rather than diagnosed disease, the new technology is also intended to speed the containment of naturally occurring pathogens. The data processed by these systems range from the traditional patient charts to such things as Internet health-site hits, over-the-counter drug sales, and absences from work and school. Accurate analysis of the data constitutes a major challenge in development of the systems.

April 28

Montana lab to become fourth federal biosafety level 4 facility
Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the National Institutes of Health, is expected to become the federal government's fourth biosafety level 4 research facility, handling the world's most dangerous microbes. Located in Hamilton, Mont, in the Bitterroot Mountains, the laboratory pioneered research into Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease and has now been approved for a $66 million expansion for bioterrorism research. It will be the only level 4 lab in the West. The new lab was planned before Sep 11 and the subsequent anthrax attacks, says lab administrator Pat Stewart, adding that the existing expertise at the site is the main reason for locating the lab there. James Musser, a biomedical researcher and chief of one of the Rocky Mountain labs, says specifics of the expanded research have not yet been decided. The US government currently has level 4 labs at Fort Detrick, Md., Bethesda, Md., and Atlanta. The nonprofit Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research operates a level 4 lab in San Antonio, and another is planned at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

April 27

Smallpox vaccination called too risky for 25% of Americans
A new study of health risks posed by smallpox vaccinations suggests that 25% of Americans should not receive it because of a high risk for side effects that could cause serious illness or death, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. Dr. Alex R. Kemper and colleagues used computer modeling to estimate the effectiveness and risks of smallpox vaccination campaigns. The study appears in the April issue of Effective Clinical Practice. Kemper's team examined data from prior smallpox vaccination campaigns in the United States. They estimate that a campaign aimed at everyone from ages 1 through 65 would reach 178.5 million people and would lead to 285 deaths and another 4,600 serious adverse events. In addition, millions of vaccine recipients would have less serious side effects such as fever and rash.

April 25

More anthrax spores found in Connecticut postal facility
Anthrax spores have turned up for a second time at a postal sorting center that serves a large portion of Connecticut, including the town where 94-year-old Ottilie Lundgren died of inhalation anthrax, officials say. Three of 103 samples collected at 71 locations inside the Southern Connecticut Processing and Distribution Center in Wallingford tested positive for anthrax, says state Department of Health spokesman William Gerrish. What we feel is that these probably represent residual spores from contamination occurring last October, Gerrish says. The contaminated sorting machines were cleaned after the initial outbreak. The positive samples in the facility came from the ceiling above three of the four sorting machines that were originally contaminated, officials say.

Palestinian cleared of charges in alleged anthrax hoax in Brooklyn
A Palestinian man, Kamal Dawood, is acquitted of all charges in what federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said was an anthrax hoax in the midst of the countrys anxieties about last falls bioterrorism attacks. Prosecutors had charged Dawood, 51, with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction on Oct 30, 2001, after two school crossing guards in Bedford-Stuyvesant said they saw him repeatedly open a mailbox, deposit something in a closed fist, then stand around drinking coffee. A powder in the mailbox tested negative for anthrax. In addition to the charge of threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, prosecutors charged him with injuring a letterbox and obstructing the passage of mail. He was acquitted of all three charges.

DC area hospitals coordinating on disaster planning
Some Washington, DC, area hospitals and health officials are coordinating on plans for responding to disasters, according to a Washington Post report. Montgomery County, Md., in particular has set aside competition to respond with what many leaders call a rare degree of coordination, addressing everything from equipment needs to disease surveillance to a code for a disaster that could involve casualties across the region. Other issues under consideration include who should be in charge during a mass disaster, how many isolation rooms and decontamination showers each facility could offer, how to maintain communication if an attack knocked out power and phone lines, and how to pay for preparedness. "When the unimaginable suddenly becomes real, theres no sense being an island, says Susan Glover, a vice president for Adventist HealthCare, parent company of Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park and Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville. Other area hospitals involved in the Montgomery County Hospital Collaborative Task Force include Holy Cross, Montgomery General, and Suburban.

USAMRIID to begin regular environmental sampling around labs
Officials at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have decided to begin regular sampling for hazardous organisms around laboratories where biodefense research takes place. The decision follows the discovery of anthrax contamination in an office and corridor at the Frederick facility, says spokesman Chuck Dasey. Well be reviewing our environmental safety and industrial hygiene programs, and we expect there will be some need to routinely survey areas outside the labs, Dasey says. Officials have not discovered the source of the low-level contamination discovered last week. The spores are being shipped to a Northern Arizona University lab for more sophisticated analysis, he says. Tests last weekend inside a second lab turned up traces of the Sterne strain of anthrax, which does not cause disease in humans. Though it posed no danger, the finding indicates a break in procedures because the organism should have been confined to flasks, Dasey says.

Forty new health officers to help underserved areas, boost emergency response
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announces that the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) will employ 40 new US Public Health Service officers to work in medically underserved communities and to respond to medical emergencies nationwide. The officers will be primary care clinicians recruited from the public to serve no longer than 3 years. They will be trained as NHSC Ready Responders who can help deal with large-scale medical emergencies. The National Health Service Corps is one of the best tools we have to extend quality health care to low-income and underserved Americans in urban, rural and frontier areas, Thompson says. As NHSC Ready Responders, the recruits will complement other HHS officers trained to respond to national emergencies.

Frist says up to 17 countries have biological weapons
Sen. Bill Frist warns that biological terrorism remains a serious threat to America. The risk is real. The risk is increasing. Our vulnerability remains high, Frist says at a briefing on terrorism and community preparedness in the Hart Senate Office Building in Washington. Frist says that between 11 and 17 countries either stockpile biological weapons or have weapons programs involving threats such as anthrax, botulinum toxin, tularemia, smallpox, plague, and Ebola virus. Yet 9 out of 10 US public health departments have nobody trained in combating bioterrorism and as many as one-third lack an Internet connection for fast communication. At the same briefing, Sidney Taurel, chairman of drug maker Eli Lilly and Co, calls for cooperation among government, academic researchers, and the pharmaceutical industry to find new ways to detect and combat bioterrorism. This is not business as usual. This is not politics as usual. This is war, Taurel says.

Poland opens bioterrorism-defense laboratory
The first Polish laboratory for counteracting bioterrorism opens at the Pulawy Veterinary Examination Centre in southeastern Poland. The laboratory, described as a category 3 security status on a 4-point scale, primarily examines and identifies threatening microbes such as anthrax, smallpox, plague, and cholera. "This is the only place in Poland where such research can be conducted in conditions that are safe for employees and the environment," says the center's head professor, Michal Bartoszcze. The center houses a biological recognition team equipped to conduct research in the field. The Scientific Research Committee and the US government provided funding for the laboratory, with more than $500,000 coming from the United States.

NATO must adapt to threat of terrorism, secretary-general says
NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson warns NATO members that the organization must modernize or sink into irrelevance. The new security threats are not abstract any longer. They are here. They are real. And they are lethal, Robertson says. He has been urging the 19 member governments to adapt the alliance to realities of 21st century warfare. Allied governments are working on three fronts to overhaul the alliance: Taking cooperation with Russia to a new level, expanding NATO membership to bring in the new democracies of eastern Europe, and shifting the military focus to deal with multifaceted terrorist threats and close the capability gap between US and European forces. Intense negotiations are currently underway to forge stronger ties with Moscow. Robertson says the new arrangements would see Russia as an equal partner with NATO members to set a common policy for fighting terrorism and tackling the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.

April 22

Further anthrax testing at Fort Detrick reveals little contamination
Extensive testing at the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases following an accidental laboratory leak of anthrax spores revealed no new areas of dangerous contamination, says spokesman Chuck Dasey. Sampling at 800 sites in the area where anthrax was discovered detected two more anthrax spores and two spores of a vaccine strain of anthrax, which does not cause human disease, Dasey says. The areas are currently being disinfected. Testing of employees and environmental surfaces at the lab began after a small amount of an anthrax mixture was found on the outside of a flask in an anthrax research lab at USAMRIID. One of two lab workers who initially were tested for anthrax exposure tested positive. Thirty-five other workers also have undergone nasal swab testing, and the tests were all negative, Dasey says.

Debate on alert level slowed response in Oklahoma bioterrorism drill
A recent test of Oklahomas new homeland defense plan highlighted confusion over the federal alert system, according to a USA Today story. The drill involved a hypothetical smallpox outbreak. Before officials faced the question of how to examine the spread of the virus or whether to order a massive quarantine, they spent 40 minutes debating whether they could or should ask the federal government to change its security alert level from yellow (indicating a significant threat of a terrorist strike) to orange (meaning a higher risk of attack). It seems pretty basic, but they didnt know where to go with it, says Michael Forgy, a manager in the Justice Departments Office of Domestic Preparedness. He says the officials should have dealt with life-and-death issues more quickly. The Oklahoma drill also revealed other problems that frustrate state officials nationwide. State officials complain of having little money and small staffs and getting little guidance from Washington in their efforts to piece together homeland defense programs.

Kansas City officials tout automated disease surveillance system
Health officials in Kansas City, Mo., say they may have one of the best early-warning systems for bioterrorism in the nation. The local health department uses a system called Cerner HealthSentry, made by Kansas Citybased Cerner Corp., to automatically collect information about disease outbreaks from hospitals, emergency departments, clinics, and physician offices. If a suspicious result is identified, the system automatically alerts public health officials by pager and email. Officials can log onto a secure Internet site to investigate cases using HealthSentry reports and a geographic information system that shows where the disease is clustered or spreading.

April 21

Scientists speculate on who committed anthrax attacks
In the absence of an FBI arrest in last falls anthrax attacks, some of the nations top scientists have their own theories, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Some suggest a disgruntled scientist, a covert government project gone awry, or an accomplice to the Sep 11 hijackers who stayed behind to mail the letters. Memos and conversations at professional conferences also find leading scientists concerned that an unsolved case will encourage other bioterrorists. We all have our pet theories, says Jason Pate, a bioterrorism expert at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. But none seems to fit the facts exactly. Some scientists applaud the FBIs efforts, while others are critical. For its part, the FBI takes a dim view of the armchair speculations.

April 20

Former anthrax patients report lingering fatigue, memory loss
Several mail workers who survived inhalational anthrax contracted in last falls mail attacks are still experiencing fatigue and memory loss, according to a report in the Washington Post. The newspaper interviewed five of the six survivors, four of whom say they frequently feel exhausted and need to take daily naps. Only a 74-year-old Florida man has returned to work. The question is, why arent these people back to normal? says Mark Galbraith, an infectious disease specialist in Virginia who is treating one of the victims. Galbraith and other physicians say the medical community knows relatively little about the illness and the potency of the toxins. The CDC is aware of the complaints and concerns among some of the inhalation survivors. Were just now approaching the kind of time period where one would normally expect a full recovery," says Bradley Perkins, an anthrax expert at the CDC. A number of survivors have not returned to their normal daily activities," he adds. The CDC is concerned about the patients' level of recovery and is considering doing a formal study of their symptoms, Perkins says.

April 19

USAMRIID worker exposed to anthrax as spores escape lab
A worker at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md., has tested positive for anthrax exposure, the Pentagon reveals. In addition, anthrax spores were detected in a hallway and an administrative room near an anthrax testing area, says Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Randy Sandoz. A second employee may also have come in contact with anthrax, but tested negative for exposure, Sandoz says. The employee testing and surface sampling were conducted after a researcher noticed a deposit on a flask inside an anthrax testing laboratory at the USAMRID facility on Apr 8, but the Army says it is not clear whether the spores outside the lab are related to the deposit on the flask. Initial decontamination of the area has been completed, according to Sandoz. Fort Detrick officials say the contamination in the hallway and office appears to be "highly localized," since no spores were found in surrounding areas. Both affected employees were previously immunized against anthrax and are now taking antibiotics as a precaution, Sandoz says.

Director of Russian lab says five countries are doing illegal research on smallpox
Lev Sandakhchiyev, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and director of the Vector state virology and biotechnology scientific center, calls smallpox a number one target for terrorists. Sandakhchiyev says there is evidence that at least five countries are pursuing illegal research in the smallpox area, particularly its possible military use. Studies of especially dangerous infections should remain a priority for Russia, he says. The Vector center keeps a collection of smallpox strains and other dangerous viruses and is engaged in applied research. Participants in the Russia-NATO meeting to be held in late April will address the potential of civil science in fighting bioterrorism, Sandakhchiyev says.

Report says states have mounted balanced response to threat of terrorism
A report from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) says states have responded to the events of Sep 11 with a balanced and measured approach. More than 1,200 bills have been filed in state legislatures regarding the protection of democracy. NCSLs report is a compilation of federal, state, and local actions taken before and after the Sep 11 attacks, with the main focus on actions by state legislatures. State legislatures have a thoughtful and reasonable approach following the attacks on America, says NCSL Executive Director William Pound, especially in a time of heightened security awareness and declining revenues. The report tracks legislation in seven topic areas: crime and justice; environment, energy, and transportation; economic affairs; government operations and emergency management; health; information technology; and patriotism and schools.

April 18

Baxter International getting high yields of smallpox vaccine
Harry Kraemer, chief executive of Baxter International Inc, says the company is getting higher-than expected yields of its smallpox vaccine and will be able not only to fill the US governments order for vaccine but also to supply other countries. Baxter and partner Acambis PLC of the United Kingdom hold a contract with the US government to produce the smallpox vaccine. They expect to deliver 155 million doses of the vaccine to the government by the end of this year.

Handwriting analyst offers description of anthrax attacker
Mark Smith, a handwriting analyst based in Virginia, says the anthrax-laced letters sent last fall to Capitol Hill came from a white, middle-aged man suffering from bipolar disorder, a sexual dysfunction, and a martyr complex. These new details do not appear in the FBIs profile of the sender and could bring more clarity to the 6-month-old investigation into who sent the letters. At this point, the FBI investigation has been focused on people who have had access to anthrax, Smith says. Taking into account the possibility that these characteristics are inherent in the makeup of the perpetrator could greatly reduce the size of the investigation. Smith says federal law enforcement officials solicited his services following the October anthrax attacks. FBI officials neither confirm nor deny his account and decline to comment on his findings.

Thompson tells Senate of progress in preparing for bioterrorism
The US Senate Governmental Affairs Committee hears from experts that the nation has made progress in preparing for a bioterrorist or chemical attack, but critical gaps still exist. The Department of Health and Human Services has been working at breakneck speed to build our bioterrorism preparedness, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson tells the committee. Thompson offers examples of improvements such as the creation of a bioterrorism dream team, headed by noted expert D.A. Henderson, which will coordinate the work of the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and other HHS public health agencies. Further, says Thompson, the department moved quickly to distribute the $1.1 billion appropriated by Congress for state and local public health activities, and the HHS will have enough smallpox vaccine for every American by October, which nobody thought could be done. Yet he and others still have concerns, particularly with food safety. The department has only 125 food inspectors for 175 ports of entry, and only about 2 percent of food imports get inspected. Other witness stress how far the nation still has to go.

Thompson seeks clarity on police, public health roles in bioterrorism response
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson appeals to Congress to clarify the relationship between law enforcement and public health authorities in responding to bioterrorist attacks. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, Thompson says his department cooperated with the FBI in investigating last falls anthrax attacks, but many laws, emergency rules, and executive orders defining federal powers caused confusion about the roles of the various federal agencies. Sen Max Cleland, D-Ga., agrees, saying that there seemed to be a tug-of-war between public health agencies and law enforcement agencies trying to trace the source of anthrax spores that killed five people. In some cases, Cleland says, the FBI withheld information that federal health officials wanted to disclose.

HHS consolidation plans debated in Senate hearing
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hopes to consolidate a number of management functions in plans that include centralizing more than 50 public affairs offices under the Office of the Secretary. In its One Department initiative to streamline operations, HHS hopes to speak with one voice on important public health issues such as bioterrorism, Secretary Tommy Thompson tells the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. But Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., says the initiative could have the undesirable and unintended effect of slowing the movement of information from public health experts in the federal government to their state and local counterparts, to the public, and to the publics representatives in Congress. A former HHS official concurs, saying it would be unrealistic to have each agencys public affairs office trying to report directly to the Office of the Secretary. This would neither be logistically feasible or desirable with respect to assuring the communication of often highly technical information in an accurate and efficient manner to others outside the department," says Dr. Margaret Hamburg, vice-president for biological programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

New commander at USAMRIID to focus on security
Fort Detricks new commander, Maj. Gen. Lester Martinez-Lopez, intends to make security at the Armys biodefense laboratory a top goal. Martinez says a new biosurety program, clarifying Army rules for handling, shipping, and storing biological agents, will strengthen public trust in the US Amy Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRID). "We have good systems, but were going to make them even safer, Martinez says in an interview with the Associated Press. The safety and surety of USAMRID is of overarching concern. Martinez assumed his new role following reports of shoddy record-keeping and unprofessional conduct at USAMRID during the 1990s. In recent months, FBI agents investigating the anthrax mailings that killed five people have been a constant presence at USAMRID, tapping its expertise while questioning workers about a possible connection between the letters and the lab.

April 17

Army concludes tests of radar for detecting bioweapons
Army engineers test long-range radar used for weather forecasts by spraying alcohol from a crop duster plane over the Atlantic. Researchers hope to learn if radar systems used for weather analysis can detect chemical and biological attacks. The four days of tests involving the dropping of simulated chemical and biological agents conclude with the spraying of a water-polyglycol mixture that mimics a nerve agent. The substances used in the offshore tests arent harmful, says Mickey Morales, a spokesman for the Armys Soldier and Biological Chemical Command. Army researchers in Aberdeen, Md., will study the data over the next several months. If the tests prove promising, a detection network could be operating in 18 to 24 months.

Camelpox said to be very close relative of smallpox
Scientists believe the virus that causes camelpox is a closer relative of the smallpox virus than they originally believed, heightening fears about its potential risks, according to a report in New Scientist. Some experts fear that Iraq could be using it in its biological weapons program. It was surprising how close these two viruses were, says Geoffrey Smith of Imperial College in London, who has sequenced the camelpox virus. It could be that only a small set of changes would be necessary for camelpox virus to infect people. The viruses that cause both diseases belong to the orthopox family. For years experts have worried that a virus could evolve to fill the niche vacated by smallpox. This process is inevitable, says Lev Sandakhchiev, head of Vector, the Russian laboratory that holds one of the two remaining official stocks of smallpox virus. In 1995, the Iraqi government admitted to UN weapons inspectors that its weapons scientists were working with camelpox. They said they wanted to use it as a weapon to which Iraqis, who have significant contact with camels, would be immune, while foreign troops would not be.

Congress may combine drug user-fee bill with bioterrorism bill
House and Senate members are considering shortcutting the normal legislative process to renew the law authorizing drug companies to pay user fees to the Food and Drug Administration to speed up drug approvals. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) expires at the end of September, and the FDA says the law needs to be renewed by the end of August if the agency is to avoid laying off reviewers whose salaries are paid by the fees. Were getting closer to the prospect of including the PDUFA reauthorization in the bioterrorism legislation, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La., tells reporters. Including the drug bill in the bioterrorism bill would eliminate the need for separate votes on the drug bill.

National Food Policy Conference to feature bioterrorism discussions
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and newly appointed Deputy FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford will address the 25th annual National Food Policy Conference April 22 and 23 at Washingtons National Press Club. The two plan to discuss bioterrorism and other issues on the FDA food policy agenda. The conference, coordinated by the Consumer Federation of America, also features a debate between David Ropeik of the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis and former Swedish government official Mans Lonnroth on balancing risk and safety in food policy decisions. A second debate features Eric Schlosser, author of the best-selling expose Fast Food Nation, discussing food safety with the National Restaurant Associations Steve Grover. Bioterrorism is a consistent theme of the conference. The program includes 14 panel discussions and more than 60 speakers and panelists.

April 16

US biodefense buildup could hurt global battle against infectious diseases
Because of a limited supply of skilled people, the United States massive build-up of systems to guard against bioterrorism could hinder the fight to contain the growing global problem of infectious disease, according to experts. While conventional wisdom in public health says that the huge cash infusion for domestic biodefense will also help the nations efforts to combat infectious diseases abroad, many attending a National Academy of Sciences forum warn that the new focus on bioterrorism could slow initiatives to help developing nations recover from the burden of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV. Dr James Hughes, director of the National Center for Infectious Diseases at the CDC, says, There is a small pool of people out there with the kinds of skills that are going to be needed for Americas biodefense efforts. Microbiologists and other disease experts are likely to be recruited for new programs at the expense of the overseas infectious disease work.

Maryland applies for $19.1 million in federal biodefense funds
The state of Maryland has applied for $19.1 million in federal aid to help hospitals and public health agencies prepare for a potential bioterrorist attack. If the application gains approval, Maryland will receive about $2.3 million of the $125 million in federal funds available for healthcare institutions nationwide, and the states public health agencies will get $16.8 million of $918 million set aside nationwide. Dr Georges Benjamin, state health secretary, says Maryland began preparing a response to the possibility of bioterror attack 4 years ago. A disaster is an event that overcomes your capacity regardless of what you have in place, Benjamin says. But because of the fact that we have been doing this awhile, we are well-positioned. I think the public ought to be comfortable that we can respond.

Sales of flu remedies could be early clue to bioterrorism attack
Since early symptoms of inhaled anthrax resemble influenza, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say a sudden jump in sales of flu remedies at drug stores and supermarkets could be an early clue to the occurrence of a bioterrorism attack. Officials would have to confirm the disease through a system that could help them distinguish between anthrax and an outbreak of more common diseases. Stephen Feinberg of the universitys department of statistics says his research focuses on larger attacks in urban areas, not the relatively limited type of hazard posed by the anthrax letters last fall. Were talking about exposures of thousands of people in a concentrated location, Feinberg explains. Then youve got very large-scale impact to assess and every second counts.

April 15

Industry opposition stalls food safety bill
Legislation to improve food safety has stalled on Capitol Hill because of resistance from the food industry. The bill passed both houses of Congress last fall after endorsements from the White House and the Food and Drug Administration, but it is now mired in a House-Senate conference committee. The legislation would increase inspections of imported foods, require importers to give notice of shipments, require food manufacturers and processors to register with the government, and authorize the FDA to detain food products without a court order. It would also allow federal agents to inspect company records that might disclose the source of tainted foods. The changes would significantly expand federal authority over the food industry. The National Food Processors Association and the grocery and food packaging industries are resisting the legislation, saying they are not convinced that a new law is necessary.

Navy working on warhead to destroy biological, chemical weapons
The US Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indian Head, Md., has teamed up with Lockheed Martin Corp. to develop a warhead that will destroy biological and chemical weapons manufacturing facilities. The "Agent Defeat Warhead" initiative was selected by the Department of Defense in March. It will employ a high-temperature incendiary air-delivered weapon system to destroy chemical and biological agents. The 30-month effort will include development, demonstration, and assessment of the weapon system. Partners in the project include the Air Force Air Armament Center, the Office of Naval Research, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Rumsfeld doubts effectiveness of proposed UN inspections in Iraq
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says he doubts that a new United Nations arms inspection system would ensure that Iraqi president Saddam Hussein is not developing nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. He tells the Washington Post that when UN inspectors worked in Iraq in the 1990s, for the most part anything they found was a result of having been cued to something as a result of a defector giving them a heads-up. His remarks reveal sharp differences within the Bush administration over the prospect of resuming the UN inspections. State Department spokesman Philip Reeker says that US policy supports the commission and the UN resolutions that require Iraq to accept full, unfettered, unconditional access to suspected weapons sites.

NATO and Russia nearing pact to cooperate against terrorism
Russia and NATO are approaching an agreement to work together to tackle terrorism, the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, and other security threats, NATO's secretary-general says. We are very close to agreement, Lord Robertson tells reporters after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. The spirit of cooperation is alive and well. . . . We are all hoping it will take a quantum leap forward. Robertson says Russian President Vladimir Putin will likely join NATO leaders at a May 28 summit meeting in Rome to formalize the new NATO-Russia council. Ivanov and his NATO counterparts expect to complete the agreement at a meeting May 14 and 15 in Reykjavik, Iceland.

April 13

Army to test radar detection of mock biological weapons
The US Army plans to drop hundreds of pounds of clay dust and egg whites off the Florida Keys as part of a four-day mock aerial terrorist attack starting Apr 15. The Armys Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland and several government agencies will run the exercise to determine how well existing US radar systems can detect weapons of mass destruction dispersed from crop dusters and other aircraft. An Environmental Protection Agency crop duster will drop several environmentally harmless materials, including 1,812 pounds of clay dust, 756 pounds of egg whites, 40 pounds of irradiated Bacillus subtilis spores, and 1,812 pounds of a chemical solution resembling nerve gas.

April 12

Simulated release of plague germs launches biodefense drill in Oklahoma
A small plane flies low over McAlester, Okla., pretending to release a fine mist containing pneumonic plague germs. The flight launches a complex, 3-day bioterrorism drill designed to test how well authorities would react. Within three hours of the attack, officials start distributing thousands of packets of pretend medication consisting of jellybeans and fruit punch. Before the exercise, Dr. Timothy Cathey, medical director for the Pittsburg County Health Department, said, In McAlester and Oklahoma as a whole, the likelihood of a biological attack is hopefully very small. But well be able to share this information with other communities." If such a spray actually hit McAlester, the plague could wipe out the towns population of 18,000 in 4 days.

Missteps hindered vaccine development by military, experts say
Many experts say the rush to develop new vaccines to protect military troops and the American public from biological weapons could have been avoided if military planners had not ignored warnings that the vaccine program was woefully inadequate, says a report in the Washington Post. The program had deteriorated from lack of funding and made several missteps in its few attempts to develop, test, and gain approval for vaccines. There seemed to be no mechanism so that a good vaccine idea could be manufactured and clinically tested with all the assurances we associate with that, says Franklin H. Top Jr., executive vice president of Medimmune Inc., a Gaithersburg, Md., biotechnology firm. Top chaired a Pentagon-funded panel that produced a highly critical report on the vaccine program just two months before Sept. 11. You need to set up some sort of management structure, he says. It was incoherent. The result, Top says, is that the nation now has only two vaccines licensed for use against bioterrorism-related diseases: a smallpox vaccine that was used to immunize Americans until the disease began to disappear in the 1970s and a cumbersome anthrax vaccine that most health officials agree should be replaced.

Former head of South Africa's bioweapons program acquitted of murder
A white judge who was appointed by South Africas former apartheid government acquits Dr Wouter Basson, former head of its chemical and biological weapons program, of 46 counts of murder, fraud, and drug dealing. Prosecutors, who had accused the judge of favoring the defendant throughout the 1 ? year trial, say they will appeal, and the ruling African National Congress harshly condemns the judgment. Basson, dubbed Dr Death by the local media, stood accused of directing the former regimes horrifying efforts to destroy its opponents. The program, named Project Coast, tried to create deadly bacteria and anti-fertility drugs that would affect only blacks, poisoned opponents clothing, and stockpiled cholera, HIV, and anthrax for use against enemies, witnesses testified during the trial.

April 11

Frist says every home should have a 'safe room'
Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician, says every American home should have a safe room where people can seek shelter from biological or chemical attacks. According to Frist, preparing for such an attack is something families should take seriously because America is likely to experience another biological assault like last years anthrax scare. Every family should have a disaster plan, he advises. His own house is equipped with such a designated room. Ideally, Frist says, a safe room should be windowless, have a strong door, a telephone, a radio, and emergency food, as well as water and medical supplies to last several days. He does not recommend basements because heavier chemical vapors sink to the lowest level of a house. Frist says he has recently written a book, When Every Moment Counts, offering practical advice about biological agents and how to prepare for such threats.

Georgia governor seeks money for bioterrorism preparedness personnel
Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes tells a Senate panel that state and local governments dont have all the ammunition they need to fight on the front lines in the war on terrorism. We need resources . . .but we also need the flexibility to do the things that are best suited for the unique circumstances in each of our states, he says. For example, in Georgia, we have the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two major seaports, 12 military bases and the nations busiest airport. Georgias most critical need is money to hire staff to establish and maintain a bioterrorism preparedness program, he says. In addition, Barnes says, Georgia needs federal money to respond to any attack on the CDC.

April 10

Canada drops case against ex-solider who refused anthrax vaccine
The Canadian military drops court-martial proceedings against a former soldier who refused to take an anthrax vaccination. The director of military prosecutions determined that it was not in the public interest or the Canadian Forces interest to proceed, says Captain Bruce MacGregor, a spokesman for the Department of National Defense. In 1998, the Canadian Armed Forces charged former sergeant Mike Kipling with disobeying an order after he refused to be vaccinated. Kipling, concerned about long-term side effects of the vaccine, had been about to leave for a mission near Iraq, where stockpiles of the potentially deadly bacteria were found.

Vials of bacteria found in Ft. Detrick dump called harmless
Cleanup workers have discovered 18 vials of infectious bacteria in a dump at the Army's Fort Detrick, Md., laboratory, but the Army says the bacteria pose virtually no public health threat. The vials surfaced during cleanup of a dump containing cancer-causing industrial solvents believed to be leaking into the groundwater and nearby private wells. Preliminary tests of the vials contents and soil revealed bacteria that cause pneumonia and pseudotuberculosis, according to Lt. Col. Donald Archibald, the posts environmental safety officer. From what we have, the risk to the public is negligible, Archibald tells a community advisory board that is monitoring the cleanup. The workers discovered the vials through screening procedures designed to prevent any escape of pathogens from the enclosed site.

Drug companies distributing bioterrorism information to physicians
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) launches a national education program to help health professionals diagnose and treat disease cases related to bioterrorism. The program begins today in Los Angeles and 12 other cities nationwide and offers health information from the CDC and pharmaceutical companies resources. Company sales representatives deliver the educational guides directly to doctors offices, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies. With more than 80,000 sales representatives across the country, the pharmaceutical industry has the ability to share important health information with doctors and health care providers in all 50 states very quickly, PhRMA President Alan F. Holmer says. Bayer, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pharmacia are distributing the reference guides.

Experimental anthrax vaccine looks promising in animal study
Research in mice indicates that an experimental anthrax vaccine given through injection or nasal administration could protect against the infection with fewer doses than current vaccines. In the April issue of Infection and Immunity, British scientists report that the vaccine fully protected mice against anthrax after two doses. The currently licensed anthrax vaccine requires six shots over 18 months. Authors of the new study say that formulations such as the ones they used could represent the next generation of anthrax vaccines, which could require fewer doses because they are more potent. They also say that these potential vaccines may cause fewer adverse reactions than current vaccines, and, if delivered intranasally, could be self-administered. Helen C. Flink-Smith, of the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory in Salisbury, UK, led the study.

April 9

Russia protests US move to hold back on joint disarmament projects
Russia admonishes the United States for deciding to hold back disarmament projects because of doubts over Moscows commitment to biological and chemical weapons treaties. Such actions can have the most negative impact on achieving mutual trust and can be reflected in the two countries cooperation in liquidating weapons of mass destruction and in the sphere of nonproliferation, Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko says. Among the reasons for the US decision were Russias refusal to share a bioengineered strain of anthrax it had long promised the US, refusal to provide access to biological institutes run by the Defense Ministry, and failure to own up to decades of secret work on biological and chemical weapons, the New York Times reports. Yakovenko says he suspects that the American allegations of Russias non-fulfillment of its obligations are being used to distract attention from the United States own actions.

Washington, DC, called poorly prepared for biological or chemical attack
Washington, DC, is unprepared for a biological or chemical attack because its hazardous materials team consists of inadequately trained firefighters whose gear is so worn out that they fear for their safety, according to a report on the citys emergency preparedness. The report, submitted in December by the Marasco Newton Group, found the citys hazardous-materials unit deficient in all 10 criteria it measured, including staffing, training, and competency. The report said the unit needs improvement or significant improvement in all areas. The team of six specialists who prepared the report talked with representatives from the Secret Service, the FBI, and the US Capitol Police, and emergency officials from northern Virginia and Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.

Ridge urges hospital executives to plan for mass-casualty disasters
Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge urges members of the American Hospital Association to quickly come up with contingency plans for use in mass-casualty situations. If state and local authorities fail to enhance their hospital surge capacity, the Bush administration is threatening to withhold their share of $1.6 billion in federal bioterrorism grants. Overwhelming a hospital these days is a piece of cake, says David Ozonoff, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health. The reason New York made it [without flooding hospitals Sept. 11] is because everybody was dead. They didnt need any hospital beds. If there had been 1,000 [life-threatening] burns, it would probably have overwhelmed the burn treatment capacity in this country. According to health care industry figures, the number of U.S. hospitals dropped by 14 percent from 1985 to 2000 while the number of patients admitted remained the same.

Slow money flow said to be impeding state and local anti-terrorism efforts
The federal government's slowness to distribute anti-terrorism funds to state and local authorities has kept those governments from spending their funds quickly or efficiently, according to a Justice Department inspector general report issued Apr 8. The Justice Departments Office for Domestic Preparedness, which is responsible for distributing the funds, has not yet awarded $141 million of the $243 million Congress allocated for emergency equipment for state and local governments, the report says. The money is to be used to buy equipment for personal protection, detection of chemical and biological agents, decontamination, and communication. The money has not been getting out as fast as it needs to, says Inspector General Glenn Fine. Once it does, its not spent expeditiously. As of January, state and local governments still held $65 million of the $102 million that they had received from the Justice Department in the last 4 years, according to the report.

April 8

Saying Russia is breaking promises, US will cut back on disarmament
Senior Bush administration officials have informed Moscow that the United States is curtailing many new disarmament initiatives because of concerns about Russias compliance with treaties banning chemical and biological weapons, a New York Times report says. Some existing projects will also lose additional money, according to administration officials. American law requires that the government decide each year whether Russia is committed to complying with its treaties. The United States has not been able to certify that commitment, and therefore the administration will not start new initiatives or provide new financing for programs to reduce the threat posed by each sides nuclear, biological, and chemical arms. The decision is viewed as a victory for skeptics of Russias willingness to comply. Critics had been pushing for months for a tougher stand toward Russia on weapons of mass destruction and its compliance with arms control treaties, even though the administration believes the programs benefit American national security.

Public health deans disagree on whether to destroy smallpox virus stocks
Public health school officials are divided on whether the United States should destroy its remaining supply of smallpox virus to prevent its possible theft by terrorists. Dr Alfred Sommer, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, gained the support of two-thirds of his fellow deans for a private petition urging destruction of the virus stocks. But a prestigious minority, including the deans of public health schools at the University of California at Berkeley and Harvard University, opposes the destruction. We strongly believe that the best defense against one particularly dangerous potential terrorist agent, smallpox, is a global campaign to eradicate the virus from the face of the earth, the petition states.

A third of hospital emergency rooms are overcrowded, survey shows
An American Hospital Association survey of 1,501 hospitals indicates that one in three emergency rooms across the country is so crowded that ambulances are sometimes diverted to other hospitals. Large urban hospitals have the biggest problems, reporting longer waits to move patients into beds and longer stays in the emergency departments, the association says. Half of large urban hospitals reported they had to divert patients for at least an hour last November, the month the survey was taken. The strains on capacity mean longer waits for treatment, the survey finds. The average waiting time at a crowded emergency room was more than an hour, compared with 39 minutes at hospitals that reported a good balance of patients to capacity. In crowded emergency rooms, the average wait for an acute or critical care bed was 4.6 hours. The wait was 2.2 hours at hospitals with balanced loads. In hospitals operating at capacity or over, the average stay was 3.7 hours, compared with 2.5 hours at those with balanced loads.

FBI still believes anthrax perpetrator was skilled US scientist
The FBI has briefed Bush Administration officials about new findings concerning last falls anthrax mailings, the Washington Post reports. Extensive tests of the anthrax powder from the letters mailed to Senate offices have revealed new details about how the powder was made, including the identity of a chemical used to coat the trillions of spores to keep them from clumping together. The powders formulation was not routine, said one law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Somebody had to have special knowledge and experience to do this. The agency continues to believe that the culprit is a US scientist with highly specialized training and skills. If anything, this has narrowed our focus, one official said.

Biodefense products to be shown at Apr 30 conference
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is hosting a conference to link biotech companies with biodefense procurement officials and program managers from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. The BIO-Defense and Homeland Security Procurement Conference and Expo will take place Apr 30 in Arlington, Va. Companies with relevant technologies will demonstrate their wares to Defense Department and Health and Human Services officials.

April 7

Anthrax in Leahy letter showed unmatched sophistication, report says
A Newsweek report says that a secret scientific analysis suggests that last falls anthrax attacker may be capable of making a weaponized form of the bacterium more sophisticated than any previously known. The report says the new analysis shows that anthrax contained in a letter mailed to Sen. Patrick Leahy was ground to a microscopic fineness never achieved by US biological weapons experts. Further, the anthrax was coated with a chemical compound unknown to experts. The coating matches no known anthrax samples recovered from biological weapons producers anywhere in the world, including Iraq and the former Soviet Union. Investigative correspondent Mark Hosenball, national security correspondent John Barry, and Washington bureau chief Daniel Kaidman report that the combination of intense milling of the bacteria and the unusual coating produced an anthrax powder so fine that single coated spores were found in the envelope. Insiders now say the Leahy strain traces back to an anthrax epidemic in Texas cattle in the 1970s. The new chemical findings are so puzzling that sources fear the FBIs investigation could be set back still further.

Russian microbe repository still threatened with power cutoff
The large repository of anthrax, plague, and other deadly bacteria stored in a high-security laboratory complex south of Moscow continues to be threatened with loss of electricity, though Russian and Western officials say it is unlikely that a power cutoff would cause any public health threat. We have quite reliable systems of protection in case of emergency, says Gen. Nikolai N. Urakov, director of the center. Urakov is working with Western scientists to convert the complex into a biomedical manufacturing site. In the event of a shutdown, he says, scientists must destroy all bacteriological experiments underway. About 3,000 strains of bacteria are stored at the center, many in casks cooled with liquid nitrogen and isolated from the environment by layered enclosures and oversize air-handling systems, all depending on electricity. The Mosenergo electric utility is threatening to turn off the electricity for lack of payment at the 90-building campus.

April 6

Army finds vials of white powder in Afghan caves
A team of American soldiers has searched a large cave network believed to have been used recently by Al-Qaida and Taliban fighters and carried away photos, dossiers, and vials containing an unidentified white powder. Troops from the Armys 101st Airborne Division complete a 5-day mission within the cave complex in Khost Province near the border with Pakistan. The soldiers report they searched more than 15 caves, some of them hundreds of feet deep, complete with bedrooms, warehouses, and iron-barred jail cells. The most intriguing discoveries include dozens of vials filled with white powder. The soldiers say they are not certain what the substance is but speculate it might be anthrax, heroin, or cocaine. They also found white powder stored in clay jars in an abandoned village called Shodiaka.

April 5

Anthrax vaccination does not increase medical visits, study says
Military personnel who received anthrax vaccinations and were deployed to southwest Asia are no more or less likely to seek medical attention than unvaccinated personnel are, according to a preliminary study. "We found no indication of an increased propensity for personnel immunized against anthrax to seek medical care after immunization beyond what is expected in their unvaccinated peers, wrote Lt. Col. Paul A. Rehme and colleagues in their report in Military Medicine. Immunization of all military personnel against anthrax began in March 1998. More than 140,000 U.S. Air Force personnel and 508,000 Department of Defense personnel have begun the anthrax immunization series, the report says. Some members of the military have claimed that the vaccination has caused chronic health problems, and the safety of the vaccine is under investigation.

German army to triple spending on biodefense
The German army plans to triple its research spending on protection against biological weapons, expanding its research staff working on diseases such as anthrax and bubonic plague from 20 to 60. It will conduct its work at the Munich-based Medical Academys Institute for Microbiology, focusing only on defensive measures. Staff Medical Sergeant Joachim Nimmrichter, quoted by the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, says plans include establishing a center for biowarfare protection from the current institutes for radiobiology, microbiology, and chemo-toxicology.

CDC uses grant to buy hand-held computers
The CDC is acquiring hand-held computing technology to use in emergency on-site sample collection and tracking. The equipment and software, made by Symbol Technologies Inc and LinksPoint Inc, are the first acquisitions made with a $3.9 million grant that the CDC received from Bernard Marcus, Home Depot co-founder and ex-chairman. Says Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, The ability to capture, analyze and track information from remote locations is an important step in upgrading the CDCs ability to respond rapidly to health and security threats.

April 4

Lab worker contracted skin anthrax by handling vials with bare hands
A Texas laboratory worker who was diagnosed with skin anthrax last month likely contracted it because he neglected to wear gloves while handling vials of spores collected after last falls anthrax-contaminated mail attacks, the government says. The vials had been sprayed with isopropyl alcohol but not decontaminated with a bleach solution, as recommended by the CDC. The employee handled the vials a day after cutting his jaw while shaving, and his anthrax lesion developed from the cut, the CDC reports. The worker, who is currently taking antibiotics and is recovering, had not been vaccinated against anthrax. The CDC recommends that lab workers who deal with anthrax or potential anthrax be vaccinated.

Crawford says government should have issued clearer advisories on anthrax risk
Lester Crawford, deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, says that more specific information should have been released during last falls anthrax crisis. For example, he says the FDA should have quantified the risk rather than sending the country into a panic by saying some of the mail was dangerous. A good message would be the chance of anthrax in your mail is one in 1,000 or one in a million, while the chance of you getting an infectious dose is one in a trillion, Crawford says. That makes it sound advice. Crawford, a veterinarian who was appointed to his position in February, considers his job to be that of Americas risk manager. He says he will communicate sound scientific messages to the public and Congress on the basis of FDA research findings. Crawford will be the senior official at FDA until a commissioner is appointed.

Irish government urged to spend more on bioterrorism preparedness
The Irish government is urged to invest more to protect the country against bioterrorism, as experts warn that an attack on any part of the world could hit Ireland. Dr. Kristy Murray, an American bioterrorism expert, says investment and preparation are the key to minimizing the impact of an attack involving agents such as smallpox, anthrax, or botulism. Any threat anywhere in the world is going to affect everyone. There is so much mobility between the US and Europe that a threat to the US will also threaten Europe, she says. Murray, a CDC public health specialist, warns that biological agents are not difficult or expensive to produce. Dr Darina O'Flanaghan, director of the National Disease Surveillance Centre, says the Irish government was lucky to secure 600,000 doses of smallpox vaccine.

April 2

Conference speakers comment on lessons of anthrax attacks
The New York Times reports bioterrorism-related news from the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases held last week in Atlanta. Dr Timothy Holtz, a preventive medicine fellow at the New York City Health Department, described the investigation of the case of Kathy T. Nguyen, who died of inhalation anthrax in New York on Oct 31. The investigation never turned up a single anthrax spore or any other clue to how Nguyen became infected, and, said Holtz, We will likely never know. Dr James Hughes, director of the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, said that although the anthrax attack last fall was small, it quickly overwhelmed the nations laboratories. We learned we were not adequately prepared, he said, noting that the episode illustrated deficiencies not only in laboratory capacity but also in the production of vaccines and antibiotics and the availability of hospital beds. Dr Hughes added that bioterrorism and naturally occurring outbreaks of infectious disease would complicate US and global security over the next 20 years.

Company announces FDA approval of special needle for smallpox vaccine
Becton Dickinson and Company (BD), a medical technology company in Franklin Lakes, N.J., announces that the Food and Drug Administration has approved the company's bifurcated needle, a two-pronged needle designed to deliver the smallpox vaccine. This needle will make an important contribution to international efforts to prepare for mass immunization in the event of a bioterrorist threat, says Dr Zeil Rosenberg, BDs worldwide business leader for immunization. BDs bifurcated needle was developed and FDA cleared it in less than 5 months, making it one of the fastest product turnarounds in BD history.

Administration, Democrats eyeing consolidation of food safety responsibilities
The Bush administration and Democrats in Congress are reviewing the possibility of creating a single food safety agency. Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner Lester Crawford says the split of responsibility between the Agriculture Department (USDA) for meat and poultry and FDA for most other foods is a curious division, and he considers the calls for a single food safety agency to be very serious indeed. Crawford, previously head of USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service, says he considers the discussions about creating a single food safety agency to be beyond the concept stage to the point of Can it be done? Should it be done?

US pharmaceutical industry developing 256 drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases
The pharmaceutical industry is developing 256 drugs and vaccines for infectious diseases ranging from hepatitis to influenza, according to a survey to be released by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Infectious diseases were responsible for nearly one-third of all worldwide deaths in 1996, the survey says. Vaccines are the focus of the most attention, the study finds, with 96 under development for a broad range of diseases. The survey says 32 new antibiotics are currently under development. Of the agents in development, the FDA is testing 69 in the lab, and the remaining 187 are either in clinical trials or awaiting approval. Diseases such as anthrax and smallpox have become major concerns since the 2001 anthrax attacks, but the survey was largely conducted before the attacks and is not a useful barometer of the industrys attention to such diseases.

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