January 2004

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.

Jan 29

Bush budget proposal includes bio-surveillance initiative
President Bush's FY 2005 budget includes a $274 million Bio-Surveillance Program Initiative, announce DHS Secretary Tom Ridge and HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson. The initiative is aimed at protecting the US against bioterrorism and strengthening the public health infrastructure. Said Secretary Ridge, "These funds clearly reflect the President's commitment to further enhance our capabilities to be prepared for and to respond to the threat of bioterrorism." The funding would include $135 for HHS to improve laboratory capabilities and hospital disease-reporting systems; $129 for DHS to expand upon the BioWatch air-monitoring program; and $10 for the USDA to improve upon food and animal surveillance. (See CIDRAP News story.)

Are states really prepared for bioterrorism?
The "vast majority" of states are prepared to vaccinate their population within 10 days if a smallpox attack were to occur, says Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. His assessment is based on bioterrorism response plans submitted by state governments, according to a CDC spokesperson. However, not all states have tested their plans and no federal standards yet exist to measure states' preparedness, although plans are under way for federal testing later this year (see Jan 22 item). The 10-day vaccination goal was set by Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jan 28

Feds try to delay anthrax lawsuit
The government files a motion seeking to delay the lawsuit of the widow of Robert Stevens, the first victim of the 2001 anthrax attack (see Sep 24, 2003, item). Proceding with the suit now, the government says, could compromise the ongoing investigation and force disclosure of sensitive information about anthrax and other biological weapons.

House Democrats give negative assessment of federal smallpox efforts
Democratic members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, led by Jim Turner, D-Texas, release a report highly critical of the federal smallpox vaccination program and calling for a reassessment of smallpox as a threat. Key failures of the vaccination program, the report's authors say, include poor funding of public health agencies, delayed planning for compensation of vaccinees experiencing adverse effects, and inadequate educational efforts on the seriousness of the smallpox threat.

Jan 27

Iraqi WMD destroyed in mid-1990s?
David Kay, former chief US weapons inspector in Iraq, says that new evidence has been found indicating that Iraq secretly disposed of biological and chemical stockpiles in the mid-1990s and did not notify UN inspectors, according to a Washington Post interview. Iraqi scientists' records on the destruction are incomplete because of pressure to keep the effort secret from inspectors. Speaking later before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Kay says he believes Hussein was bluffing about having WMD, thinking it would be a deterrent to invasion.

Jan 26

Los Alamos lab to undergo further environmental assessment
The Department of Energy (DOE) announces it will conduct further environmental assessment before planning for biosafety level 3 research at the Los Alamos national laboratory to go forward. At level 3 laboratories, researchers can work with potential bioweapon agents such as anthrax and botulinum toxin. DOE said early in planning that no environmental impact statement would be needed, but environmental groups have sued the department, saying assessments had been inadequate (see Aug 26, 2003, item).

Judge may allow Hatfill's lawsuit re anthrax investigation to go forward
US District Judge Reggie Walton appears to be sympathetic to the lawsuit filed last year by Steven Hatfill, the former US Army biologist identified as a "person of interest" in the FBI's anthrax investigation, claiming violation of his constitutional rights (see Aug 26, 2003, item). The Justice Department has been trying to persuade Walton that the suit should be delayed until the anthrax investigation has been completed

Jan 22

Passage of Project Bioshield expected soon
Passage of Project Bioshield legislation, which is aimed at strengthening US biological defenses, is expected shortly, according to Steward Simonson, special counsel to HHS Secretary Tommy Thomson, speaking at a meeting of the Secretary's Council on Public Health Preparedness in Washington. Project Bioshield was announced by President Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address. Initiatives of the project include incentives for drug companies to develop otherwise unprofitable medicines, vaccines, and countermeasures against biological weapons. Also under the plan, the executive branch would be allowed to use unlicensed drugs in a bioterrorist attack, and restrictions would be loosened at the National Institutes of Health on procurement of drugs and on hiring. The House passed the legislation last year but it stalled in the Senate. (See Mar 23, 2003, item and Jul 18, 2003, CIDRAP News story.)

Study urges new medical biodefense agency within DoD
The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine and National Research Council release a congressionally mandated study saying that Congress should establish a new medical biodefense agency within the Department of Defense (DoD) to direct research and development of vaccines and drugs to combat biological weapons and infectious diseases in general. The study says that DoD efforts so far are poorly organized, underfunded, and have "dismal prospects for successful results." Pointing out that no new vaccines against biological agents have been developed since the 1991 Gulf War, the study recommends annual $100 million increases in current $322 million DoD funding until a $600 million budget is reached. DoD says it "generally agree[s] with many of the report's conclusions.

Federal government to test state/regional bioterrorism preparedness
Joseph Henderson, CDC associate director for terrorism preparedness and response, says in a speech to a DHHS advisory council that scenarios to test regional and state bioterrorism preparedness, including smallpox preparedness, are being developed for use by late 2004. The "federal standardsbased scenarios" will measure whether CDC guidelines for emergency response have been adopted and how regions and states would respond to a biological terrirst attack. Also planned is a campaign to raise awareness of the smallpox threat and to allay fears about receiving smallpox vaccine. The actions are part of the CDC's 2004 action plan for boosting smallpox defenses

Jan 21

Fast track for anthrax vaccine
VaxGen, Inc., announces that the FDA has granted fast track designation to rPA102, the company's anthrax vaccine in development. The Fast Track Program, part of the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, means the agency will take actions as appropriate to expedite development and review of new drugs intended for treatment or prevention of serious or life-threatening conditions. VaxGen work is being funded by more than $100 million in funding from two National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grants.

Jan 20

Los Angeles County hospitals given $16 million DHHS grant
A Los Angeles County offical says county hospitals have been given more than $16 million by the US Department of Health and Human Services for to prepare for the provision of patient care during a public health emergency. Particular attention will focus on preparedness for a potential bioterrorist attack. Grants are available to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, territories, Pacific nations, and New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles County, the country's three largest municipalities.

Jan 19

Planned hand-held devices for biological weapons detection get boost
Ribomed Biotechnologies, Inc., signs a contract with Northrop Grumman to build hand-held devices capable of detecting 20 agents that could be used as biological weapons. The device will be able to detect more than one agent at a time without laboratory analysis. Ribomed has received more than $3 million from the Defense Advanced Reseach Projects Agency (DARPA) to supply the technologya proprietary process called Abscription that detects pathogens in DNA, RNA, and protein. The device, being portable, is envisioned to be useful in airports, hospital, schools, and military bases and will sense the air 24/7.

Jan 16

DHS defends itself against Democratic criticism
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disputes a report issued by Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee that widely criticizes efforts to protect the country. Areas with alleged gaps include bioterrorism, first-responder preparedness, critical infrastructure protection, and many more. DHS claims some of the conclusions of the report are inaccurate, that the report demonstrates unrealistic expectations of the department, and that it fails to point out significant accomplishments the department has made since its formation less than a year ago.

National Guardstaffed teams to assist in potential WMD attacks increase in number
Paul McHale, assistant secretary defense for homeland defense of the US Department of Defense, says the number of National Guardstaffed civil support teams will be increased from the current 32 to 55. Each team includes 22 members who are trained and equipped to detect chemical, biological, nuclear, and explosive agents and to support emergency first-respondersin the event of an attack with weapons of mass destruction. McHale points out that the National Guard was created to "protect us here at home" so is a natural fit for the teams.

Jan 14

Dow gets grant for plant-based vaccine development
Dow Chemical Co. announces a 4-year, $5.7 million research agreement with the US Institutes of Health for development of plant-based vaccines against infectious diseases, including biological weaspons. The company claims the vaccines will be cheaper and easier to produce that existing vaccines.

Jan 13

Former anthrax-infested AMI building to be decontamined and reopened
A joint venture is announced wherein the 65,000square foot Florida building formerly housing American Media, Inc, the site of the first anthrax case in 2001, will be leased, decontaminated, and then used to market the methods and expertise used for the decontamination. The partners include Sabre Technical Services, which cleaned Capitol Hill and postal buildings in Washington and New Jersey, and Giuliana Partners LLC, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's company. The new firm will be called Bio ONE. The building has been quarantined since October 2001.

India, US meet to strategize on fighting terrorism
The US Embassy in India announces that US and Indian experts numbering 40 are meeting to explore the use of science and technology to fight terrorism, including bioterrorism. The meeting is closed to the public and media, but a report will be issued. Organized by India's National Institute of Advanced Studies and the US National Academy of Sciences Committee on International Security and Arms Control, the collaboration is expected to be part of a strategic partnership between the two countries.

Jan 12

Suspects of planned ricin/botulinum toxin attack under investigation in France
Six suspected Islamic extremists appear in a French court and are put under investigation for allegedly planning an uncompleted attack with ricin and/or bolutinum toxin on French or possibly British soil last year. One of the six, Menad Benchellali, has been jailed since December 2002, suspected of recruiting young Muslims to fight Russian forces in Chechnya. The other five, most of whom are members of Benchellali's family, were arrested Jan 6 near Lyon. Benchellali has been described by the others as a chemicals expert who worked in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and Georgia and has tested chemicals on animals. The French police, who are investigating whether there is any connection between this cell and the small amount of ricin round in Britain a year ago, believe they have put some very dangerous people out of action.

Jan 11

Fighting bioterrorist agents by strengthening the body's own defenses
Montana State University is awarded $10.5 million in federal funding over 5 years to start a fast-track hunt for new drugs against diseases that could be used by bioterrorists, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. MSU will work with Ligocyte, a drug-development company in Bozeman. They will focus on coming up with an agent that can strengthen people's natural immune defenses, hopefully by finding a way to boost the actions of gamma-delta T-cells.

Jan 9

Threat level drops to yellow
The US national threat level was returned to yellow (elevated) from orange (high), after being at the higher level for 20 days (see Dec 21 item). In announcing the change, Secretary Tom Ridge of the Department of Homeland Security stated that a heightened state of alert remains at several airports and other sites nationwide, although he did not specify which ones. Legislation has been introduced to allow changes in the threat advisory system to apply to only certain sectors or regions in the future, rather than the entire country. This would allow cost-savings for cities and states not targeted in a specific alert.

US hospitals remain unprepared for major event, claims article
US hospitals are still unprepared for a major incident such as a bioterrorism attack, according to an article in the January issue of the Journal of Homeland Security. Challenges remaining, says Jeffrey Rubin, a member of the Oregon Health Preparedness Advisory Committee and author of the article, include communication, decontamination and security concerns, and staff training and protection. Most hospital plans, he says, "likely fall into the category of 'fantasy documents,"meaning they meet legal and political requirements but are not grounded in realistic capabilities or expectattions and do not confer functionality. Even single-patient decontamination remains an elusive goal for most hospitals, he claims.

Vaccine company forms global Counter-Bioterrorism Initiative
Covalent Group, Inc., announces formation of a global Counter-Bioterrorism Initiative that will focus on development of vaccines against biological agents with potential military and terrorism applications. The company is a clinical research organization located in Wayne, Pa.

Jan 8

Rand report focuses on food system nonpreparedness
A just-released Rand Corp. report says the United States is ill-prepared to deal with terrorist attack on the nation's agricultural and food industry. The report, "Hitting America's Soft Underbelly: The Potential Threat of Deliberate Biological Attacks Against the U.S. Agricultural and Food Industry," by Peter Chalk, says that the food system, a $1 trillion-per-year industry, is a latecomer to homeland-security attention. Al-Qaeda, Chalk claims, knows that economic interests are the US Achilles' heel, and the farming community and food sector "remain highly open."

Jan 7

Military anthrax shots resume, case may become class- action suit
The US Department of Defense resumes its mandatory anthrax vaccination program after a federal judge who issued an injunction against the US anthrax vaccination program lifts the injunction (see CIDRAP News story). Meanwhile, according to InsideDefense.com, an attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit that resulted in the injunction says the suit will be modified to include class-action certification.

Jan 4

California women arrested for ricin possession
Two California women are arrested after a container of ricin, a deadly substance made from castor beans, is found in their car. Also found were castor beans, a recipe for ricin, and a pistol. The women were planning to kill the husband of one of them, according to an Associated Press report, and have been charged with attempted murder; they may also face charges of manufacturing, possessing, and transporting a biological weapon.

Jan 2

DoD orders more anthrax vaccine
The US Department of Defense places a $29.7 million order for anthrax vaccine from BioPort Corp., Lansing, Mich., in anticipation of reversal of a federal judge's ban on mandatory anthrax shots for military personnel. (See Dec 30 item.)

Hope still alive for finding bioweapons in Iraq
The US search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, funded to the tune of $700 million by the federal government, has yielded nothing and is winding down in terms of chemical and nuclear weapons. However, US officials are still hopeful that biological weapons or evidence of a program for such weapons may be found, according to an Associated Press report.

For other months' installments, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page