September 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.

Sep 30

Some progress reported in talks with Iraq on weapons inspections
United Nations officials report modest progress in talks between UN weapons inspectors and Iraqi officials on inspectors' access to sensitive Iraqi sites such as the Defense Ministry and Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard headquarters. The talks are being held at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, one of two UN bodies responsible for monitoring Iraq's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. "They're being very positive and businesslike, and they are coming with a desire to reach an agreement," says Mohamed El Baradei, the Egyptian serving as director general of the IAEA, quoted in the New York Times. He says Iraq has agreed to supply details on changes it made in plants and equipment with dual civilian and military uses. UN officials say that inspectors could be in Iraq by the third week of October.

'Turning point' not yet reached in anthrax investigation
Investigators in the anthrax cases say they are still far from solving the case. After identifying the anthrax strain, locating the mailbox in Princeton, N.J., where at least one of the letters was mailed, and conducting 4,700 interviews, investigators have not reached with they call a turning point. "You always need a break," says Roscoe Howard, the US attorney in Washington whose office is coordinating the investigation.

HHS, nursing group to set up nurse teams for public health emergencies
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson signs a memorandum of understanding enlisting the American Nurses Association (ANA) in his efforts to improve national preparedness for bioterrorism and other health emergencies. The memorandum designates a nationwide network of "National Nurse Response Teams," volunteers who would provide patient education and counseling, administer immunizations, and coordinate related activities in an emergency. More than 900 nurses have volunteered for the new teams, which will be based in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Kansas City , Denver, San Francisco, and Seattle.. In other steps to boost preparedness, HHS says it has added 2,000 more providers and five new Disaster Medical Assistance Teams; doubled the size of the HHS Readiness Force; added more cities to the Metropolitan Medical Response System; and increased the operating schedule of the Office of Emergency Response to 24 hours a day.

US plans effort to deter Iraqi commanders from using bioweapons
US military officials are making plans to try to deter Iraqi officers from firing chemical and biological weapons during a US invasion, according to a Washington Post report. The plan includes massive distribution of leaflets over Iraqi military positions and using various covert techniques to get the US message to Iraqi commanders, officials say. A British intelligence report released last week by Prime Minister Tony Blair says Iraq could deploy nerve gas and anthrax weapons on 45 minutes' notice. It further says Hussein could have already delegated authority to order use of such weapons to his youngest son, Qusai, who leads the Republican Guard. Whether a deterrent plan will work is a matter of disagreement among military experts, as Hussein's most loyal officers run the Republican Guard units that control the weapons.

Army tests plastic pods for isolating patients exposed to pathogens
An inexpensive, disposable plastic pod that seals much like a big Ziploc sandwich bag may help hospitals manage individuals who have been exposed to dangerous chemical or biological agents. The Army is currently testing such pods equipped with battery-powered fans that bring in fresh air and exhaust fans that filter biochemical particles. At least one version comes with a tongue-and-groove zipper similar to that of plastic sandwich bags. Another version can be sealed with an adhesive like that found on disposable diapers. All the pods being tested feature plastic sleeves that enable a healthcare worker to work on a patient without being exposed to dangerous pathogens. Isovac Products, based in Oak Burr, Ill., says it has produced several prototypes that the Army is testing.

Commerce Department launches homeland security Web site
The National Technical Information Center has created a Web site that aims to clarify language and issues related to homeland security. The Homeland Security Information Center site covers five topic areas: health and medicine, emergency preparedness and response, biological and chemical warfare, food and agriculture safety, and safety training. The site contains information on West Nile Virus, smallpox vaccine, waterborne and other disease outbreaks, biological and chemical warfare, chemical agents, and safety training for personnel who deal with fires and hazardous materials. The NTIS, part of the US Department of Commerce, dispenses scientific, technical, engineering, and business information produced by or for the federal government. The new Web site allows users to download many documents into electronic formats and order customized CDs. The site can be accessed at http://www.ntis.gov/hs.

Sep 29

Aventis smallpox vaccine supply is enough to inoculate everyone
A clinical trial has shown that the smallpox vaccine given by Aventis Pasteur to the US government last March can be diluted and remain effective, says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The Aventis supply amounts to 86 million doses, and it can be diluted by at least 5 to 1 and remain effective, which would yield more than enough vaccine for the entire population, Fauci says. Speaking at a conference in San Diego, he says the diluted vaccine has been tested on more than 100 volunteers and it works. Adds Dr. Michael Osterholm of the University of Minnesota, a bioterrorism advisor to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, "We really are fully protected. We have enough doses to cover everyone right now." Previous tests have shown that the nation's original stockpile of 15 million doses of Dryvax vaccine can be diluted by 5 to 1.

Gerberding says public health preparedness is far from complete
The US has made progress in preparing its healthcare system to contend with bioterrorism, but the job is far from complete, says CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. Speaking at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Diego, she says that much work remains to be done to restructure a public health network that struggled to cope with last year's anthrax mailings. "We're describing to you the truth that not everything is ready," Gerberding says, as quoted in the Boston Globe. "But our response capacity is much higher than it was." Survey results presented at the conference show some of the gaps in preparedness: Fifteen percent of the laboratories capable of handling dangerous biological agents lack a plan to deal with bioterrorism, and 20% of the microbiologists who responded to the Internet survey said they have no formal laboratory training on bioterrorism.

Thousands of US troops training for defense against chemical and germ weapons
Though the science of protecting troops from chemical and biological agents remains in its infancy, thousands of chemical specialists are being trained at the Chemical Defense Training Facility at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo., according to the Los Angeles Times. About 60,000 have already completed training, and another 4,500 from all four service branches are expected this year. These troops will then train their front-line colleagues. Recent advances in detecting chemical weapons include specially equipped vehicles that can detect a toxic cloud 3 miles away. But a similar capability for spotting biological weapons remains years away. Current equipment can identify only 10 biological agents, as biological weapons are harder to detect and take days to show their lethal effects.

Sep 28

New York City plans to inoculate millions if smallpox re-emerges
New York City officials say they are completing preparations to inoculate 8 million residents against smallpox in response to a bioterror attack. John Odermatt, the commissioner of the Office of Emergency Management, tells Newsday, "People should not panic. People should be aware that we have plans in place." The response plan provides for health professionals to inoculate citizens at 100 designated sites, including hospitals, health clinics, schools, and sports arenas, which would operate 16 hours a day.

Iraq condemns new US plan for unfettered weapons inspections
Iraq condemns a US and British proposal that the UN Security Council impose a strict weapons inspection program, saying that it will not accept any new rules governing the work of United Nations inspectors. Washington diplomats continue working to overcome strong objections to the draft resolution among the other three permanent members of the Security Council. The proposal gives Iraq 30 days to disclose all its weapons of mass destruction and calls for full inspections, backed by the threat of a military attack if Baghdad fails to permit them. "The stance on the inspectors has been decided and any additional procedure that aims at harming Iraq will not be accepted," says Iraqi Vice President Yaha Yassin Ramadan.

Sep 27

EPA designates Ohio lab as a homeland security research center
The Environmental Protection Agency's Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center in Corryville, Ohio, is designated a "homeland security research renter" by EPA Director Christie Todd Whitman. Making the announcement at a congressional hearing, Whitman says the center will manage and coordinate the EPA's technical assistance in three areas: building decontamination, drinking water protection, and rapid risk assessment. Additionally, the center will coordinate the EPA's work with research done by the CDC, the military, private groups, and others. The Corryville lab houses one of the nation's two EPA laboratories capable of safely testing and handling anthrax and other infectious agents.

EPA orders third test of cleaning procedure for Brentwood postal plant
The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered a third test of the cleaning procedure to be used at the Brentwood postal facility before beginning fumigation, according to a Washington Post report. The decision followed a town hall meeting at Gallaudet University in which postal workers and community leaders expressed concern about the cleanup procedure after learning that the EPA and the US Postal Service disagreed over the last test's success. "At this point, I think we need to talk seriously about an evacuation program for the area, because I'm not comfortable with you anymore," Washington, DC, council member Vincent B. Orange Sr. told postal officials at the meeting. On Sep 17, clean-up crews spent 10 hours pumping anthrax-killing chemicals into the building and then sucking them back out. EPA officials say 10 hours is not long enough to simulate the actual fumigation process.

Maryland proposes to set up smallpox-response teams
Maryland Health Secretary Georges C. Benjamin has announced a plan to bring together up to 1,000 doctors, nurses, and medical investigators to coordinate a massive inoculation effort in the event of a smallpox attack, according to the Washington Post. The plan calls for 10 to 20 vaccinated teams to respond immediately to contain an outbreak of the virus, stepping in for physicians and public health personnel not yet vaccinated against smallpox. The Maryland proposal would supplement federal guidelines that call for inoculation of the entire population in the event of a smallpox attack. Benjamin says he will start selecting team members next month, but they could receive inoculations only after authorization from the governor and the US Department of Health and Human Services.

Officials say Houston isn't ready to deal with smallpox attack
A report in the Houston Chronicle says Houston and other major cities are not prepared for a bioterrorist attack. Sharon March, manager of the office of strategic development for the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, says, "I don't know that anybody in the nation is ready to implement this level of a plan," referring to the federal plan for rapidly vaccinating millions of Americans against smallpox. Richard Gaston, bioterrorism response coordinator for Harris County, says the task is mind-boggling in size and calls the federal plan "a good framework to build on." The 50-page CDC guide for containing smallpox mentions everything from portable toilets and body bags to security forces to management of panicked crowds. "The logistics of that are pretty daunting," says Dr. Ward Casscells, an anti-terrorism strategist with the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. "I really am concerned whether we could get all these people vaccinated fast enough."

Sep 26

Maryland county conducts smallpox response drill
In a drill held at Hood College in Frederick County, Md., an actress walks into a fake emergency room and reports a rash and a 103-degree fever. Twenty minutes later, a SWAT team moves, bars the doors, and duct-tapes the vents. In addition, a helmeted doctor with a pistol warns people they cannot leave for 8 to 10 hours and will then be quarantined or monitored by health officials for at least 17 days. "It could happen here, and it's not enough to have some outdated plan sitting in a book somewhere," says John Vitarello, a Frederick cardiologist who helped design the drill and smallpox response plan, tells the Baltimore Sun. Health and biodefense experts say the Frederick simulation is the most comprehensive response they have heard of in the state. The plan involves isolating the initial victim and all those potentially exposed, creating vaccination and quarantine centers, closing off roads, and communicating with the press and state and federal officials.

Sep 25

White House staff instructed on response to terrorist attack
The White House staff receives instructions on emergency procedures in the event of a possible terrorist attack. The briefings cover what measures staff should take when the emergency notification system is activated. They also cover "how to use protective hoods that will be distributed and stored in the press area as well as other places around the White House complex in case of fire, smoke or the release of a chemical or biological agent," according to White House spokesman Ari Fleischer. Details of the procedures will remain secret, and the briefings are not offered in response to any new threat, he says.

Boston plan calls for vaccinating 8,000 healthcare workers against smallpox
Boston's Department of Public Health has a draft plan that calls for vaccinating 8,000 hospital and emergency workers statewide against smallpox prior to any bioterrorist attack, the Boston Herald reports. The plan calls for immunizing 100 workers from each of the state's 68 acute-care hospitals, plus another 750 to 1,000 EMTs and other first responders. The number could be cut in half, according to Dr. Alfred DeMaria, chief of infectious diseases for the department. At a meeting in Atlanta, he says, "They were talking about smaller numbers at each hospital and pooling staff. They're talking about maybe 50 at each hospital. They can move people around." The plan anticipates that each hospital will be able to care for smallpox patients for up to 4 weeks. Additional arrangements would be made to divert patients to other facilities if necessary.

Leader calls for immediate smallpox shots for South Dakota Indian tribe
Cheyenne Gregg Bourland, chairman of South Dakota's Cheyenne River Sioux tribe, asks the US government to immediately provide smallpox vaccinations to any tribal members who want them. Noting that several million indigenous people died of smallpox in centuries past, Bourland says American Indians were some of the first victims of what would today be called bioterrorism. He says the British were the worst offenders because they used smallpox-contaminated blankets to infect Indians at Fort Pitt on the Pennsylvania frontier in 1763. "We have zero resistance to this disease," Bourland says in an interview with the London newspaper The Times. "That's why the vaccination is so critical to Native Americans." He disputes claims that the vaccine itself can cause death, saying that no one died when his grandmother's generation was inoculated against the disease in the 1930s.

Physician group advocates voluntary smallpox shots for the public
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons warns that federal plans to withhold the smallpox vaccine until after an outbreak could result in chaos and thousands of preventable deaths. The association counters with a five-step plan emphasizing voluntary advance immunizations. The group also urges local health officials to begin stockpiling medical supplies, developing a plan to monitor public places, and improving reporting and deployment systems. The five steps include making immunizations available to those who want them; installing devices in public places such as airports and subways to detect signs of immune system activation in people who are exposed but not yet sick; allocating $20 million for development of promising antiviral agents; stockpiling antiviral drugs used to treat AIDS complications; and distributing vaccines, drugs, and supplies to local authorities.

Sep 24

Smallpox vaccine to be tested in children
Newsday reports that doctors are preparing for an unprecedented clinical trial to inoculate a small number of children in two states with smallpox vaccine. They hope to establish vaccine dosages suitable for children in the event that mass vaccination becomes necessary. Cincinnati's Children's Hospital Medical Center and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Southern California will conduct the tests. Though doctors administered the vaccine successfully to children for two centuries before the disease's eradication in 1980, a controlled clinical trail has never taken place in the era of evidence-based medicine. "We're just waiting for the final word, to hear that it's a go," says Dr. David Bernstein, director of the division of infectious diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Bernstein will be the chief investigator of the study's Ohio arm. Researchers plan to test the Dryvax vaccine, the same one used to eradicate smallpox in the 1960s and 1970s, says Bernstein.

Mark McClellan to be nominated to head FDA
The Bush administration will nominate Mark McClellan as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, the Washington Post reports, quoting an anonymous administration official. The politically sensitive position has remained open for nearly 20 months because it involves controversial responsibilities such as setting the process for reviewing new drug applications and deciding how to better protect Americans against bioterrorism. McClellan has a medical degree from Harvard University and a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a member of the National Cancer Policy Board of the National Academy of Sciences. A specialist in health economics, he believes that medical innovations generally make sense for both the patient and the economy. McClellan is generally viewed as a skilled implementer rather than as a rigid ideologue.

Officials question plan to persuade Iraqi leaders not to use bioweapons
USA Today reports that defense and intelligence officials question the merit of a psychological operations or "psyops" plan to persuade Iraqi commanders not to use their most lethal weapons following a US military strike. Officials familiar with the plan say it seeks to persuade Iraqi weapons handlers to disobey any orders from Saddam Hussein should he try to launch chemical or biological attacks in the face of a US invasion. Psyops involves hacking into Iraqi military computers, dropping leaflets on Iraqi military bases, jamming Iraqi radio and television, substituting signals from special US broadcasting aircraft, and contacting officers through secret methods including e-mail. Defense and intelligence officials say the problem with the psyops plan is reaching the right Iraqi commanders. Further, the United States is uncertain whether or where Iraq hides chemical or biological weapons.

Some experts call smallpox vaccination guide too sketchy
Experts question the depth of the new state guidelines for administering mass smallpox vaccinations, saying the approach offers little direction regarding timing, costs, feasibility, and preparing healthcare workers to give vaccinations while communicating the plans to the public. "This is a huge and massive undertaking, the likes of which we've never seen in our history," Dr. Mohammed Akhter, executive director of the American Public Health Association, tells the New York Times. If a smallpox attack came tonight, "There's no way the state and local health departments would be able to implement the plan," he adds. Akhter says the plan is good but questions its feasibility, as does Jonathan B. Tucker, a germ-weapons expert in Washington. According to Tucker, public confidence in the plan is crucial for its success. He judges the guidelines and their explanation by federal officials as lacking in substance and detail.

Genome of brucellosis agent is sequenced
Scientists report they have determined the complete genomic sequence of Brucella suis, a bacterial pathogen that could be used against humans or livestock. The discovery comes from collaboration between Virginia Tech, The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), the US Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center, and the Walter Reed Army Institute. "This study suggests that the genomic differences between animal and plant pathogens are not nearly as wide as scientists used to believe," says Ian Paulsen, PhD, the TIGR researcher who led the sequencing project, according to ScienceDaily magazine. "It seems that plant and animal pathogens may employ similar mechanisms to cause disease." The complete genome sequence of B suis, published in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis and evolution of the potential bioterror agent.

Sep 23

CDC releases plan for mass vaccinations in case of smallpox outbreak
Federal health officials release a detailed plan to help states prepare to vaccinate every American in the event of a biological attack using smallpox. The CDC's "Smallpox Vaccination Clinic Guide" describes how to set up clinics that could each vaccinate 5,900 people a day in two 8-hour shifts, with 117 staff members per shift. Twenty such clinics could vaccinate 1 million people within 10 days. CDC officials acknowledge that even one case of smallpox might result in a nationwide program of voluntary vaccinations, since even a single case could set off a larger outbreak. "We want to step up preparedness," CDC Director Julie Gerberding says in an interview. "If there is actually exposure and risk, we want to be able to vaccinate quickly. If there is anxiety, we also want to do it quickly." Experts complain that the 48-page document fails to answer questions about the timing, cost, and logistical problems in preparing health professionals and volunteers to conduct mass vaccinations while keeping the public calm.

Rumsfeld warns Hussein's underlings not to use unconventional weapons
The Bush administration warns those who would help Saddam Hussein spread biological or chemical terror that their own lives would be in danger. "The people (to whom) he says, 'Go do it,' better think very carefully about whether that's how they want to handle their lives," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld tells a Senate panel. The administration is concerned that a cornered Hussein might order his military to strike preemptively with unconventional weapons. Rumsfeld notes that Hussein could not launch such an attack alone, but would have to count on the loyalty of field commanders and soldiers. "Clearly people who would use those weapons are not going to have a happy future if, in fact, they do use them," the defense secretary says on PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer."

Sep 22

Officials see holes in Washington state's bioterrorism response plan
Washington state health officials say the state's plan to deal with bioterrorism details quarantine procedures but doesn't say where to send victims, according to a Seattle Times report. It includes no information about how a local health officer would take over a building, such as a hospital or hotel, to house people with contagious diseases. Additionally, no local hospital has agreed to become the designated isolation facility for large numbers of infectious patients. Hospitals in Washington and around the country continue to voice concerns, including economic ones, about being designated as the smallpox hospital. "The hospitals are very reluctant to stand up and say, 'Pick me!'" says Dr. Nancy Auer, vice president of medical affairs for Swedish Medical Center, which operates three hospital campuses in Seattle. Signing up as the designated smallpox isolation and care facility would mean turning away all surgery and immunosuppressed patients. The financial impact would be enormous, Auer says.

Sep 21

Military disease-surveillance system spots outbreaks early, says physician
An expanded US military health surveillance system quickly spots disease outbreaks and could become the core of a nationwide bioterrorism warning system, according to Maj. Michael Lewis, an Army physician. The system, called Essence, tracks reports of symptoms and diagnoses made by military doctors. It recently caught an outbreak of diarrhea at a Marine facility before doctors there recognized it, and it could detect both bioterrorist attacks and natural epidemics. "We believe that this surveillance system can provide early detection of disease outbreaks such as influenza and possibly intentional acts," Lewis and colleagues write in a study to be published in the October issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Sep 19

Report calls for national plan to combat agricultural bioterrorism
A National Academy of Sciences report says the vulnerability of livestock and crops to terrorist attacks requires a national plan to identify threats, coordinate research and intelligence, and respond to outbreaks. The report says attacks would probably not cause famine or malnutrition, but could inflict serious damage on the agricultural economy and cause "adverse health effects" if they involved agents that migrate from animals to humans. Attacks would also cause "loss of public confidence in the food system," according to the academy's National Research Council, which prepared the report. Part of the report, dealing with some case studies, was withheld from publication and put in a classified appendix. "We thought about it all along--whether we were giving anybody a recipe for how to mount an attack," David R. Franz, a bioterrorism expert and vice president of the Southern Research Institute, told the Washington Post.

Watchful health units generating more false alarms about anthrax, smallpox
Increased vigilance at local health departments over the past year has resulted in many more false alarms over potential anthrax and smallpox exposures, according to CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. In an address to the American Medical Association science writers conference, Gerberding says, "We love these false alarms because they tell us the system is working." Requests for help from state and local health departments evaluating disease have risen sharply since last fall's anthrax attacks. This boosts the CDC's confidence that if a case of smallpox occurs, it will be found and reported rapidly, she says.

Genetically altered bacteria that could kill pigs stolen from Michigan lab
Two vials of genetically altered bacteria that can be fatal to pigs apparently have been stolen from a research laboratory at Michigan State University and are being treated as a potential terrorist threat. Federal investigators say the bacteria, apparently harmless to humans, could devastate the pork industry if replicated and released. Two vials of the material, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, also known as APP, are missing along with notes on swine-vaccine research. Authorities say someone with knowledge of bacteria could replicate it and create more. The thief or thieves broke into the East Lansing, Mich., lab last week, officials say. Lonnie King, dean of Michigan State's College of Veterinary Medicine, says the bacteria normally attack the respiratory system of young pigs, but the genetically modified version, inadvertently created by a researcher attempting to develop a vaccine, spreads to the brain and can cause death by complications from encephalitis.

Pittsburgh group to design portable hospital for bioterrorism victims
The federal government has asked a Pittsburgh counter-terrorism task force to develop a 150-bed portable hospital to treat bioterrorism victims, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The transportable structure, called the Emergency Isolation Treatment Shelter, could be set up near a hospital or at a disaster scene. The $750,000 federal contract, administered by Allegheny County, anticipates the completion of a prototype by March 2004. The one-story facility could expand a hospital's capacity by 500 beds. "We're looking at this project in Pittsburgh as being a model or prototype that could be used throughout the United States," says Marc Wolfson, spokesman for the federal government's Office of Emergency Response. The structure will be built with 50-in.-square plastic panels developed by Daedalus Project Inc., an Alexandria, Va., company.

Hussein says Iraq has no nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein insists his country "is clear of all nuclear, chemical and biological weapons" and urges the United Nations to resist US attempts to gain UN support for a military strike against Iraq. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri reads Hussein's message to the UN General Assembly, stating that his country is a victim of US aggression. Hussein also charges that Washington is using military force to defend Israel's interests in the Middle East and acquire control of Iraq's oil fields. The message mixes defiance of the United States with claims that Iraq is not a threat to peace. It marks an escalation of Hussein's efforts to frustrate the Bush administration's plans and to limit the scope of any new inspection program.

Sep 18

Worries about Iraqi attack spur biodefense measures in Israel
Concern about possible biological or chemical attacks by Iraq has spurred widespread preparations in Israel. Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv has begun vaccinating 30 workers a day against smallpox. The Israeli government this week ordered increased gas-mask production to replace some 600,000 masks about to reach their expiration date, and Israelis are flooding mask distribution centers. In addition, the Yediot Ahronot newspaper reports a 300% jump in sales of air filtration devices and a 25% increase in bottled water sales. In case of a biological attack, officials predict it would take authorities 4 days to vaccinate the entire population against smallpox. The country reportedly has 2½ times as many smallpox vaccine doses as people.

UN weapons inspectors await signal to return to Iraq
UN arms inspectors await the go-ahead to return to Iraq to resume their work, though talks between the UN and Iraq will probably have to take place before inspectors go to Baghdad, says Mark Gwozdecky, a spokesman for the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency. "We need to have some form of discussion with the Iraqis before we can send our people in," he says. Decisions must be made concerning issues such as landing rights, visas, office space, and communications. UN arms inspectors in New York plan to meet with Iraqi arms experts in about 10 days in Vienna to discuss logistics for the inspectors.

Senator questions government's actions regarding Steven Hatfill
In a letter, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, questions the Justice Department actions in the case of researcher Dr. Steven J. Hatfill. The department continues to call Hatfill "a person of interest" in the probe of last fall's anthrax attacks, and he recently lost his new job at the Louisiana State University Academy of Counter-Terrorist Education. Grassley questions Attorney General John Ashcroft about the decision to publicly identify Hatfill as "a person of interest" in the investigation. "It is important that the government act according to laws, rules, policies and procedures, rather than making arbitrary decisions," writes Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and drugs. The Justice Department declines comment on Grassley's letter.

Sep 17

House passes bill to set up VA terrorism-preparedness centers
The House passes legislation calling for the Veterans Affairs Department to establish four healthcare centers around the country to focus on emergency preparedness for possible terrorist attacks. The centers would provide training for medical responders; develop systems to detect biological, radiological, and chemical agents and diagnose related illnesses; and treat victims of terrorism. In addition to training local health professionals, police officers, firefighters, and hazardous-materials specialists, the centers would operate laboratories to help local health departments identify dangerous biological and chemical agents. The bill calls for spending $100 million over five years to establish the centers; none of the money would come from veterans' healthcare funds.

Writer calls for crackdown on terrorism recipe books
Commentator Nicholas D. Kristof, writing in the New York Times, asks, "Do we as a nation really want to permit books that facilitate terrorism and mass murder?" Kristof has collected books at gun shows and on the Internet such as Silent Death, which tells how to manufacture nerve gases like sarin, tabun, and soman and how to disseminate gases so as "to lay waste to a metropolitan area." He describes a three-volume set of books, Scientific Principles of Improvised Warfare, describing where to find anthrax spores and how to cultivate them and turn them into aerosol. "I do think that there is forbidden knowledge, and for me the 'cookbooks' fall into that class of information," says Dr. Ronald M. Atlas, president of the American Society for Microbiology, as quoted in the article.

Pittsburgh system for tracking bioterror-related symptoms proves useful
The Pittsburgh Poison Center received 5,000 calls in the past year reporting symptoms that suggested the possibility of a chemical or biological attack, says a report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Two cases were suspicious enough to be reported to the FBI, but neither turned out to be bioterrorism. The center's system for monitoring calls reporting symptoms suggestive of a possible bioterror attack has been useful for identifying more routine public health problems, such as a cluster of food-poisoning cases that might otherwise have gone undetected, the report says.

Army tests laser device to instantly detect chemical, biological agents
Army scientists are testing a laser device that could instantly detect explosives, chemicals, and biological agents, according to USA Today. The technique, called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, uses laser pulses to heat a few billionths of a gram of solid or airborne material to nearly 43,000 degrees. At this temperature, the material radiates its chemical signature, which is read by sensors. In experiments, US Army Research Laboratory scientists at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland detected the chemical signatures of TNT and three strains of bacteria related to anthrax. At Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, the procedure identified airborne pesticides, uranium in liquid solutions, and chromium pollution in the soil. "Inherently it's a rugged and versatile technology," says Andrzej Miziolek, a scientist with the research laboratory. The lab hopes to field-test prototypes next year.

Sep 16

CDC has done little follow-up on anthrax survivors with persistent symptoms
Many survivors of last year's anthrax attacks remain ill with symptoms their doctors cannot explain. The survivors have symptoms such as fatigue, chest pain, and memory loss, according to a New York Times article. The CDC has drawn blood from survivors to assess changes in their immune systems but has not conducted comprehensive follow-up examinations. Officials say this is due to a lack of trained personnel, red tape, and competing demands. The National Institutes of Health now plans to study the survivors, but some anthrax experts say the work should have begun a year ago and that valuable information may have been lost. "It's very peculiar to me that these people haven't had the million-dollar work-up that they deserve," says Dr. Meryl J. Nass, an anthrax expert in Freeport, Me.

Photocopiers apparently spread anthrax through American Media building
Federal investigators who conducted a 12-day search of the American Media, Inc., building in Boca Raton, Fla., have concluded that photocopying machines caused the spread of anthrax spores throughout the building. Using new techniques, the FBI found spores in all the copy machines in the three-story building, an anonymous source familiar with the investigation told The Palm Beach Post. Investigators believe the spores spread onto reams of copy paper stored in a first-floor mailroom, where an anthrax-tainted letter presumably was opened, the source said. The spores then were spread into the air by fans inside the machines loaded with the copy paper. "Once it falls, it stays," Palm Beach County Health Department spokesman Tim O'Connor said. "It was stuck to the keyboard in [Robert] Stevens's office." Stevens, an American Media photo editor, died of inhalational anthrax in October.

Iraq says it will allow weapons inspections to resume
Iraq, under worldwide pressure, says it will allow international weapons inspectors to return "without conditions." UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announces the decision after receiving a letter from the Iraqi foreign minister, Naji Sabri. Annan says Baghdad had agreed to "immediate discussions" to work out the logistics for weapons inspection teams to start work in Iraq. A senior State Department official says Iraq's letter is "not a promise to disarm, not a promise to allow unfettered inspections, not a promise to disclose the state of its weapons program."

US officials worry that Hussein would use germ weapons if cornered
US intelligence officials are worried that Saddam Hussein, faced with the potential collapse of his regime, could fire chemical or biological warheads at US bases in the region as well as at Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. The threat of an American invasion could also prompt him to provide Al-Qaida or other terror groups with easy-to-conceal biological agents to smuggle into US and Israeli cities. "This is what we are most concerned about and what we are working hardest on," says one high ranking official. Bioweapons could be small and easy to get through border patrols or US customs. "He no doubt regards his biological-weapons arsenal as his ace in the hole," says Peter Singer, a former Pentagon official.

Sep 15

British report alleges Saddam Hussein trained bin Laden underlings
British Prime Minister Tony Blair plans to release a "dossier" on Iraq revealing that Saddam Hussein trained some of Osama bin Laden's key lieutenants, according to newspaper reports. A draft of the dossier also discloses that Hussein has rebuilt three plants to manufacture biological and chemical weapons, according to the reports. The dossier further details how two alleged leading Al-Qaida members, Abu Zubair and Rafid Fatah, completed training in Iraq and continue a relationship with the Baghdad government. The dossier claims that Zubair was an Iraqi intelligence officer who, with Fatah, used terror against the Kurds in northern Iraq. Both men later joined Osama bin Laden's forces, according to the media reports.

Sep 14

All healthcare workers eventually will be offered smallpox shots, report says
The Bush administration's smallpox vaccination plan would offer shots first to hospital emergency workers, then to doctors, nurses, and police, and eventually to the general public, according to an Associated Press report quoting unnamed federal officials. The first group could include more than 1 million people, one official says, although precise numbers won't be available until states receive guidelines and determine how many people they cover. The second stage would involve vaccinations for other healthcare workers, including those in private practice and hospital workers not at direct risk, officials say. "Ultimately all healthcare workers will be vaccinated," says one official involved in the planning. Finally, the vaccine will be offered to the general public, but it will be years before that happens, he says. Plans also include quick preparations to vaccinate everyone, should that become necessary. Officials will evaluate vaccine side effects before inoculating each new group.

General says US has proof Iraq has mobile weapons labs
Air Force Gen. Richard Myers says the United States has proof that Iraq uses mobile laboratories to produce chemical and biological weapons. "There is evidence to support mobile production capability for chemical and biological weapons," he tells the National Press Club. "It does not take a lot of space for some of this work to go on. It can be done in a very, very small location. And the fact that you can put it on wheels makes it a lot easier to hide from people that might be looking for it." A mobile facility capable of manufacturing chemical agents could be set up in three to five tractor-trailers, according to a senior Pentagon official speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.

Sep 13

FBI search of anthrax-tainted Florida building yielded 5,000 pieces of evidence
The FBI's second search of the anthrax-contaminated American Media, Inc., building in Boca Raton, Fla., produced nearly 5,000 pieces of evidence, including 800 anthrax-tainted letters, court records show. Investigators removed 33 mail-cart folders, 12 mailroom shelves, 11 mail-slot vacuum samplings, and 11 box tops collected in the mailroom. FBI spokesman Chris Murray refuses to say whether the agency achieved its goal of finding a letter presumed to have contained the anthrax spores that killed photo editor Robert Stevens. The letters and other items taken from the office will undergo further forensic testing, agency officials told AMI.

Questionable Web sites selling Cipro multiplied after anthrax attacks
A flood of questionable Internet sites selling the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (Cipro) emerged following last fall's anthrax attacks, according to a study by Alexander Tsai, a medical student at Case Western Reserve University, and others. The study identified 59 Web sites selling Cipro without a prescription during the last week of October, and of those, 23 appeared in the 2-week period after Oct 4. None was certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites program. More than 80% of the sites were registered in the United States, with the rest based in Mexico, New Zealand, Brazil, and other European and Asian countries. Twenty-seven percent said nothing about the drug's potential dangers for individuals with a history of adverse reactions to quinolone antibiotics, and many offered less than the full 60-day recommended course of Cipro to prevent anthrax.

Lab gear found in Afghanistan implies Al-Qaida bioweapons effort
Pentagon officials say the discovery of equipment in a laboratory near Kandahar, Afghanistan, supports the view that Al Qaida could already have supplies to make "a very limited production of biological and chemical agents," according to a New York Times report. The official presented photographs of a centrifuge for separating liquids and an oven for drying slurried agents, which he said leave little doubt that Al Qaida is working to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Other officials say they believe the equipment has not been used, since no live agents were found at the laboratory. The discovery of the lab, previously unknown to American intelligence officials, raises concerns about Al Qaida's plans and the extent to which the United States and its allies can accurately monitor terrorist groups determined to develop unconventional weapons, the report says.

Sep 12

Leahy wonders if West Nile virus spread is result of bioterrrorism
Senator Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., suggests that authorities should investigate whether the spread of the West Nile virus throughout the US is a result of bioterrorism. Speaking on a radio talk show in Vermont, Leahy says, "I think we have to ask ourselves: Is it a coincidence that we are seeing such an increase in West Nile virus, or is that something that is being tested as a biological weapon against us?" A 2000 report from the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee examined this question, though law enforcement and public health officials dismiss the theory. "Our research up until this point has not indicated that this is anything other than a natural evolution" of a virus that follows the migratory patterns of mosquitoes and birds, CDC spokeswoman Rhonda Smith tells the New York Times.

Report says FBI searched Hatfill's apartment a third time
The Baltimore Sun, quoting an unnamed government source, reports that FBI agents conducted a third search of the former apartment of Dr. Steven J. Hatfill in Fredrick, Md., on Sep 11. The new search appears to suggest that despite Hatfill's protests, investigators are not ready to rule him out as a suspect in the anonymous anthrax mailings. But it is unclear what agents hope to discover that they did not find in the two earlier searches. Pat Clawson, Hatfill's friend and spokesman, says Hatfill and his attorney, Victor M. Glasberg, were not notified of the search. "Why do they have to search a third time?" Clawson says. "Isn't the FBI competent enough to get the job done the first two tries?" FBI spokesman Chris Murray in Washington declined to comment on the search or details of what the agents were looking for.

Sep 11

Eight US posts in Europe receive mail containing white powder
US embassies and consulates in Germany, Denmark, Italy, and Luxembourg received letters containing white powder, creating fears of another anthrax attack, a State Department official tells Reuters. "Unidentified white powder was received in local mail deliveries," the official says, referring to official information shared by the embassies in Copenhagen, Luxembourg, and Rome and consulates in Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich. "In each case when the white powder was discovered by mission employees, staff notified local authorities who responded immediately and are now evaluating the substance," he says.

UN official says return of inspectors to Iraq could lead to lifting of sanctions
UN chief arms inspector Hans Blix says no evidence from aerial photos or other sources indicates that Iraq is harboring or producing weapons of mass destruction, according to the Associated Press. But he says there are still "many open questions" about Iraq's weapons program. He is pressuring Iraq to allow UN inspectors back into the country and restates that if Baghdad cooperates fully with inspectors, he could recommend that the Security Council suspend sanctions within a year. Ambassador Sergei Lavrov of Russia, Iraq's closest UN ally, says all 15 council members agree that "the speedy return of inspectors to Iraq is in everybody's interest, including the Iraqi population and including the interests of regional security."

Cipro use during anthrax attacks could prove costly in long run
The widespread use of ciprofloxacin--some 30,000 physician-written prescriptions, plus many more self-prescriptions--during the US anthrax attacks could eventually lead to more deaths from antibiotic-resistant infections than were caused by anthrax, according to British scientist Dr. Chris Willmott. "Here we have a situation where a very important broad-spectrum antibiotic is massively used and we have the risk that more people can develop drug-resistant complications, which could lead to death, than would have actually been killed in the anthrax attacks," Willmott tells the British Association for the Advancement of Science. A professor at England's Leicester University, Willmott cites research from Johns Hopkins University scientists who modeled the impact of 5,000 prescriptions of Cipro. The results indicate it would have prevented nine anthrax cases. Willmott says about 17,000 people per year die in American hospitals of complications of infections with drug-resistant bacteria.

Plan outlines response to bioterrorist attack on Washington, DC
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) releases a regional emergency plan to evacuate the nation's capital, prevent a bioterrorism-related epidemic from spreading, and mobilize communication and resources in the aftermath of a natural disaster. The Washington Post reports that the plan includes a proposal for "super-carpooling" and identifies 8,509 government-owned school and transit buses, 852 public rail cars, and 53 locomotives that could support mass evacuations. It also recommends creating a four-level disease surveillance and alert system in the District, Maryland, and Virginia. The 400-page plan is the first by a major US metropolitan area, according to the National Association of Regional Councils. "No one wants to use this plan for the purpose it is intended, but we are prepared to use this plan, day or night, whether facing a natural or intentional disaster," says DC Council member Carol Schwartz, who heads COG's task force on homeland security and emergency preparedness.

Dutch firm claims to have effective drug for inhalational anthrax
A Dutch biotechnology company reports it has developed a drug to treat advanced inhalational anthrax infections. The human monoclonal antibodies developed by IQ Corporation prevent anthrax toxin from binding to cells and could be used to prevent and treat the disease in people exposed to anthrax. Details of the in-vitro study were presented at the Dangerous Pathogens 2002 conference in Bath, England. Animal trials of the drug are set to begin next year, the company says.

Sep 10

Postal system called more vulnerable to bioterrorism now than a year ago
The Postal Service faces several years of effort and at least a billion dollars in costs before it will achieve mail security, and until the job is finished, the nation remains even more vulnerable than it was last fall when anthrax-contaminated letters moved through the system, officials tell the New York Times. Though many safety measures have been put in place, the postal system is still an inviting vehicle for terrorists. "We cannot believe that whoever did this is the only one capable or willing to do this," says Thomas G. Day, the Postal Service's vice president for engineering. "The attack last year served as a blueprint," he says. "Clearly anyone who hadn't thought of it now fully understands it." The Postal service is consulting with several federal agencies, contractors, scientists, and the Royal Mail and other overseas postal agencies as it begins the first stages of a long-term plan to secure its sprawling system, in which almost every collection box is an unguarded gateway.

Skin anthrax may be more common in Britain than previously thought
Cutaneous anthrax may be more common in Britain than previously believed, says Dr. Charles Penn of the Center for Applied Microbiological Research, a British government institute. Just 14 cases of skin anthrax have been identified in Britain in the last 20 years. Two occurred shortly after the Sep 11 terror attacks. "Two cases in six months, compared with 14 in 20 years, statistically does not tell you a lot but it raises the possibility that there are more cases that go undiagnosed," Penn says. It is probable that increased awareness produced more diagnosed cases following the attacks, he tells the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Penn says the threat of bioterrorism creates a challenge in maintaining free societies with high expectations of safety and security.

Bioterrorism emphasis brings culture change at CDC
The CDC is making a difficult shift from an agency managing naturally transmitted diseases to one immersed in bioterrorism, the New York Times reports. "The place is different now," says Dr. Harold W. Jaffe, a CDC senior official. "To be told that you are partly responsible for the security of this country is a big cultural change for the agency. People are accepting it, but they are not entirely comfortable with it." In the past year the agency delivered $914 million, nearly 10 times as much as the previous year, to state and local health departments to upgrade disease surveillance, communication among health officials, and laboratory networking. While these efforts are also strengthening the nation's ability to deal with naturally transmitted diseases, some public health leaders say the CDC is moving too far into bioterrorism. Finding the right balance is a major challenge, says CDC Director Dr. Julie L. Gerberding.

Sep 9

Pentagon vaccine program seriously flawed, says IOM report
An Institute of Medicine report says the Department of Defense's vaccine acquisition program needs reorganization and more funding. The report urges the Pentagon to make vaccine acquisition a higher priority and create a single authority responsible for acquiring vaccines, instead of having separate authorities for naturally occurring diseases and those related to biowarfare. "Limitations in the acquisition process make the path from basic research to the procurement and use of vaccines both inefficient financially and cumbersome," the report says. "This approach risks the success of military operations and the health of personnel and potentially places national security at risk." The loss of two adenovirus vaccines in 1999 and a shortage of anthrax vaccine in recent years were prime examples of problems in the vaccine acquisition program, the report asserts.

Experts agree the nation remains vulnerable to bioterrorism
Many experts say the United States remains vulnerable to bioterrorism, especially food bioterrorism, even though the government has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to strengthen the nation's biological defenses, according to a New York Times report. Many analysts, including Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of health and human services, say the administration has not done enough to protect the food supply. Thomas W. Frazier, president of GenCon, a nonprofit group that promotes scientific and educational projects affecting agriculture, charges that leaders of the Department of Agriculture are hostile to the notion of vulnerability in the food system. The unpublished draft of a report by the National Research Council warns that "gaps in biological and intelligence data on foreign plant and foreign animal pests and pathogens" and poor border inspections increase the chance of terrorists spreading diseases like foot-and-mouth virus or soybean rust that could cripple the nation's livestock and crops. In addition, hospitals are a long way from having the "surge capacity" to deal with a bioterrorist attack.

APHA says bioterrorism preparedness is much improved, but more work needed
A report by the American Public Health Association says the public health system is far better prepared to respond to a bioterrorist attack than it was a year ago, but remains vulnerable. "There is no doubt that public health is in a much better place to respond to a major health crisis today than 12 months ago," says Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter, APHA executive director. "Since the anthrax cases last fall, the public health infrastructure is better equipped and prepared than at any time in the past 20 years." Yet the report warns that improvement is still needed in many aspects of preparedness. These include coordination of regional activities; response in rural areas; training of public health professionals; protection of food and water supplies and chemical plants; and development of national performance goals and measures to evaluate improvements.

Training capacity for attack response is going unused, scientists say
Hospital personnel, firefighters, and other first responders remain unprepared to manage a terrorist crisis, though the government has the expertise and technology to train them, according to a report by the Federation of American Scientists. The Department of Defense and other government agencies have the resources to educate experts in the response techniques, and simply coordinating those efforts could greatly increase their level of preparedness, according to the report. It says federal planners are missing an opportunity by not using technology like that used in flight and combat simulators, which could easily be adapted to train people to respond to an attack with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons. The report cites recent surveys showing that emergency workers feel they are not well prepared to deal with a large or unusual attack.

GAO says Postal Service air filters need more testing
The Postal Service should further test the air-filtering equipment it hopes to install in postal facilities across the country to determine whether it will effectively protect workers from biological agents, according to a study by Congress's General Accounting Office. The GAO also questions the estimated $245 million price tag of the project and whether the system's electrical energy demand will adversely affect other postal machinery. Patrick R. Donahoe, the Postal Service's senior vice president of operations, agrees to further evaluate the equipment and will use the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to assist in testing the system.

Post-Sep 11 groundings added to crop dusters' woes
Crop dusters, grounded three times after the Sep 11 attacks because of concern about bioterrorism, are struggling to stay in business. "There is still a tremendous amount of awareness as far as someone stealing an [agricultural] aircraft, and we have means in place to prevent a lot of that," says Mickey Sims, executive secretary of the Mississippi Board of Agricultural Aviation. Paul Kornegay, president of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, says crop dusters lost about $40 million nationwide because of the combined effects of the groundings and a depressed agricultural economy. Some operations have gone out of business, mainly because of drought and low commodities prices, he says. Kornegay says pilots who operate in Arkansas and Mississippi and were grounded until Oct. 15 were the hardest hit by the flight bans.

Lieberman wants to offer incentives for development of biodefense products
Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., is offering legislation that would tempt biotech companies with greater financial incentives to develop drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tests, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report. The bill encourages the private sector to help counteract more than three dozen biological and nuclear threats. "We're trying to enlist companies not as defense contractors but by tapping into their culture of entrepreneurship," says a Lieberman aide. Among other incentives, the bill would have the federal government pledge to buy an array of countermeasures developed by the companies, forgive the 20% capital gains tax on biodefense products, and create new tax shelters.

Sep 8

Lugar says Russians refused to share altered anthrax or permit lab visits
Russian officials are refusing to share a genetically altered strain of anthrax bacteria that they once promised to deliver to Pentagon scientists, according to Sen. Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind. Russian security officials also rejected a US congressional delegation's request to visit one of four military-run biological research labs, despite a decade of US help in securing stockpiles of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. The rejections came during an August visit to Russia by a delegation headed by Lugar, who is supporting legislation to expand US-Russian efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The incidents underscore lingering "bureaucratic opposition" to the cooperation on terrorism promised by President Vladimir Putin and President Bush at a summit last November in Texas, according to Lugar. "It shows that Putin is far ahead of much of Russia's bureaucracy on these matters," Lugar says in a press briefing.

Local public health agencies struggling to meet preparedness challenge
Throughout the country, health commissioners are trying to deal with what sort of biological threats their communities realistically face and how to best manage their reduced non-bioterrorism budgets and staffs. In interviews conducted over seven months, Newsday asked local public health leaders how they plan to protect the American public from biological terrorism. The Long Island (N.Y.) newspaper learned that leaders are encouraged at the nearly $2.5 billion the federal government plans to distribute in the coming months for local public health preparedness. But, without exception, officials worry that stressed public health systems, facing cutbacks in non-bioterrorism budgets due to severe deficits in at least 40 states, will not be able to meet the preparedness challenge, the newspaper reports. The difficulty of juggling typically insufficient resources against tremendous uncertainty appears to be universal, the story says.

Weapons inspectors disagree on whether Hussein will use arsenal
Former UN weapons inspectors agree that Saddam Hussein possesses large stockpiles of nerve agents, mustard gas, and anthrax, but probably does not have a nuclear bomb, according to an Associated Press report. Previous UN inspections revealed that Iraq probably has at least nine long-range Scud missiles and could make chemical and biological weapons. "That's what I'd worry about--they could reconstitute these weapons fairly soon and they actually have stuff on hand that could be used for terrorist and military purposes," says former UN inspector Raymond Zilinskas, head of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. But many former inspectors say Iraq's arsenal poses little threat. Robert Gallucci, former deputy director of the UN weapons inspection program, doesn't believe the weapons pose a "proximate" threat to the US or Israel.

Former inspector says Iraq is no threat; Powell disagrees
Iraq is unable to produce weapons of mass destruction and should prove it by allowing UN weapons inspectors to return, says former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter. Ritter, a critic of US policy on Iraq, joins a long list of officials from European and Arab nations in urging Iraq to accept inspectors to resolve the growing crisis with the United States. Iraqi cooperation in inspections would leave the United States "standing alone in regards to war threats on Iraq, and this is the best way to prevent the war," says Ritter. A former US Marine intelligence officer, Ritter makes his comments to members of parliament and to journalists on his third trip to Iraq since resigning from the UN inspection team in 1998. He says Iraq "is not a threat to its neighbors" and an attack on Iraq therefore would not be justified. But Secretary of State Colin Powell, on Fox News Sunday, disputes Ritter's assessment, saying he is no longer part of the "intelligence chain."

Activists say FBI is trampling suspects' rights in anthrax case and others
The FBI is using aggressive and questionable tactics that may ignore suspects' rights, according to liberal and conservative civil liberties activists interviewed by Reuters. "Pressure on the FBI from oversight bodies has relaxed since the [Sep 11] attacks. A lot of people on Capitol Hill have concluded this is not a good time to put pressure on the FBI to behave itself," says Timothy Lynch, director of a criminal justice project at the Cato Institute. One victim of the FBI's freedom may be researcher Steven Hatfill, whom the FBI has labeled a "person of interest" in the anthrax investigation. Though never charged, Hatfill says his life and career have been ruined since he was identified in leaks to the media. "It's a simple abuse of authority. They do it all the time and they do it with impunity," says Kris Kolesnik, once an aide to Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley and now with the National Whistleblowers Center. An FBI official refused to discuss the agency's methods and said the agency stays within the law, the report says.

Sep 6

FDA will use HACCP approach to detect pathogens in food imports
The US Food and Drug Administration, which inspects food imports from over 180 nations, plans to implement a bioterrorism defense system for food imports similar to one it uses in domestic food production. The system relies on probability predictions to focus inspections where attacks are most likely to happen, according to FDA Deputy Commissioner Lester Crawford. The system, called hazard reduction and critical control points (HACCP), involves stationing inspectors at points in a food plant where contamination is most apt to occur. The program factors in what poison terrorists might use, where they might try to use it, and what foods are most vulnerable to attack. "Things of the past were event-driven. Now we want to be forward-thinking," Crawford says.

Manhattan hospital prepares to handle bioterrorism casualties
St. Vincent's Manhattan Hospital in Greenwich Village is preparing to respond to nuclear, biological, and chemical attacks by overhauling its trauma center to accommodate a worst-case terrorist situation. The hospital's parent, St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, plans to include the $15 million project in a $100 million fund-raising campaign. The proposed trauma center will have three isolation rooms to handle germ-related emergencies and a permanent decontamination center.

Sep 5

Vaccination recommended for anthrax cleanup workers
In new guidelines for cleanup workers in anthrax-contaminated buildings, federal health officials say workers should be vaccinated against anthrax or receive preventive antibiotics. Fully vaccinated workers wearing protective suits and masks do not need antibiotics unless they breathe the air in a contaminated building, say the guidelines published by the CDC. Prolonged use of antibiotics could lead to drug-resistant strains of anthrax, the report notes. The CDC says anthrax vaccine will be available to workers in the event of future anthrax cleanups.

FBI handling of anthrax case continues to draw criticism
Critics of the FBI's investigation of last fall's anthrax attacks say the agency waited too long to request help from the scientific community. The agency also failed to follow up on some clear leads, and it may have unjustly pursued former Army scientist Dr. Steven Hatfill, critics say. "A lot of people are baffled by the way the investigation is going," says Jonathan Tucker, a biological and chemical weapons expert at the Washington-based Monterey Institute. "There is growing bewilderment in Congress and among the public about where the investigation is headed." Tucker wonders why the FBI continues to focus on Hatfill when the agency seems to have no evidence to indict him. He further questions whether the FBI was too quick to exclude the possibility of foreign involvement in the anthrax attacks.

Johns Hopkins prof still waiting for FBI to clear his name in anthrax case
Nearly a year after armed FBI agents broke into the home of Dr. Irshad Shaikh in search of evidence related to the anthrax attack, Shaikh and hundreds of other immigrants caught up in the investigation are waiting for the government to clear their names. Today the Chester, Penn., health commissioner and Johns Hopkins University faculty associate is in Afghanistan, studying combat-related injuries as part of a US government-funded study led by the CDC and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation. People in Chester also continue to express confidence in him. "The neighbors realize that he is an asset to this city," says Dr. Howell Strauss, director of a Chester medical clinic. While the government allows Shaikh to work in a nation where al-Qaida remains active, FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi says the inquiry into Shaikh, who holds both US and Pakistani citizenship, is still a "pending matter."

LSU fires Steven Hatfill's boss in biodefense training program
Officials at Louisiana State University say that Chancellor Mark A. Emmert has now fired both top officials who supervised bioterrorism training for emergency responders, the New York Times reports. The termination of the program's director, Stephen L. Guillot Jr., on Sep 4 followed that of recently appointed associate director Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, whom the FBI has called a "person of interest" in its anthrax investigation. Both men worked for the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training at LSU. LSU spokesman Gene Sands declines to discuss the reason for Guillot's termination but says that Chancellor Emmert has ordered a "top-to-bottom management review" of the training program, which is largely financed by the Justice Department.

Lawyer asks Ashcroft to find new job for Hatfill
Attorney Victor Glasberg, who represents fired researcher Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, demands that Attorney General John Ashcroft find Hatfill a new job. Glasberg says the Justice Department's "inappropriate actions" in naming Hatfill a "person of interest" in the anthrax investigation caused Hatfill to lose his job as a researcher. "With all due respect, it is proper for you to take the lead in setting this right immediately," Glasberg writes in a letter to Ashcroft. He also asserts that Hatfill is entitled to an apology and that the Justice Department and FBI's actions have made it nearly impossible for him to find a job. Additionally, Glasberg files a complaint with the department's Office of Professional Responsibility, saying the Justice Department leaked information to the media, allowed FBI agents to harass Hatfill's girlfriend, and blacklisted him. The Justice Department has no immediate comment.

American Indian unit helps Europeans track weapons smugglers
An American Indian unit called the Shadow Wolves has taken its tracking expertise to Eastern Europe to help prevent smuggling of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Three members of the 21-person unit, known for its ability to reduce drug traffic across the Mexican border, spent three weeks in Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia training customs officials, border guards, and national police in how to detect and track people suspected of carrying weapons components. Other Shadow Wolves traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan earlier this year. Kevin Carlos, a Shadow Wolves team member sent to the Baltic region, says he taught his foreign counterparts how to search for footprints, broken branches, and other clues. The training is part of a US program to help about two-dozen nations, primarily in the Soviet bloc.

Sep 4

New vaccine may block effects of ricin
Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas say they developed a vaccine against the deadly toxin ricin while studying use of the toxin as a possible cancer-fighting agent. The vaccine works in mice and may also work to protect people in the event of a bioterrorist attack, the researchers say. Ricin, a product of the castor bean, is on the list of likely bioterrorist agents and considered a moderate threat (class B agent) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "What is incredibly frightening about ricin is that it is so easy to make, it is so easy to stockpile," Dr. Ellen Vitetta, who led the study, tells Reuters. The toxin can be put into food or water or made into an aerosol and sprayed. The researchers report on the vaccine in the Sep 10 issue of Vaccine.

Thompson expects White House decision on smallpox immunizations this month
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson says he has sent his recommendations on smallpox vaccination to the White House and expects a decision this month, according to the Associated Press. Though mathematical models indicate that a person faces a much higher risk of being hurt by the vaccine than of contracting smallpox, Thompson expresses caution. "My gut tells me you have to assume the worst right now with bioterrorism," he says. Unnamed HHS officials are quoted as saying that Thompson's recommendation would lead to the vaccination of 250,000 to 500,000 hospital and emergency workers. In additional comments, Thompson says he is worried that the US is vulnerable to an attack on its food supply. "I still believe that is the area [where] we are subject to a terrorist attack in the future and one that could cause problems," he says.

Bioterrorism is among top worries for city officials across nation
City officials throughout the United States say biological and chemical attacks and cyberterrorism rate number one on their list of worries. A survey by the National League of Cities also lists car bombs, "dirty" bombs, radiological attacks, suicide bombs, and airplanes used as weapons as top concerns among city leaders. "Cities are the natural targets of the evolving terrorist threat," says NLC President Karen Anderson, mayor of Minnetonka, Minn. "They seem to be an afterthought when it comes to federal and state priorities for providing funding and communicating key information." The survey, conducted in July and August, drew 725 responses, 142 of which came from cities of more than 100,000 population.

Bill would rename Washington postal plant after anthrax victims
A bill is introduced in Congress to rename Washington's Brentwood postal facility for anthrax victims Joseph Curseen Jr. and Thomas Morris Jr. Both Postal Service employees died of inhalation anthrax after anthrax-contaminated letters passed through the Brentwood plant last October. Co-workers say Curseen had never called in sick during his 15 years with the Postal Service. Morris, a distribution clerk, had been a Postal Service employee since 1973 and was described as dedicated to both his family and his work. If the bill is approved, the Brentwood facility will be renamed the Joseph Curseen Jr. and Thomas Morris Jr. Processing and Distribution Center.

Blair promises to release dossier of evidence against Iraq
British Prime Minister Tony Blair pledges to release a dossier of evidence against Iraq, though many analysts expect it will merely reiterate what the world already knows and provide little hard evidence that Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction. A similar dossier on Osama bin Laden was used to justify Britain's backing for the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan but was ridiculed by lawyers as containing little firm evidence.

Danish leader says US and Europe will seek return of weapons inspectors to Iraq
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen says the European Union and the United States have agreed to insist that Iraq allow the return of weapons inspectors, though the EU has yet to decide what action to take if Iraq refuses them entry. After a meeting with Secretary of State Colin Powell at the Earth Summit, Rasmussen also says the EU wants the United Nations to approve any action against Iraq. "There is agreement between the EU and the United States that here and now we should concentrate our efforts on ensuring that international weapons inspectors can get free and unrestricted access to Iraq," Rasmussen says at a news conference. "Nevertheless, I think its is of vital importance to pursue the UN track."

Sep 3

Public health leader says intelligence agencies don't share bioterrorism information
Intelligence agencies are neglecting to pass on critical information about potential bioterrorism threats to public health officials, experts tell United Press International. Richard Levinson, associate executive director of the American Public Health Association in Washington, says public health officials desperately need information about possible attacks "because it changes your whole planning timeline and the urgency to get materials to protect the population." He adds, "The intelligence community and the public health community have never communicated in any important way. And that's something that needs to happen." Both the CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency say they share information about bioterrorist threats with appropriate authorities. But a CIA spokesman who requested anonymity says that while the agency shares information with appropriate officials, it does not brief public health officials directly.

Chinese appeal germ-warfare suit against Japan to Tokyo High Court
A group of Chinese citizens who say they were victims of Japan's germ warfare program before and during World War II are appealing their case to the Tokyo High Court. The action comes after a Tokyo district court acknowledged for the first time that Japan had a germ warfare program but turned down the Chinese group's plea for compensation. The group is now seeking compensation and an apology, says a lawyer working with Keichiro Ichinose, who represents the plaintiffs.

Virginia hospital system unveils decontamination facilities
New decontamination facilities are unveiled at Inova Health System's five hospitals in Fairfax, Va., and neighboring cities. At Inova Fairfax Hospital, volunteers demonstrate the decontamination process by stripping to their underwear and turning over their clothes to be tagged, bagged, and stored in biohazard receptacles. They then scrub under ceiling-mounted shower heads and dress in hooded jumpers and flip-flops. This type of decontamination preparedness for people exposed to chemical, biological, and radiological contaminants "is front and center on every hospital administrator's plate of responsibilities right now," says Dan Hanfling, director of emergency management and disaster medicine for Inova Health System. The facilities cost an estimated $350,000 to build and can decontaminate up to 500 people per hour.

European diplomats working on plan to revive arms inspections in Iraq
European Union foreign ministers will discuss with Secretary of State Colin Powell in New York next week a diplomatic plan to resume UN arms inspection in Baghdad before any military action, European diplomats say. According to the plan, a new mandatory Security Council resolution would be adopted within 2 months, demanding that Iraq unconditionally readmit weapons inspectors. This would put pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to cooperate with the international community or face likely military consequences, sources say. Diplomats say Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz's renewed willingness to cooperate with the United Nations after he met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan shows that Baghdad is feeling pressure and sees it must give ground on inspections to avert a US military strike.

Sep 2

US rejects Iraqi offer of conditional weapons inspections
Iraq says it wants to discuss a conditional return of UN arms inspectors, butthe White House rejects the offer as another policy switch. Speaking at theEarth Summit in South Africa, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz says hewill meet UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Sep 3 to discuss the dispute with Washingtonand says Baghdad would consider allowing weapons inspectors to return as partof an overall plan to deal with the dispute. White House spokesman AriFleischer tells reporters on Air Force One, "Iraq changes positions onwhether it will let the inspectors back in more often than Saddam Husseinchanges bunkers." Fleischer says Iraqi officials "don't have ahistory of reliability."

Harvard official calls for national public healthstrategy
Sep 11 ended two decades of insufficient investment in the US public healthsystem, but the nation needs a strategy for strengthening the system, saysJoseph S. Nye Jr., dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.In a commentary in the International Herald Tribune, Nye callsfor investment in research, a background of good public health data, and promptcommunication of findings to national, state, and local officials. Improvedsurveillance, vaccine and antibiotic stockpiles, and efficient distributionsystems must also be developed. Governments need to improve education andcommunication with the press and the public, and regional health officials mustmake plans for handling surges of patients, says Nye. The United States spent$1.5 billion on global public health last year, but many experts believe thisnumber should at least double to begin to make a serious improvement in thesituation.

Tiny silicon chips can detect pathogens in water or air,scientists say
Scientists at the University of California-San Diego report they are developingtiny silicon chips that can detect biological and chemical agents in drinkingwater or in the air. The dust-particle-sized silicon chips have "bar codes"that react to chemical or biological agents that could be used in a terroristattack, according to a report in the online edition of Nature Materials.The chips "could be inconspicuously stuck to paint on a wall or to theside of a truck or dispersed into a cloud of gas to detect toxic chemicals orbiological materials," Michael J. Sailor, a UCSD professor of chemistryand biochemistry, tells HealthScout News. The codes in the chips can be read bya laser like a grocery store scanner, which would alert operators to thepresence of pathogens or toxins, Sailor says.

Sep 1

Powell says US should try to resume arms inspections inIraq
Secretary of State Colin Powell says in a BBC interview that the United Statesshould seek a return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq before taking furthersteps. "The president has been clear that he believes weapons inspectorsshould return," Powell says, as quoted in the New York Times."Iraq has been in violation of these many UN resolutions for most of thelast 11 or so years. So as a first step, let's see what the inspectors find,send them back in, why are they being kept out?" adds Powell. His commentsindicate differences within the Bush administration over how to deal with Iraq.Last week, Vice President Dick Cheney said that resuming weapons inspectionscould be counterproductive. White House spokesman Scott McClellan says Powell'sposition does not contradict the president's. The president agrees that "unfetteredinspections" are a required first step but not necessarily enough, hesays.

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