September 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.

Sep 14

Survey shows hesitancy of public to follow fed's orders in emergency
Research sponsored by the New York Academy of Medicine shows that a large portion of the American public would not necessarily follow instructions given by the government in the event of an emergency. In a national telephone survey of 2,545 randomly selected adults, only two fifths of responders said they would go to a public vaccination site as requested if there were a smallpox outbreak and only three fifths said they would comply if a dirty bomb were to explode and instructions were to stay put. Findings show that many people do not trust the federal government to take care of them in such situations and would likely take matters into their own hands, according to a Reuters story. More planning and work with communities may improve the situation, say the researchers.

Sep 10

BSL-3 lab at Lawrence Livermore cleared to begin work
A U.S. District Judge in the San Francisco area rules that Biosafety Level 3 work can begin at a new facility at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. Construction on the 1,600-square-foot, $2.5 million lab began last December and is expected to be finished in the next few months. Groups trying to block the lab on environmental grounds, which sued it and the Department of Energy in December 2003, are planning to appeal, according to a Contra Costa Times story.

Progress in bioterrorism preparedness reported by Thompson
Tommy Thompson, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, issues a detailed statement on the eve of the 3rd anniversary of the Sep 11 attacks noting the many improvements that have been made in US capabilities to protect from and respond to emergencies. Among improvements he outlines are a greatly strengthened public health system into which $4.1 billion has been poured, incentives for vaccine and treatment development through the Project BioShield program, and expansion of the Strategic National Stockpile of drugs and supplies for use in an attack.

Sep 9

GAO issues report on USPS response to 2001 anthrax attack
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issues a report pointing out shortcomings of the US Postal Service (USPS) response to the 2001 anthrax attacks and offering recommendations and updates on what the USPO has done to remedy them. Among criticisms were that the USPS depended too much on direction from local public health agencies in deciding whether to close facilities where anthrax was detected and that communication with employees and with the public had problems in terms of clarity, accuracy, and timeliness. Many improvements have been made since then in the way the USPS would respond now to such an attack. For example, certain mail is now irradiated before delivery, biohazard detectors have been installed in numerous facilities, a center to coordinate information within the service has been established, and emergency response guidelines have been developed. The anthrax letters in 2001 caused 3 cases of cutaneous and 6 cases (2 fatal) of inhalation anthrax among postal workers.

Scientists want research on dangerous agents freely accessible
A scientific panel convened by the National Research Council concludes that research findings on dangerous organisms should remain freely available even though they could get into the hands of terrorists. The scientists believe that the benefit of having data available to colleagues working on vaccines and treatments outweighs the danger of the information's misuse. Stanley Falkow of Stanford University, chairman of the committee, said, "Open access is essential if we are to maintina the progress needed to stay ahead of those who would attempt to cause harm." Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge disagreed.

Sep 8

Diluted 1950s smallpox vaccine still works
That diluted smallpox vaccine frozen since the 1950s is effective was confirmed in a study published in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Three dilutions of the vaccine were tested, and even the weakest (1:10 solution) was effective. Use of diluted vaccine would allow amplification of the currently available 85 million doses of the old vaccine. The federal government has ordered millions of new doses as well, and has funded research on new and safer smallpox vaccines. (See CIDRAP News story.)

Sep 7

Attenuated smallpox vaccine gets IND status
VaxGen, Inc., announces that its candidate smallpox vaccine LC16m8 has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for IND (Investigational New Drug) status. The vaccine is being developed in hopes of both being chosen for the federal government's planned emergency stockpile of attenuated smallpox vaccine and being licensed for commercial sale, according to a press release. IND classification means the drug can enter phase I/II human clinical trials to compare it with the currently licensed, unattenuated smallpox vaccine, Dryvax, in terms of immunogenicity and safety. LC16m8 is produced in cell culture; it was originally developed in Japan and is licensed and sold there.

Sep 1

Expansion of military anthrax/smallpox vaccination program begins
The Department of Defense plan announced this summer to extend anthrax and smallpox vaccinations to many military and some civilian personnel in and around Iran, Afghanistan, and the Korean Peninsula (see Jun 30 item) begins implementation. The order was issued by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark.

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