News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – The federal government has moved to allow individuals and groups to continue working with certain hazardous biological agents beyond the Nov 12 deadline for complying with new registration rules while the government completes background checks on those groups.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Health and Human Services yesterday announced $350 million in grants for eight regional centers to lead and coordinate research on defenses against bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said this week it is making $1.4 billion available to states and territories to improve their preparedness for terrorism and other public health emergencies.

(CIDRAP News) – The five federal agencies most involved in biodefense face a talent shortage that could keep them from responding effectively to a major bioterrorist attack, according to a new report by a nonprofit group that works on civil service issues.

(CIDRAP News) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is offering a new computer model to help hospitals and health systems estimate how many staff members they would need to dispense antibiotics or vaccinate people in response to bioterrorism or a major disease outbreak.

(CIDRAP News) – In new guidelines for obtaining federal bioterrorism preparedness funds, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is urging states to press on with their smallpox vaccination efforts and other smallpox response planning.

(CIDRAP News) – The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said yesterday it will release $100 million in recently appropriated emergency funds to help states with their smallpox vaccination program and other public health preparedness efforts.

(CIDRAP News) – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposed rules that would require most food-related businesses to keep detailed records on all food products so that the government could trace a product's path through production and distribution in case of a contamination episode, the FDA announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should help states adjust their smallpox vaccination plans and goals to reflect the reality that relatively few health workers have volunteered for the shots so far, the General Accounting Office (GAO) of Congress says in a report released yesterday.

(CIDRAP News) – US states and territories will receive a total of nearly $1.4 billion for bioterrorism preparedness this year, and 20% of that will be available almost immediately to support smallpox vaccination or other needs, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced today.