News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – If someone tried to kill Americans with Bacillus anthracis spores today, the nation would have a better medical tool chest for treating the sick and those potentially exposed than it had 10 years ago, when the anthrax letter attacks killed five people, but anthrax defenses are still a work in progress.

(CIDRAP News) – Though the United States has improved its ability to respond to small-scale bioterror events, it is still unprepared to protect its citizens against large attacks, according to the latest assessment today from a bipartisan commission established to advise Congress.

(CIDRAP News) – The price-tag for federal investments in new flu vaccine technology has been difficult to get a handle on, but yesterday in a review for Congress the Government Accountability Office (GAO) put the number at $2.1 billion since fiscal year 2005.

(CIDRAP News) – A Senate committee began work on reauthorizing the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) yesterday by calling federal and public health officials before them to testify about gaps and what steps are needed to better prepare the nation against flu and bioterror threats.

(CIDRAP News) – A report from the National Research Council (NRC) calls for some changes in a US Army immunization program for lab researchers who work with dangerous pathogens, saying the vaccines need to be made more accessible to civilian scientists.