Anthrax

(CIDRAP News) – VaxGen Inc., maker of a new anthrax vaccine for the US civilian stockpile, announced yesterday that delivery of the first doses will be delayed at least a year beyond the original target date of November 2006.

(CIDRAP News) – Combining vaccination with 14 days of antibiotic therapy after exposure to airborne anthrax may be an alternative to the current recommendation of 60 days of antibiotics alone, according to an animal study reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

(CIDRAP News) – The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is adding 5 million doses of anthrax vaccine to its stockpile for civilian biodefense, which will double its store of the vaccine.

HHS announced in a press release that it is buying the doses of Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA) for $120 million from BioPort Corp. of Lansing, Mich. The purchase augments the 5 million AVA doses that HHS bought from BioPort a year ago.

(CIDRAP News) – Scientists have come up with a new approach to neutralizing the toxin produced by anthrax bacteria and have tested it successfully in a small number of animals, according to a report published this week.

(CIDRAP News) – The Bush administration acknowledged last week that its $5.6 billion program to build a supply of medical countermeasures against biological weapons and other threats is struggling and needs help, according to a newspaper report.

(CIDRAP News) – Laboratory testing in the case of the New York City drum maker who recently contracted anthrax has supported the belief that he inhaled anthrax spores while working with contaminated animal hides, according to federal health officials.

(CIDRAP News) – A 44-year-old New York City man has inhalational anthrax—the first US case since 2001—possibly as a result of using African animal hides to make drums, Pennsylvania and federal officials announced today.

(CIDRAP News) – In a new chapter in a 2-year legal battle over the US military's anthrax vaccination program, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reaffirmed its earlier finding that the anthrax vaccine used by the military is safe and effective for preventing all forms of anthrax.

(CIDRAP News) – If public health emergency preparedness were a college class, the federal government would be considered a poor pupil by the nonprofit organization Trust For America's Health (TFAH), which gives the government a D+ in a new report released yesterday.

That grade was based on a survey of 20 leading public health experts, who used 12 criteria to measure preparedness.

(CIDRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which recently reconstructed the 1918 pandemic influenza virus for research purposes, has classified the virus as a "select agent," imposing special rules on groups that handle it.