October 18, 2016
BOOK LAUNCH
Synthetic Biology: Safety Security, and Promise
By Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall

Gigi Kwik Gronvall's latest book, "Synthetic Biology: Safety, Security, and Promise" is dedicated to a discussion of what can be done to minimize risks and maximize the benefits of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology aims to make biology easier to engineer, and is poised to change the future of medicine, agriculture, and manufacturing. However, there are biosecurity risks that these technologies will be deliberately used for harm; safety risks to people and the environment; ethical and social considerations for how to apply these technologies; and there are risks to the competitiveness of nations that do not invest in these technologies.

Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
NEWS
Senators Urge Obama Administration to Clarify Position on Haiti in Wake of Cholera Epidemic.  The senators said that it was necessary for the United Nations to accept full responsibility for the cholera outbreak and that the organization should begin the process of resolving claims for the victims of the epidemic.  (Homeland Preparedness News, 10/17/16)
 
GUIDANCE
Advice for People Living in or Traveling to South Florida.  This guidance applies to people who live in or traveled to the newly designated 1-square mile area of Miami-Dade County any time after August 26, and the previously identified 4.5-square-mile area of Miami Beach any time after July 14, 2016.  (CDC, 10/15/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
CDC Working with Florida to Respond to New Active Zika Transmission Area in Miami-Dade County.  CDC has been working with state, local, and territorial health officials to prepare for the possibility of locally transmitted Zika virus in the United States. Officials from Florida participated in all these activities, and their experience in responding to mosquito-borne diseases similar to Zika virus disease has been an important source of knowledge in this effort.  (CDC, 10/13/16)
 
BLOG
Better Preparing for Future Ebola Outbreaks Globally.  While the Ebola virus disease is not in the news as much now as it once was, we cannot afford to let down our guard. Ebola cases flared up again as recently as this March in West Africa, causing eight deaths in Guinea and one death in Liberia, and more than 30 other outbreaks of the disease have been recorded in the last 40 years.  (ASPR, 10/13/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
Study Finds Ebola Treatment ZMapp Holds Promise, Although Results Not Definitive.  A clinical trial to evaluate the experimental Ebola treatment ZMapp found it to be safe and well-tolerated; however, because of the waning Ebola epidemic, the study enrolled too few people to determine definitively whether it is a better treatment for Ebola virus disease (EVD) than the best available standard of care alone.  (NIH, 10/13/16)
 
RESEARCH
Estimating the Size of the US Population at Risk of Severe Adverse Events from Replicating Smallpox Vaccine.  This article undertakes a thorough updated assessment to determine the prevalence of the US population at risk of severe adverse events from replicating smallpox vaccination, taking into account more at-risk states, changing prevalence rates, demographic shifts, and a wider spectrum of potential contraindications than previously assessed.  (Public Health Nursing, 10/13/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Large Research Projects for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections.  This FOA issued by AHRQ invites grant applications for funding to conduct Large Research Projects (R01) that propose to advance the base of knowledge for detection, prevention, and reduction of Healthcare-Associated Infections.  (Grants.gov, 10/13/16)
 
FACT SHEET
United States Leadership to Advance the Global Health Security Agenda: 55 Countries Show Concrete Commitment to Prevent, Detect, and Respond.  This week in Rotterdam, the United States will join the Netherlands and other participants in the 55-country Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), as well as non-governmental organizations, foundations, and private sector stakeholders, as they take collective action to address epidemic threats.  (The White House, 10/12/16)
 
NEWS
DoD to Study Omadacycline as Countermeasure for Plague, Anthrax.  Paratek Pharmaceuticals this week announced a new cooperative research effort with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) to study omadacycline against pathogenic agents causing infectious diseases of public health and biodefense importance.  (Global Biodefense, 10/12/16)
 
COMMENTARY
A Path to Global Health Security. Amy Pope, Heather Higginbottom, Gayle Smith, and Thomas R. Frieden explain how o ur connectedness provides opportunity for people all over the world, but also poses serious challenges with implications for our health security and for the stability and security of our populations.  (Medium, 10/11/16)
 
COMMENTARY
Zika Virus 6 Months Later.  Drs. Thomas R. Frieden, Anne Schuchat, and Lyle Peterson explain why new tools are needed to better address Zika and other vector-borne threats.  (JAMA, 10/11/16)
 
NEWS
With the End of an Immigration Program Comes Ebola Fears for West Africans in the US.  In 2014, the Department of Homeland Security gave Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone Temporary Protected Status. West Africans given temporary immigration protection in the US at the height of the Ebola outbreak may have to leave next May, despite fears the virus is still lurking in their homelands.  (STAT, 10/10/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Public Health Preparedness and Response (PHPR) Cooperative Agreement for All-Hazards Public Health.  The purpose of this supplement is to announce that an additional $25 million in PHPR Zika funding is available to the current 53 PHPR Zika awardees. Awardees may apply for funding needed to complete Zika preparedness and response activities that are within the scope of the Zika funding opportunity announcement and will be completed by June 30, 2017.  (Grants.gov, 10/10/16)
 
WEBINAR
What's New for the 2016-2017 Flu Season: Recommendations for Children.  During this COCA call, subject matter experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will highlight this critical information and discuss strategies that primary care providers and medical subspecialists can use to improve flu prevention and control in children. The call will take place on October 27, 2-3 PM EST.  (CDC, 10/16)
 
WORKSHOP
FBI-CDC Criminal-Epidemiological Investigation Workshop.  The FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are hosting five free in-person workshops designed to enhance collaboration between the public health and law enforcement disciplines. Each two-day joint Criminal-Epidemiological (Crim-Epi) Investigations training includes classroom presentations, breakout group sessions, and a tabletop exercise to promote the Crim-Epi Model for conducting joint investigations during a suspicious biological incident.  (NACCHO, 10/16)
 
REPORT
CDC 2015: Keeping America Safe, Healthy, and Secure.  CDC has a unique role protecting America's health security. Our scientists and public health experts are world leaders at responding to large-scale health emergencies such as natural disasters, pandemics, deliberate attacks, environmental catastrophes, and other health threats.  (CDC, 10/16)
 
Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
NEWS
DoD Participates in Disaster Relief Hackathon in New York City.  The MD5 National Security Technology Accelerator, a public-private partnership between the Department of Defense, New York University and a large network of top US research universities, is being officially launched at a hackathon today in Brooklyn, New York, according to DoD officials.  (Department of Defense, 10/14/16)
 
EXECUTIVE ORDER
Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events.  Extreme space weather events -- those that could significantly degrade critical infrastructure -- could disable large portions of the electrical power grid, resulting in cascading failures that would affect key services such as water supply, healthcare, and transportation.  (The White House, 10/13/16)

See also:  Preparing the Nation for Space Weather (The White House, 10/13/16)

VIDEO
President Barack Obama on What AI Means for National Security.  WIRED guest editor President Barack Obama, WIRED editor in chief Scott Dadich and MIT Media Lab director Joi Ito discuss the challenges of cyber security in the age of artificial intelligence.  (WIRED, 10/12/16)
 
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There are no hearings scheduled for this week.

 

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