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oday's Headlines: February 18, 2019
Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
US Flu Activity Continues to Rise (CIDRAP) US flu activity rose again last week, with the H3N2 strain expanding out of the southeast region, where it has been the dominant strain, and pushing into the south and central parts of the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today in its latest update. Go to article
Domestic Preparedness & Response
Government Affairs & National Security
Trump Science Adviser Calls for more Collaboration Between Industry and Government (Nature) Kelvin Droegemeier, newly minted science adviser to US President Donald Trump, wants industry to take a larger role in funding research, with the ultimate goal of ushering in a "second golden era" of US science. Collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as reducing regulatory burdens, would be key to maintaining America as a dominant global force in science, the meteorologist said on 15 February, in his first public address since taking office last month. Go to article
Want to Get a Politician to Listen to Science? Here's Some Advice (Science) Present both sides. Disclose conflicts of interest. And make sure you catch them at just the right time. Those are some of the best tips to get members of Congress to listen to scientific advice, according to a session here Friday at the annual meeting of AAAS, which publishes Science. Talking to a politician is a lot different than talking to an average member of the public, said panelist Elizabeth Suhay, associate professor of government at American University's School of Public Affairs here. The problem, she said, is that most scientists don't really know how to tailor their communication specifically to politicians. "What we recognized is that there is a lot of science communication advice out there for informing the public, but not so much for communicating with policymakers." Go to article
Chemical Biological Center Aligns Under New Command (CCDC Chemical Biological Center Public Affairs) The US Army has been focused on the near-term for the last 18 years and rightfully so. But as we wind down and come out of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan the message is very, very clear, we need to re-focus on large-scale, ground combat and we need to refocus on the future," said Gen. John M. Murray, commanding general AFC. Go to article
Homeland Security Replacing Troubled Biodefense System with Another Flawed Approach (Los Angeles Times) The Trump administration is quietly moving to replace BioWatch, the nation's problem-plagued system for detecting an airborne attack of anthrax spores or other infectious agents, with technology that also has severe shortcomings, a Times investigation has found. The first new device was installed without public notice in December and others are being emplaced at 11 other US locations with a goal of supplanting BioWatch "within the next couple of years," James F. McDonnell, an assistant secretary of Homeland Security, said in an interview. Go to article
Global Health Security
South Sudan Conducts an Ebola Tabletop Exercise (Relief Web) South Sudan conducted an Ebola virus disease Tabletop exercise for National Rapid Response Team on 12 February 2019. The exercise aimed at enhancing NRRT's operational readiness by familiarizing participants with the EVD Standard Operating Procedures on Rapid Response Team activation, deployment and field investigation procedures. It also provided participants with an opportunity to evaluate current capabilities and resources for prompt deployment in response to any suspected EVD case. Go to article
Medicine & Public Health
Next-Generation Sequencing of Infectious Pathogens (JAMA) Next-generation sequencing holds potential for improving clinical and public health microbiology. In addition to identifying pathogens more rapidly and precisely than traditional methods, high-throughput technologies and bioinformatics can provide new insights into disease transmission, virulence, and antimicrobial resistance. The US public health system is integrating pathogen genome sequencing into infectious disease surveillance with support from the Advanced Molecular Detection program, established by Congress at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2014. Go to article
Other 21st Century Threats
Facebook Fake News 'War Room' Should Target anti-Vaxxers (The Telegraph) Myth-busting operatives in Facebook's misinformation "war room" should be monitoring harmful public health messages as well as fake news, a leading vaccine expert has said. Large measles outbreaks in Europe and the US have put the issue of vaccine hesitancy at the top of the agenda, with growing concern over the role that "anti-vaxxers" play on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Facebook has said that it is "exploring additional measures to best combat the problem". Go to article
Nowhere to Hide: The Logic of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria (Global Public Policy Institute) Our research found that there have been at least 336 chemical weapons attacks over the course of the Syrian civil war - significantly more than has commonly been known. Around 98 percent of these attacks can be attributed to the Assad regime, with the Islamic State group responsible for the rest. Approximately 90 percent of all confirmed attacks occurred after the infamous "red line" incident of August 2013. Go to article
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