Health Security Headlines, February 10, 2015

Mike,

Thank you. Great to see you emerging again. The Guinean violence is an indication of a Level IV crisis. We need to post these pieces prominently.

GRS, all Africa RSs

5

Crisis level IV

Mike

Dr. Michael D. McDonald

Chairman
Global Resilience Initiatives

Executive Director
Health Initiatives Foundation, Inc.

Coordinator
Global Resilience System

Michael.D.McDonald.mac.com
202-468-7899

> On Feb 10, 2015, at 2:22 PM, Michael Kraft <mbkraft@erols.com> wrote:
>
> Greetings from Tampa airport. Some items here of possible interest .
> Mike
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: UPMC Center for Health Security <hsh_editor@upmc.edu>
>> Date: February 10, 2015 at 2:01:57 PM EST
>> To: mbkraft@erols.com
>> Subject: Health Security Headlines, February 10, 2015
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>> Today's Headlines: February 10, 2015
>>
>> Ebola
>>
>> After the Worst in Liberia and Sierra Leone (Health Affairs Blog) From January 19-27, we traveled to Liberia and Sierra Leone to engage with national leaders, health workers, citizens, non-governmental organization implementers, international organizations, and US, UK, and other officials, including the African Union, Chinese, and Cuban medical delegations. It was a moment of hope and nervous adjustment, as Ebola cases dropped suddenly and unexpectedly in Liberia, followed by reductions in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Go to article
>>
>> Violent Protests in Ebola-hit Guinea After Imam's Arrest (ReliefWeb) Around a dozen Guineans were wounded Monday in clashes with police after the arrest of an imam who led funeral prayers for a suspected victim of Ebola. Go to article
>>
>> Britain Becomes First Country to Donate to IMF Ebola Debt Relief Fund (Thomas Reuters Foundation) Britain said on Monday it would contribute $50 million to a new IMF fund to help West African countries hit by Ebola to service their debts so they can use their own money to help save lives. Go to article
>>
>> Mistrust and Machetes Thwart Efforts to Contain Ebola in Guinea (Reuters) When Red Cross pickups crawl through the streets of the Guinean town of Lola in search of Ebola victims, crowds of women gather to shoo the medical workers away, young boys throw stones and angry men reach for their machetes. Go to article
>>
>> Every Single Kid Who Was Orphaned By Ebola In Guinea Now Has A Home (Huffington Post) Every child who was orphaned by Ebola in Guinea has a familiar place to call home--an astounding development considering these kids were shunned just a few months ago. Go to article
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>> More Liberians Turning Up for Ebola Vaccine Trials (Government of Liberia) The Co-investigator on the Liberia-US Clinical Research Partnership Team, Stephen Kennedy, has said there is a high level of enthusiasm in clinical trials of 2 vaccines to prevent Ebola. Go to article
>>
>> Reform After the Ebola Debacle (New York Times) The WHO's anemic performance in handling the Ebola outbreaks in West Africa may yield one positive outcome: sweeping, and long overdue, institutional reforms to improve its ability to respond more quickly to the next outbreak of a lethal infectious disease. Go to article
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>>
>> Biological Agents & Infectious Diseases
>>
>> Human Infection with Avian Influenza A(H7N9) Virus--China (WHO: Global Alert and Response) On 4 February 2015, the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 83 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. Go to article
>>
>> As MERS Persists, WHO Cites Hospital-linked Clusters (CIDRAP) Saudi Arabia reported 2 more MERS-CoV cases over the weekend, and today the WHO said inadequate hospital infection control measures may be partly to blame for the continuing series of cases in the country. Go to article
>>
>> CDC: Measles Total Swells to 121 in 17 States (CIDRAP) So far this year 17 states and Washington, DC, have reported cases, with most of them (85%) part of the theme-park outbreak, according to the CDC. Go to article
>>
>> Case of Human Illness Could Stem from Bacteria at Primate Center in Covington (The New Orleans Advocate) The Tulane National Primate Research Center in Covington has suspended work on biological agents and toxins classified as "select agents" by the federal government after an investigator who was at the center for a few days in January tested positive Friday for antibodies related to a type of bacteria studied there. Go to article
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>> Government Affairs & National Security
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>> Fugate: FEMA Mission Compromised by Fight over Budget (USA Today) A congressional standoff over funding the DHS is making it difficult for the department's small agencies to operate, FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate said Friday. "Our ability to execute the mission is being compromised," Fugate told USA TODAY in an exclusive interview. Go to article
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>>
>> Science & Technology
>>
>> Mitigating the Risks of Synthetic Biology (Council on Foreign Relations) As the field expands, synthetic biology may become a pervasive industrial technology, replacing chemistry in applications as diverse as mining, environmental remediation, and the manufacture and production of common household goods and foods. However, synthetic biology may also be misused, and the advent of this technology has national security implications. Go to article
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>> Ethical Challenges of Big Data in Public Health (PLOS: Computational Biology) Big data cannot be readily grouped into clearly demarcated functional categories. Depending on how they are queried and combined with other datasets, a given dataset can traverse categories in unpredictable ways. Go to article
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>> Preparedness Pulsepoints: February 10, 2015
>> Delivered first thing each Tuesday morning, Preparedness Pulsepoints provides a snapshot of each week's USG action on readiness and response. Read | Subscribe
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