As Ice Melts, Dangerous Diseases From The Past Could Rise Again
The great thing about climate change is that there’s always some new, horrifying consequence to worry about ― like ancient viruses and bacteria emerging from the ice as the Earth warms. Unfortunately, researchers fear we may see more of this in the future.
Some of these viruses and bacteria may have been trapped for millennia, and it’s not even totally clear yet what they are, let alone what kind of damage they might cause.
Researchers have encountered complex “giant viruses” with as many as thousands of genes in the melting permafrost of Siberia. One such virus, 30,000 years old, was still ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - May 5, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
Extending Expiration Dates of Doxycycline Tablets and Capsules in Strategic Stockpiles: Draft Guidance for Government Public Health and Emergency Response Stakeholders
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 04/2017 This 22-page document provides guidance to government stakeholders on testing to extend the shelf life (i.e., expiration date) under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act Act of stockpiled doxycycline tablets and capsules for public health emergency preparedness and response purposes for an anthrax emergency. It applies to both doxycycline monohydrate and doxycycline hyclate tablets and capsules equivalent to 50 mg and 100 mg of doxycycline that are indicated for post-exposure prophylaxis or treatment of inhalational anthrax. (PDF) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disa...
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - May 4, 2017 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
GlaxoSmithKline announces $139 million investment in Rockville
British drug giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK) is investing $139 million to expand its Rockville manufacturing site, saying it needs extra capacity there to meet anticipated demand for its lupus drug.
Already, the Rockville location manufactures a drug substance in bulk for Benlysta as an intravenous formulation. That substance is also used to make GSK's asthma drug Nucala and its drug for inhaled anthrax called raxibacumab. But now, GSK is hoping to boost that bulk production by about 50 perce nt.
The… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - May 1, 2017 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Tina Reed Source Type: news
80-year-old'viable' anthrax strain debunked using advanced genomic sequencing
A strain of anthrax-causing bacterium thought to have been viable 80 years after a thwarted World War I espionage attack, was, in reality, a much younger standard laboratory strain, a team of international researchers has found. The team speculates that the mix-up was due to commonplace laboratory contamination. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - April 25, 2017 Category: Science Source Type: news
Zimbabwe: Villagers Contract Suspected Anthrax After Eating Dead Hippos
[News24Wire] Nine villagers from northern Zimbabwe have contracted suspected anthrax after eating the meat of dead hippos, the state broadcaster is reporting. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - April 21, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Zimbabwe: Anthrax Outbreak Hits Binga
[The Herald] Nine people from Binga District, Matabeleland North, are being treated for anthrax after consuming meat from infected hippos that died a fortnight ago. Anthrax is a life-threatening infectious disease caused by bacteria that normally affects animals, especially ruminants. Speaking to The Herald yesterday, Matabeleland North provincial medical director Dr Nyasha Masuka said the nine, who included three children, were among 58 others whom health workers were following up for possible infection. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - April 20, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Anthrax Cases Linked to Use of Vintage Shaving Brushes
Renewed interest in vintage and animal - hair shaving brushes may pose new risk (Source: Pulmonary Medicine News - Doctors Lounge)
Source: Pulmonary Medicine News - Doctors Lounge - April 18, 2017 Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: Dermatology, Family Medicine, Infections, Internal Medicine, Pathology, Pulmonology, Journal, Source Type: news
Anthrax spores use RNA coat to mislead immune system
(Rockefeller University Press) Researchers from Harvard Medical School have discovered that the body's immune system initially detects the presence of anthrax spores by recognizing RNA molecules that coat the spores' surface. But this prompts an unfavorable immune response that hinders the body's fight against anthrax once the spores have germinated into live bacteria, according to the study 'TLR sensing of bacterial spore-associated RNA triggers host immune responses with detrimental effects,' which will be published April 11 in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases)
Source: EurekAlert! - Infectious and Emerging Diseases - April 11, 2017 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Modeling Tool for Decision Support During an Anthrax Event Modeling Tool for Decision Support During an Anthrax Event
The authors describe a modeling tool to assist in making response decisions during an anthrax event.Emerging Infectious Diseases (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - April 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Infectious Diseases Journal Article Source Type: news
Emergent signs $100m BARDA contract to deliver BioThrax
US-based Emergent BioSolutions has signed a $100m contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to deliver BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) to the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)
Source: Pharmaceutical Technology - March 21, 2017 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Emergent BioSolutions gets $100 million anthrax contract from feds
Gaithersburg-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc. won another lucrative anthrax contract from the feds, this time totaling $100 million over two years.
Emergent (NYSE: EBS) received the contract through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority to add more of its anthrax vaccine, BioThrax, to the country's national stockpile. The company first announced the planned purchase in December, along with another Centers for Disease Cont rol and Prevention contract worth up to $911 million for… (Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines)
Source: bizjournals.com Health Care:Pharmaceuticals headlines - March 20, 2017 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Tina Reed Source Type: news
Tanzania: 36 People Infected With Anthrax in Tanzania After Eating Cow
[Premium Times] At least 36 residents of Tanzania's Northern District of Hai have contracted anthrax, an infection caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, after eating the carcass of a cow, authorities said on Thursday. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - March 10, 2017 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Terumo ’ s MicroVention touts low adverse composite outcomes in HydroCoil study
Terumo Corp. (TYO:4543) subsidiary MicroVention today released results from a study of its HydroCoil embolic system, touting that the trial met its primary and secondary endpoints and showed low adverse composite outcomes.
The 513-patient prospective, randomized, controlled trial aimed to explore the use of the HydroCoil embolic system for treating endovascular aneurysms compared to bare platinum coils, the Tustin, Calif.-based company said.
“The results of the Great randomized trial demonstrate the efficacy of aneurysm treatment using our hydrogel coils and are aligned with the results of other clinical studies on...
Source: Mass Device - March 7, 2017 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Fink Densford Tags: Clinical Trials Vascular MicroVention-Terumo Inc. Source Type: news
Interim-Planning Guidance for the Handling of Solid Waste Contaminated with a Category A Infectious Substance
U.S. Department of Transportation. 01/19/2017 This 82-page document provides federal guidance for the safe handling of solid waste contaminated with a Category A infectious substance and the proper management of inactivated Category A waste materials in the United States. An infectious substance meets Category A criteria if it is in a form capable of causing permanent disability or life-threatening or fatal disease in otherwise healthy humans or animals upon exposure to the substance (such as Ebola virus, Yersinia pestis, or Bacillus anthracis). (PDF) (Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health)
Source: Disaster Lit: Resource Guide for Disaster Medicine and Public Health - February 23, 2017 Category: Global & Universal Authors: The U.S. National Library of Medicine Source Type: news
Medical allocations to persons with special needs during a bioterrorism event - Brannen DE, Branum M, Pawani S, Miller S, Bowman J, Clare T.
After the bioterrorism-anthrax attacks of 2001, public health officials were tasked with planning population-wide medicine dispensing. This planning started with assumptions and then evaluations of seasonal immunization clinics. Research on the 2009 H1N1 p... (Source: SafetyLit)
Source: SafetyLit - February 23, 2017 Category: Global & Universal Tags: Disaster Preparedness Source Type: news
