March 29, 2016

Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
NEWS
Disease Detectives: Federal Workers on the Front Line of Epidemics.
 
Since 1951, EIS has been identifying the causes of disease outbreaks, recommending prevention and control measures and implementing strategies to protect those in affected areas. More recently, EIS officers have worked on stemming the tides of Ebola in West Africa and Zika in Latin America(Federal News Radio, 3/25/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Applied Research.
 This BAA seeks proposals to conduct innovative research to improve the ability of CDC and its partners, including state and local health departments, emergency management organizations, and health care entities, to effectively prepare for and respond to public health emergencies and disasters
(FedBizOpps.gov, 3/25/16)
 
RESEARCH
Global Role and Burden of Influenza in Pediatric Respiratory Hospitalizations, 1982-2012: A Systematic Analysis.
 The global burden of pediatric severe respiratory illness is substantial, and influenza viruses contribute to this burden. 
In this analysis, CDC researchers use surveillance data to provide an estimate of influenza-associated hospitalizations among children worldwide. (PLOS Medicine, 3/24/16)
 
BLOG
Zika Virus.
 GAO 
Chief Scientist Tim Persons recently testified before Congress on the Zika virus. Today's WatchBlog shares what he said about the disease, how it spreads, and the options available to individuals and nations to try to stop it from spreading. (GAO, 3/24/16)
 
STATEMENT
NIH Statement on World Tuberculosis Day 2016.
 
Despite recent advances, TB remains one of the world's deadliest diseases. TB incidence worldwide has declined 18 percent since 2000. However, in 2014 the disease still caused 9.6 million people across the globe to be sick, and killed 1.5 million people, mainly in developing countries, according to the WHO. (NIH, 3/24/16)
 
WEBINAR
Zika Action Plan (ZAP) Summit.
 
The goals of the Summit are to provide state and local senior officials with information and tools needed to improve Zika preparedness and response within their states and jurisdictions;increase knowledge on the latest Zika science, including implications for pregnant women; increase knowledge of best communications practices, including crisis and risk communication principles; accelerate readiness for local Zika transmission through training and technical assistance to states to help establish and support surveillance and share best practices for vector control; and identify possible gaps in preparedness and response at the federal, state, and local levels, and help to begin to address possible gaps. The webinar will be held on Friday, April 1, 2016 from 8:30 AM - 3 PM EST. Registration is required.  (CDC, 3/23/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Technical Collaboration to Strengthen Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Capacity to Prevent, Monitor, Assess, and Mitigate The Effects of Public Health Threats In The Kingdom of Thailand under PEPFAR.
 
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to work with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Kingdom of Thailand to strengthen and expand capacity to assess, prevent, prepare for and mitigate public health threats in Thailand and region of Southeast Asia of national and global importance. (Grants.gov, 3/23/16)
 
NEWS
Phase 1 Trial Begins for IV Version of Smallpox Drug.
 
Backed by funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), SIGA Technologies is initiating a Phase I single ascending dose clinical study for the intravenous formulation of the TPOXX (tecovirimat) for the treatment of orthopoxvirus disease, including smallpox. (Global Biodefense, 3/23/16)
 
NEWS
Biosurveillance Network of Travel and Tropical Medicine Practitioners.
 
As part of continued efforts to address emerging infectious diseases, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established provider-based Emerging Infections Sentinel Networks (EISNs) to monitor and evaluate conditions that are not covered by health department surveillance and that are likely to be seen by specific kinds of health providers. (Global Biodefense, 3/23/16)
 
NEWS
Congress Goes Home for Easter Break Without Paying for Zika Fight.
 
Congress took off from Washington Wednesday afternoon without voting to appropriate any of the $1.9 billion the Obama administration has asked for to fight Zika and leaving top health officials feeling a little desperate. (NBC, 3/23/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
Blood Test Can Predict Risk of Developing Tuberculosis.
 
An international team of researchers has identified biological markers in the blood of latently infected people that may give doctors a tool they have long sought: a way to predict who is at high risk of developing active TB. If validated through additional clinical trials, a test based on these blood biomarkers would allow doctors to target therapies to at-risk people, thus preventing them from getting sick. (NIAID, 3/23/16)

NEWS
ObamaCare Site Faced 316 Cyber Incidents.
 
The Web portal used by millions to purchase health insurance under the Affordable Care Act logged 316 cybersecurity incidents during an 18-month period, a government report revealed on Wednesday. Most of the incidents involved electronic probing of the site's systems by potential attackers looking for weaknesses. (The Hill, 3/23/16)
 
UPDATE
FDA Drug Shortages.
 
The FDA sent out an update on March 23 regarding drugs that are currently in shortage. (PharmPro, 3/23/16)
 
NEWS
Thermostable Ricin Vaccine Gets Another Funding Boost.
 
Soligenix, Inc. is getting new funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to support advanced development of the heat-stable ricin toxin vaccine, RiVax. (Global Biodefense, 3/23/16)
 

NEWS
"Whole-of-Hemisphere" Fighting Zika Virus.
 
US Southern Command is just part of the "whole-of-hemisphere" approach to combating the Zika virus, the Southcom commander said today at a Council of the Americas forum on Zika and the Americas. Navy Adm. Kurt W. Tidd stressed the command is supporting other US agencies in the fight against the disease. (Department of Defense, 3/22/16)

 

FACT SHEET
The US Global Health Budget: Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request.
 
President Obama released the budget request for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) on February 9, 2016, his final budget request in office, which included $10.3 billion in total funding for global health programs. This marks the first time in three years that the request for global health is higher than the previous year enacted level, and represents the largest request since FY12. (Kaiser Family Foundation, 3/22/16)
 
GUIDANCE
Zika Communication Planning Guide for States.
 
In order to meet state, local, and territorial health department goals for the Zika response, clear, consistent, and frequent communication ensures that people receive and understand information that can help them make decisions. Communication with the public will foster behaviors to prevent the spread of Zika and protect pregnant woman and their pregnancies. (CDC, 3/22/16)
 
BLOG
Zika, Mosquitoes, and Standing Water.
 
With spring weather and mosquito season coming soon in the United States, the Zika virus - and the mosquitoes that carry the virus - may be a major concern. Zika is currently affecting more than 30 countries and territories in the Americas and Pacific Islands. (CDC, 3/22/16)
 
BLOG
World TB Day 2016.
 
Today on World TB Day - more than a century after the scientific discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB), TB continues to be one of the world's most deadly infectious diseases and among the leading causes of death worldwide. (CDC, 3/22/16)
 
NOTICE
Meeting: Advisory Council for the Elimination of Tuberculosis.
 
This council advises and makes recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Assistant Secretary for Health, and the Director, CDC, regarding the elimination of tuberculosis. Agenda items include the following topics: (1) Discussion on US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Recommendations; (2) Draft of TB Treatment Guidelines; (3) Updates from Workgroups; and (4) other tuberculosis-related issues. (Federal Register, 3/22/16)
 
BLOG
Border Crossings: Working With Partners to Verify the Safety of Imported Produce.
 
The FSMA produce safety rule is now on the books, but implementation and the task of achieving and verifying compliance is just getting started. We know that success will take an enormous amount of education, training, and technical assistance to support the vast majority of farmers who will want to comply. (FDA, 3/21/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
Lighting Up Disease-Carrying Mosquitoes.
 
Robert Meagher, a chemical engineer at Sandia National Laboratories, has developed a simple technique for simultaneously detecting RNA from West Nile and chikungunya virus in samples from mosquitoes. He is now working to add the ability to screen for Zika virus. (Sandia National Laboratories, 3/21/16)
 

BLOG
Resources for Countering the Zika Virus.
 
Little is known about the Zika virus and as information becomes available, practice recommendations may change. For now, it is recommended that first responders review basic infection control procedures, proper body substance isolation and disinfection procedures. (FirstResponder.gov, 3/21/16)
 
NEWS
This Lab is Ground Zero in the US Fight Against Zika.
 
Behind an unmarked gated entrance in this working-class neighborhood of San Juan, scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have only one focus: to stop Zika's spread. About 100 virologists, biologists, entomologists and more are working here, including dozens brought from CDC sites in Colorado and Georgia. (Washington Post, 3/20/16)
 
NEWS
Meet the US Military Super Scientists Fighting to Destroy the Zika Virus.
 
US Naval Medical Research Unit 6, based in Lima, Peru, has set its sights on the Zika virus - declared by the World Health Organization to be a public health emergency. (Military Times, 3/20/16)
 
NOTICE
Use of Materials Derived From Cattle in Human Food and Cosmetics.
 
The Food and Drug Administration is issuing a final rule prohibiting the use of certain cattle material to address the potential risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in human food, including dietary supplements, and cosmetics. (Federal Register, 3/18/16)
 
WEBINAR
Zika Virus in the Americas: An HHS Expert Consultation to Accelerate the Development of Countermeasures.
 
This meeting aims to discuss strategies to accelerate the development of vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics and novel vector control methods in response to Zika virus. The webinar will take place on Monday, March 28th (11 AM - 6 PM EST) and Tuesday, March 29th (8 AM - 6 PM EST). Registration is required. (NIAID, 3/16)
 

Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
NEWS
Scientists Find a Way to Predict US Heat Waves Weeks in Advance.
 
Deadly summer heat waves in the eastern United States may be predictable nearly two months before they occur, giving emergency planners and farmers more time to prepare, scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research reported Monday. (New York Times, 3/28/16)
 
NEWS
US Charges Iran-Linked Hackers with Targeting Banks, NY Dam.
 
The Justice Department on Thursday announced it has indicted seven hackers associated with the Iranian government, marking the first time the United States has charged state-sponsored individuals with hacking to disrupt the networks of key US industries. (Washington Post, 3/24/16)
 
NEWS
NPPD Proposes Plan to Redefine Itself as Operational Cybersecurity Body.
 
The Homeland Security Department would rename and restructure the National Protection and Programs Directorate, or NPPD, in a new proposal redefining its mission. Its new identity of "Cyber and Infrastructure Protection," or CIP, would serve as a central cybersecurity taskforce and take a more operational role. (FierceGovernmentIT, 3/23/16)
 
NEWS
NIST, Partners Set Research Agenda for Protecting Firefighters from Harm.
 
Recently, the National Institute of Standards and Technology teamed with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to host a symposium at which more than 100 representatives of the fire service and fire research communities identified and prioritized firefighter health and safety issues, and then created a guide for addressing them through scientific study and technology development. (NIST, 3/23/16)
 
PROCLAMATION
Honoring the Victims of the Attack in Brussels, Belgium.
 
The American people stand with the people of Brussels.  We will do whatever it takes, working with nations and peoples around the world, to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, and to go after terrorists who threaten our people. (The White House, 3/22/16)


MEMORANDUM
Building National Capabilities for Long-Term Drought Resilience.
 
Our Nation must sustain and expand efforts to reduce the vulnerability of communities to the impacts of drought. Every year, drought affects millions of Americans and poses a serious and growing threat to the security and economies of communities nationwide. (The White House, 3/21/16)
 

Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
NEWS
The March 2016 Nuclear Security Summit.
 
The United States has made it a policy priority to secure nuclear material where it is housed or remove the material from sites around the world. Terrorists could also use radioactive material to construct a radioactive dispersal device or "dirty bomb." (Congressional Research Service, 3/14/16)
 

Science & Technology Policy
NEWS
Prestigious Texas Lab Cited Again for Animal Deaths.
 
In the latest probe, the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cited the Galveston National Laboratory last month for problems including improper data collection regarding animal observations and failure to promptly notify an attending veterinarian of an animal's death. (AP, 3/25/16)
 
NEWS
Biologists Ask NSF to Reconsider Plan to Pause Collections Funding Program.
 
Agency officials, however, say the move is part of the agency's periodic efforts to assess the effectiveness of its spending, and they played down worries that NSF will abandon its support for maintaining collections of both dead and living organisms that are important to biologists and ecologists. (Science, 3/25/16)
 
LETTER
Basic Science: Bedrock of Progress.
 
Dr. Francis Collins (Director, NIH) et al. express concern that misperceptions about NIH's priorities and interests may be causing investigators to submit fewer basic research applications. (Science, 3/25/16)
 
NEWS
House Budget Plan Would Rearrange and Restrict Federal Research Portfolio.
 
If an influential congressional budget committee has its way, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) could be eliminated, and many research programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) would be sharply curtailed(Science, 3/24/16)
 
BLOG
NIH and ONC Launch the Sync for Science (S4S) Pilot: Enabling Individual Health Data Access and Donation.
 
On February 25, 2016, the National Institutes of Health, in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, announced the launch of Sync for Science, a pilot to allow individuals to access their health data and send it to researchers in support of the goals of the Precision Medicine Initiative. (HealthIT.gov, 3/21/16)
 
BLOG
FDA and NIH Release a Draft Clinical Trial Protocol Template for Public Comment.
 
Enhancing important efforts around clinical trials continues to be a key scientific priority. Another way we can encourage clinical trials is to look for ways to help clinical investigators make clinical trials more efficient, potentially saving development time and money. (FDA, 3/18/16)
 
This Week's Hearings

 

There are no hearings scheduled for this week.

 


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