April 19, 2016

Public Health & Healthcare Preparedness
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Building Resilience Against Climate Effects: Enhancing Community Resilience by Implementing Health Adaptations.
 
The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement is to support follow-on activities to implement Climate and Health Adaptation Plans, including monitoring and evaluation of interventions, to reduce the negative health impacts of climate change within the jurisdictions of state and local health departments. (Grants.gov, 4/15/16)
 
REPORT
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
 
Often called "the voice of CDC," the MMWR  series is the agency's primary vehicle for scientific publication of timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations. (CDC, 4/15/16)
NOTICE
Pharmaceutical Distribution Supply Chain Pilot Projects; Request for Information.
 
The Food and Drug Administration is soliciting information regarding issues related to utilizing the product identifier for product tracing, improving the technical capabilities of the supply chain, and identifying system attributes that are necessary to implement the requirements established under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. (Federal Register, 4/15/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Operations Research (Implementation Science) for Strengthening Global Health Protection Implementation.
 
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to strengthen country capacities and capabilities to prevent, detect, and effectively respond to current and emerging public health threats, including potential outbreaks and the spread of infectious diseases. This FOA supports research that will provide Ministries of Health and other key stakeholders with the data and evidence to support strategies for the development of public health protection systems, interventions, and policies. (Grants.gov, 4/15/16)
 
REPORT
Zika Response Funding: In Brief.
 
This report presents the Administration's request for supplemental appropriations for the Zika response, and information about unobligated Ebola supplemental funds as of January 1, 2016. (Congressional Research Service, 4/14/16)
 
REPORT
Biodefense: The Nation Faces Multiple Challenges in Building and Maintaining Biodefense and Biosurveillance.
 
In an era of rapid transit and global trade, the public health and agricultural industries, as well as natural ecosystems including native plants and wildlife, face increased threats of naturally occurring outbreaks of infectious disease and accidental exposure to biological threats. Also, threats of bioterrorism, such as anthrax attacks, highlight the continued need for biosurveillance systems that provide early detection and warning about biological threats to humans. (GAO, 4/14/16)
 
NEWS
Health Officials Split Over Advice on Pregnancy in Zika Areas.
 
For now, "we do not have a recommendation to not become pregnant," Dr. Tom Frieden said at a Zika summit held recently at disease agency headquarters in Atlanta. "We do recommend access to contraception." (New York Times, 4/14/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
The United States Contributes $421 Million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
 
This contribution will support the protection, local integration, and resettlement efforts of refugees from countries such as Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. US humanitarian aid will also support the life-saving provision of water, shelter, food, healthcare, and education to millions of refugees, internally displaced persons, and other persons under UNHCR's care and protection in countries such as Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Colombia, South Sudan, and Kenya. (Department of State, 4/14/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Food Protection Task Force (FPTF) and Integrated Food Safety System (IFSS) Project Grant Program.
 
This Funding Opportunity Announcement, issued by the Food and Drug Administration under the support for Research Demonstration and Dissemination Projects, is to solicit applications from organizations that propose to develop, test, and evaluate food safety and food defense health service activities and to foster the application of existing knowledge for the control of categorical and food related diseases and illnesses. (Grants.gov, 4/14/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Polio Eradication and Emergency Response in Priority Countries.
 
This FOA is intended for polio eradication and emergency response activities that will increase vaccine coverage in priority countries, i.e. Afghanistan and Pakistan, and includes other health interventions when their provision has a direct and predictable impact on improving polio vaccine uptake. (Grants.gov, 4/14/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Food Safety Outreach Program.
 
Under the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program, NIFA and the US Food and Drug Administration began jointly funding an infrastructure of national and regional centers to extend food safety education, training, education, and technical assistance to those affected by Food Safety Modernization Act. In FY 2016, the Food Safety Outreach Program will build upon that national infrastructure, with a sustained focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences. (Grants.gov, 4/14/16)
 
NEWS
Ghana: Quick Laboratory Action Helped Control a Meningitis Outbreak.
 
When CDC experts were asked by Ghana to assist with a meningitis outbreak, they arrived lugging a PCR machine, an instrument used in a laboratory that can confirm disease diagnoses through molecular detection. (CDC, 4/14/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
USAID Announces $30 Million Grand Challenge to Combat Zika and Future Disease Threats.
 
In support of the Global Health Security Agenda championed by President Obama, the Combating Zika and Future Threats Grand Challenge will invest up to $30 million in groundbreaking innovations and interventions that enhance our ability to prevent, detect, and respond in both the short and long-term by sourcing innovations that mitigate the spread and impact of Zika virus and improve our ability to combat future infectious disease outbreaks. The Challenge specifically calls for solutions that improve and enhance vector control, personal and household protection, surveillance, diagnostics, and community engagement. (USAID, 4/13/16)

See also:
TRANSCRIPT
Transcript for CDC Telebriefing: Zika Virus Update.
 
Never before have we seen an illness threat by mosquitos linked to a birth defect. The science now shows what the hundreds of impacted families have suspected all along. Zika virus is causing the tragic increase in microcephaly cases and other serious brain defects. (CDC, 4/13/16)
 
REPORT
MCMi Fiscal Year 2015 Program Update.
 
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013, enacted in 2013, requires FDA to issue an annual report detailing its medical countermeasure activities. This report responds to that requirement for fiscal year 2015 (October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015). (FDA, 4/12/16)
 
NEWS
Congress Sends Obama Bill on Zika Drug Development.
 
The measure allows the Food and Drug Administration to include Zika drug developers in the agency's priority review voucher program. The program encourages manufacturers to study treatments for diseases that might not be profitable by expediting the regulatory review of a more lucrative drug in their research pipeline. (Reuters, 4/12/16)

See also
NOTICE
Emergency Funding for Puerto Rico Department of Health, Zika Virus Outbreak.
 
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is providing $3,700,000 in urgent funding through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases Cooperative Agreement to the Puerto Rico Department of Health to combat the current outbreak of Zika virus. (Federal Register, 4/12/16)
 
NEWS
Using MAPP to Improve Community Resilience.
 
Over the past two years, ASPR and NACCHO have been working together to identify and test ways in which local health departments can improve resilience in their communities. In March 2015, three local health departments were selected as test sites for a pilot program designed to test whether "Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships" (MAPP) could be used as a strategy to improve community resilience at the local level. (NACCHO, 4/12/16)
 
STATEMENT
FDA and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA).
 
This statement expresses the intent of the United States Food and Drug Administration and the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency to offer mutual support and to collaborate to address the public health emergency presented by the Zika virus disease outbreak in the Americas. (FDA, 4/11/16)
 

NEWS
DARPA INTERCEPT Program for Biodefense Countermeasures.
 DARPA's Biological Technologies Office is hosting a Proposers Day in advance of a planned Broad Agency Announcement for the INTERfering and Co-Evolving Prevention and Therapy (INTERCEPT) Program. The goal of the INTERCEPT program is to explore and develop a new therapeutic platform to outpace fast-evolving viral pathogens, based upon virus-based therapeutic particles that interfere with viral infection and co-evolve with viral targets
(Global Biodefense, 4/11/16)

 

See also: INTERCEPT Proposers Day (DARPA, 4/16)

 

PRESS RELEASE
NIH Sequences Genome of a Fungus that Causes Life-Threatening Pneumonia.
 
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, in collaboration with extramural organizations, have sequenced nearly the entire genome of human, mouse and rat Pneumocystis. This organism causes a life-threatening pneumonia in immunosuppressed hosts. Pneumocystis was one of the first infections that led to the initial recognition of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. (NIH, 4/11/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma.
 
The purpose of this program is to assist high-risk youth and families and promote resilience and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest through implementation of evidence-based, violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs, as well as linkages to trauma-informed behavioral health services. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 4/8/16)
 
GUIDANCE
Program Improvement Initiatives.
 
The information below is designed to extract and summarize the recommendations relevant to CDC's role within the Federal Select Agent Program, collect them in one place, outline actions that have been identified to address each, and provide an update on progress towards implementation. (CDC, 4/8/16)
 
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY
Advanced and Innovative Solutions to Improve Public Health.
 
For this announcement, CDC has identified the following research areas of interest: microbiome assessment and intervention to address antibiotic resistance; understanding and prevention of antibiotic-resistant organism transmission and emergence; enhanced understanding of medication safety threats; evaluate the capacity for tracking and preventing antibiotic-resistance threats in non-acute care settings; improve timeliness, accuracy and usability of public health surveillance and survey data; integration of epidemiologic and genomics data. (FedBizOpps.gov, 4/6/16)
 
INTERNSHIP
Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Project Intern.
 
The Intern will focus on assisting the TB Team with the implementation of selected key activities related to the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. In particular, the Intern will assist the TB Team members with developing and supporting activities related to MDR-TB, helping with data collection and analysis, collecting best practices and lessons learned, helping with consolidation of reports and activities. Applications are due April 21, 2016 (USAID, 4/16)
 
BRIEFING
Achieving a Bold Vision for Global Health: Policy Solutions to Advance Global Health R&D.
 
Join the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) for a panel discussion and briefing to launch our seventh annual policy report outlining policy actions the US government can take to accelerate the development of urgently-needed health tools to tackle existing and emerging health challenges and meet global health goals. Speakers include representatives from the Department of State, CDC, HHS, and PATH. The event will take place on April 19, 2016, 12:30-2 PM (EST), in Washington, DC. Registration is required. (Global Health Technologies Coalition, 4/16)
 
GUIDANCE
Guidance for Temporary Reassignment of State and Local Personnel during a Public Health Emergency.
 
Historically, state, tribal, and local public health personnel who are funded by the PHS Act were not authorized to work outside of the scope of the funded program. The ability to temporarily reassign these personnel during public health emergencies is an important flexibility for state, tribal, and local governments. (Department of Health & Human Services, 4/16)
 
CONFERENCE
Biodefense World Summit 2016.
 
The Knowledge Foundation's Second Annual Biodefense World Summit brings together leaders from government, academia, and industry for compelling discussions and comprehensive coverage on pathogen detection, sample prep technologies, point-of-care, and biosurveillance. The conference will take place on June 27-30, 2016 in Baltimore, MD. (The Knowledge Foundation, 4/16)
 

Homeland Security & Disaster Preparedness
STATEMENT
Statement by Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa O. Monaco on the Third Anniversary of the Boston Marathon Bombings.
 
Three years have passed since two terrorists attacked innocent men, women, and children at the Boston Marathon. On this day, and every day, we remember the victims of the horrific violence that week. (The White House, 4/15/16)
 
REPORT
Terrorism Risk Insurance: Comparison of Selected Programs in the United States and Foreign Countries.
 
This report compares the structures of and the role of government in selected foreign terrorism insurance programs and examines the loss-sharing arrangements between the government and private sector. (GAO, 4/15/16)
 
NEWS
Can Silicon Valley Help the State Department Track Weapons of Mass Destruction?
 
Last week, members of the State Department descended on Stanford University to host a daylong brainstorming session on how to contain all sorts of weapons of mass destruction, including nukes. Wireless executives hobnobbed with criminal investigators. Analysts from microsatellite companies traded business cards with military officers. Data-mining experts rubbed elbows with some of the world's top disarmament officials. (Fast Company, 4/14/16)
 
NEWS
DoD Embraces "America's PrepareAthon!" Planning With Military Readiness.
 
Preparedness and military readiness go hand in hand in the Defense Department's role to protect national security, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense integration and defense support of civil authorities said. (Department of Defense, 4/14/16)
 
PRESS RELEASE
DHS S&T Announces New Cybersecurity Risk Analysis Tool on the Commercial Market.
 
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced that a fifth cybersecurity technology has been licensed for commercialization as a part of the Cyber Security Division's Transition to Practice (TTP) program. The TTP program builds on the S&T process of funding projects through the full research and development lifecycle through to the the commercial marketplace. (Department of Homeland Security, 4/13/16)
 
REPORT
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Progress and Continuing Challenges in National Preparedness Efforts.
 
This statement addresses (1) FEMA's progress in strengthening federal preparedness efforts and (2) FEMA's efforts to manage preparedness grants. (GAO, 4/12/16)
 
REPORT
Emergency Management: Improved Federal Coordination Could Better Assist K-12 Schools Prepare for Emergencies.
 
This report examines (1) how federal agencies support school emergency management planning and the extent to which they coordinate efforts; (2) the extent to which states require and support efforts to plan for school emergencies; and (3) what districts have done to plan and prepare for school emergencies and challenges faced. (GAO, 4/11/16)
 

Radiological & Nuclear Disaster Preparedness
NOTICE
Proposed Emergency Preparedness Frequently Asked Questions.
 
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is making available for comment a set of emergency preparedness frequently asked questions (EPFAQs). These EPFAQs are intended to provide clarification of NRC-endorsed Nuclear Energy Institute guidance related to emergency preparedness at licensed power reactor sites. (Federal Register, 4/13/16)
 

Science & Technology Policy
NEWS
Gene-Edited CRISPR Mushroom Escapes US Regulation.
 
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will not regulate a mushroom genetically modified with the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9.
The long-awaited decision means that the mushroom can be cultivated and sold without passing through the agency's regulatory process - making it the first CRISPR-edited organism to receive a green light from the US government. (Nature, 4/14/16)

NEWS
Regulators Propose Banning Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes for at Least Two Years.
 
Federal health regulators have proposed banning Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes from the blood-testing business for at least two years after concluding that the company failed to fix what regulators have called major problems at its laboratory in California. (The Wall Street Journal, 4/13/16)

 

NOTICE
Public Meeting of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.
 
The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues (the Commission) will conduct its twenty fifth meeting on May 3, 2016. At this meeting, the Commission will reflect on the past, present, and future impact of national bioethics advisory bodies. Topics will include the history of national bioethics advisory bodies and their contributions to health policy, perspectives about similar bodies elsewhere, and discussion about what the future holds for groups like the Commission. (Federal Register, 4/13/16)
 
NEWS
The DoD and Synthetic Biology Milestones.
 
The US Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, recently named gene editing as a priority weapon of mass destruction threat; the only biotechnology included in the worldwide threat assessment report, due to recent advancements within synthetic biology. As such, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office is preparing next generation warfighters to be leaders in this emerging field. (Global Biodefense, 4/12/16)
 
INTERVIEW
Meet Eric Dishman, the New Face of the Precision Medicine Initiative.
 
Eric Dishman has been named director of one of the most ambitious clinical research projects in history, the Obama administration's Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort Program, a research study involving 1 million Americans that is designed to uncover new insights into human biology and disease. (US News & World Report, 4/12/16)
 
This Week's Hearings
How Secure are US Bioresearch Labs? Preventing the Next Safety Lapse. US House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. 4/20/16, 10:15 AM, Rayburn 2322. More

Roundtable: Preventing Drug Trafficking Through International Mail. US Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs. 4/19/16, 10 AM, Dirksen 342. More

 


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