May 2002

Below is a listing of bioterrorism-related events this month, part of an ongoing bioterrorism chronology that begins with Sep 11, 2001. To see events from other months, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page.

May 31

UN, Iraq to talk again about resumption of weapons inspections
The United Nations and Iraq plan a new round of talks July 4 and 5 regarding the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq after more than 3 years. Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan and UN spokesman Fred Eckhard announce that the talks will take place in Vienna, Austria. When the last round of talks ended on May 3, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reported progress but no breakthrough. Iraq wants sanctions lifted and says it has complied with all UN requirements.

May 30

FDA may approve some drugs without human tests of effectiveness
The Food and Drug Administration announces it will allow some drugs and vaccines designed to counter biological, chemical, and nuclear terrorism to be approved without human testing for effectiveness. The agency says the new rule could spur development of such drugs by eliminating a major stumbling block, the ethical barriers to exposing people to deadly pathogens like smallpox virus simply to prove that a drug works. Such drugs may be approved for marketing if evidence from appropriate animal studies shows they are effective, the agency says. "We've been stymied for some products figuring out a way to show human efficacy, given the ethical issues," says Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the FDA. "One of the reasons there wasn't commercial interest was that people were not at all certain their drugs could be approved if they developed them." Such products will still be tested for their safety in human use.

Pentagon may save much of anthrax vaccine supply for civilians
Much of the Pentagon supply of anthrax vaccine, once intended for military personnel, will likely be kept for civilian use, says David Chu, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. He says that the Pentagon does not expect to return anytime soon to its original goal of vaccinating all 2.4 million members of the armed services against anthrax. Chu says details are still being worked out for military use. "My anticipation is that, in terms of who in the military is vaccinated, we will continue with what is the implicit policy at the moment," which is to vaccinate only the troops who face the greatest risk.

Most who had smallpox vaccination are no longer immune, study suggests
A new study suggests that almost everyone vaccinated before smallpox was eradicated in the mid-1970s is no longer immune. The study of 621 Maryland microbiologists who were newly vaccinated between 1994 and 2001 to protect them in their work indicated that only about 40, or 6%, retained immunity from their earlier vaccinations. "The study is, to the best of my knowledge, the only one since eradication which tries to look at the durability of immunity," says lead author Michael Sauri, director of the Occupational Medicine Clinic in Maryland. "It's showing us that after 20 years immunity is not going to be there." About 60 percent of the US population has had a smallpox vaccination. The study suggests that most of these people are now just as susceptible to smallpox as the 120 million born since the government halted vaccination in 1972.

Medical insurance gap could hinder response to bioterrorist attack
The fact that 40 million Americans are uninsured could hinder the nation's response to a bioterrorist attack, public health experts say. Since the uninsured sometimes do not seek medical care as quickly as the insured, they would have more time to spread a contagious illness. "Their lack of insurance is a known risk to their own health, but it must now also be recognized as a risk to the nation's health," Dr Matthew Wynia of the American Medical Association and Lawrence Gostin, a health law professor at Georgetown University, write in the journal Science. They are urging the government to direct anyone with symptoms suggesting a contagious illness to seek medical care, regardless of their ability to pay or legal standing and without fear of consequences. "An effective national defense against bioterrorism requires that all potentially infected patients can be at least evaluated without fear of deportation or other significant social or economic losses," they write.

Congress works on plan for dealing with attack on Capitol
Congress is working on emergency plans to respond to a doomsday scenario in which many lawmakers are killed or injured during an attack. Debates are focused on questions such as these: Where would lawmakers assemble if the Capitol were destroyed or suffered a bioterror attack? Could a devastated legislative body choose a speaker to be in the line of succession to the presidency? The continuing terrorist threat finds Congress facing a wholesale re-examination of how to continue if many of the 435 House members and 100 senators were killed or seriously injured. "Those who believe there will always be time to address this, and we can postpone a solution indefinitely, are engaging in wishful thinking," says Rep. Brian Baird, a Washington Democrat pressing for changes. A bipartisan group of lawmakers will meet this summer and recommend a course of action. The group's co-chairman, Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., wants Congress to act this year.

May 29

NAS to release report on how science can be used to counter terrorism
The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council are preparing to publish a list of recommendations on how the Bush administration can best use the nation's scientific and technical resources to counter terrorism. Lewis Branscombe, co-chairman of the National Academies Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism, says the plan will be released June 24 or 25. "What we've tried to do is identify technologies that can be deployed immediately and technologies where research and development should be focused . . . that could take 1 to 3 to 4 years" to be ready for deployment, Branscombe says at a press briefing hosted by King Publishing. Various agencies will use the plan in the fiscal 2004 budget process.

Administration exploring many options to promote counter-terrorism technology
The Bush administration is exploring "all mechanisms" for spurring the development of counter-terrorism technologies, including new vaccines against potential germ warfare agents, says a science adviser to President Bush. John Marburger, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, says he expects a mix of regulations, government procurements, and industry incentives to emerge. The pharmaceutical industry is "a very good example of an industry that requires something [from the government]" to coax out vaccines against smallpox and other biological warfare threats, he tells reporters at a session organized by New Technology Week, a trade publication. "In general, [countering] bioterrorism is difficult to support on the basis of the commercial market," Marburger says. "And so there's going to have to be something like a procurement or incentive here."

Computing power expected to fuel boom in biotechnology research
Increased computing power to support companies working with genes and proteins will fuel a boom in technology spending by the life sciences industry, say experts at a conference in Singapore. Information technology will "play a very important role," Philip Fersht, Asia-Pacific life sciences director with the research firm IDC, tells Reuters at the BioIT World conference. Globally, life sciences spending is expected to show a compound annual growth rate of 24% to hit nearly $38 billion by 2006, he tells the conference. Key challenges include identifying human genes and determining the three-dimensional structure of proteins, says associate professor Kenneth Ong of the National University of Singapore. George Lake of the Institute for Systems Biology says scientists cannot afford to ignore the automation and computer models that will become crucial to advancing biological research.

May 28

Intestinal virus from Afghanistan sweeps through London hospital
Crisis discussions begin after the bug that infected the British Royal Marines at Bagram air base in Afghanistan swept through one of Britain's busiest hospitals. Ninety patients and staff at Whipps Cross Hospital have contracted the highly infectious Norwalk-like virus, which causes violent diarrhea and vomiting. Nonessential operations have been canceled, and emergency patients are being transferred to other hospitals in northeast London after receiving treatment. The airborne virus is also transmitted through contact and can kill the very young and very old. Patients and staff who contracted the virus at the Leytonstone hospital are receiving fluids to flush it out of their systems, hospital spokeswoman Sue Warren says. "We are not sure how the virus entered the hospital and an investigation has begun," she says. "Nothing like this has ever happened here before."

NATO accepts Russia as a limited partner
NATO accepts Russia as a limited partner in the Western alliance, welcoming its former Cold War enemy as an ally in the battle against today's global threats. The arrangement gives Russia a voice, though not a veto, on a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, the spread of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, missile defense, arms control, peacekeeping, civil defense, and search-and-rescue at sea. "We have come a long way from confrontation to dialogue and from confrontation to cooperation," Russian President Vladimir Putin says. He calls the agreement "only a beginning" and looks ahead to a greater role for Russia in NATO.

May 27

Swine flu campaign of 1976 offers lessons for smallpox immunization policy
As experts convened by the CDC debate the idea of making the smallpox vaccine available in the United States, they may be able to take some lessons from the swine flu immunization campaign of 1976, according to a report in the Washington Post. The swine flu campaign is "the one recent example of a major, government-sponsored emergency immunization program," and it turned into a public health debacle, the report says. In 1976, amid fear of a swine flu epidemic like the deadly Spanish flu that killed millions in 1918, the government launched a plan to vaccinate all Americans against the virus. But, among numerous other problems, it was found that the vaccine increased people's risk of suffering Guillain-Barre syndrome. The campaign was stopped after the vaccination of 45 million people. Harvey Fineberg, a former dean of Harvard's School of Public Health, who co-authored an analysis of the "swine flu affair," says the debacle offers many lessons. Among them: Don't over-promise; think carefully about what needs to be decided when; and don't expect the consensus of experts to hold in the face of changing events. The biggest lesson, he says, might be the most obvious: Expect the unexpected at all times.

US, Russian officials discuss how to block access to unconventional weapons
US and Russian officials meet to draft new safeguards to prevent international terrorists from obtaining nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Former Sen. Sam Nunn and Sen. Richard Lugar, who launched a US effort to help contain the threat of weapons of mass destruction left over from the former Soviet Union, describe the threat of "catastrophic terrorism" as possibly the gravest challenge to global security. "We are in a new arms race," Nunn says at a conference of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a foundation he co-chairs with CNN founder Ted Turner. "Terrorists and certain states are racing to acquire weapons of mass destruction, and we ought to be racing together to stop them." Alexei Arbatov, a deputy chief of Russia's defense affairs committee, warns that the international community may face dilemmas such as national liberation movements linked with terrorists. "If such a movement is spotted to have links with international terrorists, it must be destroyed by combined global efforts," he says.

Researchers make key protein in smallpox virus
Researchers trying to understand smallpox report making a protein that helps the virus overcome the human immune system. "The best defense against any virus is to understand how it functions so that we can disable it," says Dr. Ariella M. Rosengard, leader of the research team. The team modified the weaker vaccinia virus to help create the protein. Their work is reported in the current issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

May 26

Minnesota's public health emergency law represents limited progress
Minnesota's new public health emergency law marks a solid first step forward, according to State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm. The bill creates "a good general framework on which we can add more specificity as we go along," Malcolm says. The legislation creates the concept of a public health emergency, clearly defines the powers the governor and health commissioner have in times of a public health threat, and creates a bill of rights for citizens who might be affected by their decisions. But public health advocates say the legislation falls short in that it does not provide needed liability protection to health care workers, strengthen data reporting requirements, spell out how authorities can reallocate healthcare resources in emergencies, relax certain licensing requirements for healthcare workers during emergencies, or create any enforcement authority. State Epidemiologist Dr. Harry Hull says Minnesota has learned a lot of lessons since last fall's anthrax cases, but much more needs to be done. Hull says that the new legislation, while incomplete, helps move preparedness efforts along.

May 25

Sep 11 fund may benefit those affected by other terrorist attacks
Under a new agreement by Senate Democrats and Republicans, the Sep 11 Victim Compensation Fund would provide hundreds of millions of dollars to families of victims of other terrorist attacks, including those involving anthrax, and previous bombings at the World Trade Center, in Oklahoma City, and at embassies in Africa. Families who lost relatives in any of these events would be entitled to benefits under the same rules as families who lost members on Sep 11. The average payout is expected to be $1.8 million, minus life insurance payments, pensions, and some other benefits received by the families. Those who were injured in the attacks would be entitled to reimbursement for medical expenses and lost wages. The agreement would not affect the amount of money received by the families of those who died on Sep 11.

Need to disrobe for decontamination complicates biodefense planning
A report by a disaster-planning expert confirms that, in the event of many biological or chemical attacks, removal of victims' clothing offers one of the most important and effective means of decontamination, according to a Seattle Times story. "You hold them, you strip them and you wash them," says Henry Siegelson, report author and clinical assistant professor of emergency medicine at Emory University in Atlanta. Yet, people's reluctance to strip naked in front of co-workers or strangers "has been one of the issues that has prevented us from moving forward and developing a scheme to manage mass casualties," Siegelson says. "Some people would rather be dead than strip in public." The situation has already occurred. On Christmas Eve in 1998, an anthrax threat forced more than 200 at a Palm Desert, Calif., Mervyn's store to disrobe and be hosed down in a makeshift tent. Another anthrax decontamination in October 2001 left 24 employees of a bank in Naples, Fla., wet and clad in plastic tarps.

May 24

Some VA hospitals to have biological decontamination facilities
The Government is installing biological decontamination centers at some veterans' hospitals as part of a homeland preparedness plan that could cost up to $200 million. The centers are being set up in some "large urban areas that may be subject to attack," including Washington, DC, says Anthony Principi, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. At the same time, the VA's policy of serving all veterans could be suspended if the agency doesn't get increased funding from Congress to reduce backlogs in treatment and maintain its quality of service, Principi says. He tells the Associated Press the VA is struggling under a "burgeoning, staggering workload" and that veterans sometimes wait for months for care. President Bush wants $1.5 billion more for the VA in 2003, a record increase for the agency.

May 23

Senate sends biodefense bill to President Bush
The Senate approves a broad bioterrorism bill on a 98-0 vote, a day after House approval of the same legislation. The bill devotes $4.6 billion to stockpiling vaccines and drugs, improving food inspections, boosting security for water systems, and keeping track of dangerous pathogens used in research, among other measures. "Because of the initiatives we approved today, American families can go to sleep tonight knowing that their security will be enhanced," says Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., one of the bill's chief authors. The bill authorizes $640 million for producing and stockpiling smallpox vaccines in case terrorists reintroduce the disease. The measure also calls for expanding the availability of potassium iodide for communities near nuclear plants to treat radiation poisoning in case of terrorist attack.

Army general says evidence of Cuban bioweapons development is lacking
Army Maj. Gen. Gary Speer, head of the US Southern Command, tells the Miami Herald he has seen so evidence that Cuba is producing biological weapons in its biomedical research program. Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton touched off a controversy, including angry denials from Cuban President Fidel Castro, when he said May 6 that the United States believes Cuba, Syria, and Libya are developing bioweapons. Speer says Cuba has an active biomedical research and development program and he believes the "same science" is used in medical research and weapons development. "I think what Mr. Bolton said in his statement, it kind of got reported as an accusation that the Cubans were . . . that we had evidence that they were actually producing bioweapons. And I'm not sure that's the case," he says.

Plant scientists plan symposium on crop-targeted bioterrorism
The American Phytopathological Society in Milwaukee announces a symposium on bioterrorism to be held at the group's annual meeting in July. Plant health scientists from around the world will meet in Milwaukee to discuss crop protection and bioterrorism and hear how changes in US policies may affect their research. "We have a responsibility as scientists to look at these issues," says R. James Cook, a plant health scientist at Washington State University and organizer of the symposium, titled "Crop Biosecurity: Countering Agriculture Bioterrorism." He says that while most plant health scientists believe the risk of a bioterrorist attack on the world's food crops is low, future technological and scientific advances could easily change that. The symposium will take place July 28.

May 22

House approves far-reaching bioterrorism preparedness bill
The House overwhelmingly passes a bill to help state and local governments, hospitals, healthcare workers, disease researchers, water utilities, and food inspectors protect the country against bioterrorism. The 425-1 vote came less than a day after House and Senate conferees agreed on a compromise version of the legislation. The bill now goes to the Senate for a vote. "America is again on heightened alert," says Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., co-sponsor of the House bill. He says the bill makes "broad and dramatic investments in our public health infrastructure to ensure the safety and security of the American people." The compromise version, when combined with funds already approved for this fiscal year, boosts the total anti-bioterrorism authorization for this year and next to more than $4.6 billion, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

May 21

House-Senate conference committee agrees on biodefense bill
House and Senate negotiators say they have finished work on a bill to protect the nation against bioterrorist attacks, expand government stockpiles of antibiotics and vaccines, and tighten federal regulation of laboratories handling dangerous microbes. The bill reconciles measures passed by the two chambers and also improves food safety and protects water systems that supply drinking water to most Americans. Additionally, it reauthorizes a program involving user fees paid by drug companies to speed the review and approval of new medicines. President Bush is expected to sign the bill. The House plans to approve the compromise measure this week, and the Senate expected to do the same next month.

New York City officials insist water supply is protected
New York City's Bloomberg administration dismisses a report by a state legislative committee that says the city has failed to protect its water supplies since Sep 11. The report says the city neglected to institute security recommendations made by state and federal officials. City officials say the committee's chairman, Assemblyman Jeff Klein, is using the report to seek publicity. According to the officials, Klein refused their offers to meet before the release of the report. Had they met, Klein would have learned that some of the inadequately protected buildings cited in the report have not been used since 1971, officials say. In particular, Silver Lake Park in Staten Island, once a city reservoir, is now a public lake. Charles Sturcken, chief of staff to the environmental protection commissioner, says the report "offered nothing new" and that the city will maintain the security plan it began in 1998, which includes adding environmental police officers.

Democrats say homeland security chief should be Cabinet position
House Democrats urge Congress to promote Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge's job to Cabinet level, recommending that increasing his authority would improve his ability to coordinate a anti-terrorism efforts and secure more federal funding for security. House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., endorses legislation proposed by Jane Harman, D-Calif., of the House Intelligence, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Subcommittee, and Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. "The homeland security director should have budgetary . . . and operational authority," says Gephardt. He also says it is "absurd" that the administration has not allowed Ridge to testify before Congress. "It has been nine months after Sept.11 and Tom Ridge has not brought forth a strategy for homeland security," Gephardt says.

Fort Detrick, Dugway workers to get lie-detector tests
The Justice Department is preparing to give lie-detector tests to hundreds of federal employees working at Fort Detrick, Md., and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Both research facilities store anthrax. ABC News reports that some former employees of both facilities may also be given polygraph tests. The government will focus on workers who have expertise in preparing anthrax for use as a weapon and those who may have had access to it, says a law enforcement official. The official says the plan to test employees does not mean the government already has a suspect. With the anthrax investigation producing few leads, the government has begun a strategy of focusing on possible sources of anthrax rather than identifying suspects.

New chief at USAMRIID aims to improve procedures
Maj. Gen. Lester Martinez-Lopez, who took over the Army's germ warfare defense laboratory, faces the complicated challenges of helping fight the war on bioterrorism and trying to clean up security breaches, misplaced pathogens, and unprofessional conduct at the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). Martinez says a new program aimed at clarifying Army rules for handling, shipping, and storing biological agents should strengthen public trust in the institute, which plays a central role in the investigation of last fall's anthrax mailings. "We have good systems, but we're going to make them even safer," says Martinez in an Associated Press interview.

May 20

World Bank workers sent home because of anthrax concern
A preliminary test of mail at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC, indicates the presence of anthrax, but a more sophisticated test comes up negative. As a precaution, 1,200 employees in the bank's Africa and training divisions are told to work from home for most of the week while a laboratory in West Virginia conducts further tests. Mail addressed to the bank's 7,500 employees at the Washington headquarters is routinely separated into tabletop-size batches and placed in a machine that compresses the letters and tests the atmosphere around each bunch, spokeswoman Caroline Anstey says.

House approves funds for biodefense research at VA centers
The US House of representatives passes a bill to provide the Department of Veterans Affairs $100 million for four new research centers aimed at combating bioterrorism. Despite having 163 medical centers and a $25 billion annual budget, the VA is "almost routinely overlooked" when it comes to homeland security, says House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Smith, R-N.J. The four centers authorized under the bill would focus on research and response to potential chemical, biological and radiological terrorist attacks. They would also provide education and training to health professionals and assist local authorities with laboratory work in emergencies. The $100 million authorized over the next five years for the centers would come from money already appropriated to combat terrorism, Smith says. The legislation moves on to the Senate, where a similar bill has been introduced.

US agency denies working on bioweapons that attack equipment
The Joint Nonlethal Weapons Directorate, a US military special weapons office, denies developing biological agents that attack military equipment and material but not personnel. The office, which recommends and develops nonlethal weapons research for the armed services, last year asked the National Academy of Sciences to study new nonlethal technologies including controversial Navy and Air Force proposals to develop anti-materials biocatalystsmicroorganisms that rapidly degrade materials such as metals, fuels, and pavement. Military research has already produced such organisms to degrade paint on ships and aircraft and neutralize environmental toxic spills. Edward Hammond, co-director of the Sunshine Project, a nongovernmental organization working to prevent the use of biotechnology to develop new weapons, says the research could violate the Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989. The act provides for strict penalties for the development, production, or use of "any biological agent, toxin or delivery system for use as a weapon."

Putin urges Russian cabinet to get rid of old weapons stockpiles
Russian President Vladimir Putin urges his government to draft proposals for disposing of aging weapons stockpiles inherited from the Soviet Union. "We must think about financing the destruction of excessive stockpiles of aging weapons which have become a liability and, sometimes, an environmental hazard," Putin says at a Kremlin meeting of cabinet officials. He orders the cabinet to allocate money for that purpose when writing next year's budget. In particular, Putin expresses concern about the need to deal with the country's chemical weapons arsenal, which it has promised to destroy. Russia has the world's largest chemical weapons arsenal, consisting of 44,000 tons of weaponry.

Swiss firefighters called unready for chemical or biological attack
The Swiss Federation of Firefighters says its members are insufficiently equipped to deal with the threat of chemical or biological attacks. They need training and better equipment, according to Walter Egger, president of the federation. Speaking at a seminar sponsored by the federation, Egger calls for the introduction of a comprehensive training program for firefighters who lack the skills to deal with a chemical or biological attack on Swiss soil. Raymond Wicky, acting head of Geneva's fire brigade, tells federation members that Swiss firefighters were unable to deal with the unprecedented number of anthrax scares in Switzerland following the Sep 11 events in the United States. Wicky also says Swiss laboratories were unprepared for the demands on them to provide swift analysis of material and packages suspected of containing anthrax.

May 19

WHO nations confirm decision to keep smallpox virus
Fears of bioterrorism cause the 191 World Health Organization (WHO) members to formally reverse their long-standing order to destroy all smallpox virus stocks and instead recommend they be retained for research into new vaccines or treatment. The World Health Assembly, the UN health agency's primary decision-making body, chooses to back an earlier recommendation by the WHO executive board to drop a 2002 deadline for destroying the virus held at security laboratories in the United States and Russia. No new target is set for destroying the stocks, and the WHO will receive annual updates on the research. US Assistant Surgeon General Kenneth Bernard told the assembly that smallpox research was necessary because the "events of Sep 11 have underscored the extent that terrorists are willing to go." Research also would help people suffering from HIV/AIDS, whose weakened immune systems could not stand existing smallpox vaccines, he says.

New York City water system vulnerable to sabotage
Security gaps make New York City water facilities potentially vulnerable to biological or chemical attacks, says a report compiled by the New York State Assembly Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation. The report says that security falls considerably short of meeting federal and state guidelines. Fences and buildings allow easy access and detailed maps could easily be gathered. "I'm not trying to be an alarmist, I'm not trying to create fear. I'm simply saying that something as important as the security of our water system has to be handled in a very, very careful manner," says Assemblyman Jeff Klein, committee chairman. The report found that security at the facilities failed more than half of the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Health guidelines. The findings were based on several months of analysis using a 21-point security checklist at eight water facilities in the region.

Alibek seeks millions to develop biodefense inhaler product
Ken Alibek, former second-in-command of the Soviet biowarfare program, is seeking $15 million to $20 million to refine an inhaler therapy that he says temporarily boosts the body's immune system and protects against smallpox, anthrax, and other pathogens. With a breath of spray before or after a suspected bioterror attack, "you just won't get the infection," says Alibek. He says that in lab tests, mice exposed to a smallpox-like virus have received "100 percent protection." Alibek will present details of his test results on Capitol Hill. The inhaler project involves Hadron Advanced Biosystems, a Virginia firm where Alibek serves as chief scientist, and the Center for Biodefense at George Mason University, where he is a professor of medical microbiology and immunology.

May 18

Some British soldiers' illnesses attributed to Norwalk-like virus
Scientists at Britian's Public Health Laboratory Service confirm that British troops infected by a fever in Afghanistan are suffering from the "winter vomiting" bug, defense officials say. Thirty-eight British soldiers stationed at Bagram air base north of Kabul became ill with symptoms including fever, vomiting, and diarrhea. Officials say they believe 25 of the troops are infected with Norwalk-like virus, named after the Ohio city where it was first identified, while the rest suffer from more common diarrhea bugs. The virus is not usually life threatening, but can cause diarrhea and projectile vomiting. In January, the virus infected hundreds of patients and staff in British hospitals. A Ministry of Defense medical expert says the virus is "virtually identical" to the one in January's outbreak, but says it is unlikely that the troops brought the disease to Afghanistan with them.

Any invaders of Iraq could face chemical or biological weapons
Pentagon military planners say the biggest difficulty they face should they decide to invade Iraq is the chance that President Saddam Hussein would use chemical or biological weapons against American forces and their allies. That possibility could affect everything from training and supplies to the location and timing of an assault. Additionally, the prospect of Hussein firing chemical or biological warheads at Israel and other allies has prompted discussions about destroying his stockpiles or limiting his ability to use them. However, terrorists are "literally putting their weapons of mass destruction capability right next to schools and hospitals and mosques, purposely," Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld says. None of these theoretical problems are large enough to deter an attack, senior military officials say. Yet the threat of biological or chemical attacks "plays a huge role" in preliminary planning, says a senior military officer. "Without question, it's the toughest nut to crack," he says.

Arizona Legislature passes bill to increase disease surveillance
The Arizona Legislature approves a bill authorizing the governor to increase health surveillance should the state face a risk of bioterrorism. If the governor issued a surveillance advisory allowed by the current legislation, the Department of Health Services and local health authorities would face more thorough reporting requirements for illnesses that could be related to bioterrorism. They would also have greater authority to isolate and quarantine victims. The bill also would give health departments the power to look for bioterrorism and limit the effects of such an attack. The bill passed on votes of 45-10 in the House and 29-0 in the Senate and now goes to Gov. Jane Hull, who supports the legislation.

Japanese military to help with security at soccer's World Cup
Japan is preparing to use its military to protect soccer's World Cup from potential terrorist attacks or any other major violence. The plan calls for armed forces to back up police who are responsible for ensuring security during soccer's biggest international event, according to the Asahi newspaper. In case of biological or chemical attacks, the military can mobilize 800 members of a special anti-chemical weapons unit, the paper says. Planes equipped with early-warning radar are also prepared to monitor no-fly zones near stadiums. Japan and South Korea are co-hosting the World Cup, the first time it has been staged in Asia. The event, to run from May 31 to June 30, is expected to draw more than 430,000 visitors from around the world.

May 17

Report says DoD to give up on broad anthrax vaccination program
The Pentagon will abandon its policy of vaccinating all American troops against anthrax and instead will limit shots to those with the highest risk of contracting the illness, according to a report quoting unnamed officials. A program started in 1998 to vaccinate all 2.4 million members of the active and reserve military will be replaced by a new plan to vaccinate only those at risk without disclosing their identity, for security reasons, the officials say. Health officials say there is no need for civilians to receive the anthrax vaccine unless an attack occurs. Currently Homeland Security Office officials are working to calculate how much vaccine might be needed for police, firefighters, rescue squads, and other first responders to a bioterrorist attack.

Unidentified illness affects 18 soldiers in Afghanistan
Six more British soldiers are evacuated to the United Kingdom for emergency treatment while officials try to determine the cause of a contagious fever that has infected 18 soldiers in Afghanistan and forced authorities to quarantine hundreds more. The illness outbreak is at the main allied air base at Bagram, north of Kabul. Says British military spokesman Lt. Col. Ben Curry, "We still cannot categorically identify the source or nature of the infection." Symptoms are those of an "enteric febrile illness," which, he says, "can in some cases show meningitis-like symptoms." British soldiers have reported symptoms including fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, but Curry says it is probably not meningitis. Eight of the 18 patients who became sick have recovered but are still under quarantine, Curry says.

Foodborne illness outbreak in Yonkers, N.Y., called accidental
Officials in Yonkers, N.Y., say that six residents who became violently ill appear to have suffered from accidental food contamination and not cyanide poisoning or bioterrorism. The police responded to what looked like an incident of food poisoning in a row house not far from the city's downtown. Because of the severity of the symptoms and the skin reaction of a responding medical technician, city officials went into full crisis mode, calling in the FBI, the Westchester County district attorney's office, and a team of hazardous materials experts. The surrounding neighborhood was closed off, as was the St. Joseph's Medical Center emergency room. The six victims, all of Egyptian heritage, apparently used some ingredients brought to the United States from Egypt, says Yonkers Police Commissioner Charles A. Cola. Two people are still listed in critical condition at St. Joseph's, while three others are stable and a sixth has been treated and released.

Australia stockpiles drugs, vaccines for diseases of bioterrorism
In an effort to protect the nation from terrorists or other foes, Australia's health officials plan to store treatments for smallpox, anthrax, pneumonic plague, and influenza throughout the country. The federal Health Department has received $11.4 million and expects to spend $10.7 million of that within the next 12 months for a national stockpile of new vaccines, antibiotics, antiviral medicine, and antidotes to chemical weapons. While chances of a biological or chemical attack on Australia are low, Health Minister Kay Patterson says the country cannot afford to assume it is immune from terrorist attack.

Minnesota Legislature rejects health emergency bill
The Minnesota House of Representatives overwhelmingly rejects a proposed state emergency health powers bill designed to improve response to a bioterrorism attack. The defeat comes in response to concerns over infringing on civil liberties. "I hope to God there's no bioterrorism event in this state, because we're woefully unprepared," says Rep. Richard Mulder, R-Ivanhoe, the Legislature's only physician. Mulder had joined Democrats and Gov. Jesse Ventura in an attempt to clarify controversial existing rules on quarantine and property seizure to meet possible new health threats. But their efforts were derailed by opposition from various groups, including the firearms and AIDS lobbies.

May 15

Army lab in Hawaii to invest in bioterrorism preparedness
Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu plans to spend $41 million to update its biomedical research center and provide Hawaii with greater capabilities to test for and safely contain biohazards. The 59,000-square-foot lab on Tripler Hill will have a biosafety level 3 rating, allowing researchers to work on some of the most hazardous agents. Army officials say quick response to possible bioterrorism remains a priority. The anthrax scare last fall overwhelmed lab capabilities in Hawaii, where more than 400 packages and letters were tested by the state lab.

Iraq may be serious about letting weapons inspectors return
Iraq is indicating serious interest in allowing United Nations weapons inspectors to return, according to US Deputy Ambassador to the UN James Cunningham. "I think a lot of people are telling us the Iraqis are seriously thinking about this now," he says. Since March, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has held two rounds of talks with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the return of inspectors who left Baghdad ahead of US and British air strikes 3½ years ago and have been barred from returning. Cunningham says the Iraqis have had "ample opportunity" to exchange views with Annan, discuss technical issues with chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, and consult UN Security Council members on other questions they raised. The US has threatened to use force if Saddam Hussein refuses to allow inspectors to return.

Journal alleges that Iraq and Cuba sent West Nile virus to US
Two articles published in the Medical Sentinel, The Official Journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) say that Iraq may have sent the West Nile virus to the United States via Cuba by releasing migratory birds infected with the virus and that Iraq may be producing antibiotic-resistant germs for future attacks. The first article, "West Nile Virus  Is Castro's Bioterrorism Threat Being Ignored," was written by Ernesto F. Betancourt, Castro's Washington representative in the 1950s and former director of Radio Marti.  Betancourt cites ornithologist Carlos Wotzkow, who, the article says, was fired from Cuba's Institute of Zoology after objecting to a program to develop viruses that could be carried by birds or other means into the United States. The second article, "Cuba, Castro and Bioterrorism," by Augustin Blazquez, outlines his claims that "Castro has used this time to develop weapons of mass destruction in our backyard to be used against us." The AAPS describes itself as a voice for private physicians.

May 14

Model suggests anthrax spores could have contaminated 5,000 letters
Researchers estimate that envelopes containing anthrax spores cross-contaminated as many as 5,000 letters in the eastern United States in the fall of 2001, most likely causing the deaths of two women in New York City and rural Connecticut. A mathematical model describing last fall's attacks indicates that focusing only on anthrax-laden envelopes could be a serious mistake. "The original letters were extremely dangerous," says Vanderbilt University mathematician Glen Webb. "But there was also great danger from cross-contamination." Webb and co-researcher Martin Blaser, chairman of medicine at New York University Medical Center, say the model could be used to predict the course of future letter-borne anthrax attacks. The model, described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help to identify populations at risk and find the source of the initial exposures, according to Blaser.

Four centers to test intramuscular administration of anthrax vaccine
Emory University School of Medicine and four other medical centers are searching for 1,560 volunteers to enroll in a clinical trial of anthrax vaccine. Funded by the CDC, the trial will use the current vaccine but test different methods of administering the shot. Currently, the vaccination involves at least six shots given under the skin of the arm. The study will investigate whether giving the shot in an upper arm muscle decreases side effects or speeds the body's immune response, allowing fewer shots to be used. In a small pilot study in 2000, intramuscular administration of the vaccine appeared to work and produced fewer reactions, says Dr Harry Keyserling, a vaccine researcher who will lead the Emory branch of the investigation. Other centers involved in the study are the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Officers say DoD lacks right to require anthrax vaccination of troops
An attorney for two Air Force officers contends that the Department of Defense does not have the right to inoculate troops with an anthrax vaccine that has not received final approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Attorney John J. Michels Jr says the military should call the medication an experimental drug, allowing troops to refuse it if they choose. "The current program is a conscious, knowing violation of the law," says Michels. He represents an Air Force major who has left the service and an Air Force physician, both of whom refused to take the vaccine. US District Judge Reggie B. Walton also heard oral arguments from a Justice Department attorney that the FDA did not object to the vaccination program. The judge says he is reluctant for the courtas opposed to healthcare expertsto issue an order on a medical issue.

May 13

Carter accuses Bush officials of contradictions on Cuba's biotech work
Former President Jimmy Carter says Bush administration officials assured him before his trip to Cuba that they had no evidence of Cuba's providing other nations with technology to develop weapons of mass destruction, contrary to statements last week by Under Secretary of State John Bolton. Carter says, "I asked them specifically, on more than one occasion, 'Is there any evidence that Cuba has been involved in sharing any information to any other country on earth that could be used for terrorist purposes?' And the answer from our experts on intelligence was no." But the US State Department affirms Bolton's assertion that Cuba has at least a limited biological warfare program and has provided such biotechnology to rogue states. "We stand by every word of John Bolton's speech," Otto Reich, the assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, tells the Associated Press. Reich says Carter was not briefed on the weapons issue because the briefing took place before Bolton's speech May 6.

Singapore increases spending to counter bioterrorism, infectious disease
Singapore is preparing to spend $102 million to protect the island state from bioterrorism and infectious diseases, the Straits Times reports. The health ministry, environment ministry, and Agri-food and Veterinary Authority will spend the money on new facilities such as sophisticated laboratories to detect fast-spreading disease. Commissioner for Public Health Wang Nan Chee says the densely populated island, a major travel center with a large foreign population, will adopt a vigilant and aggressive approach in fighting such diseases. Aside from bioterrorism, authorities are always on the alert for threats such as dengue fever and food poisoning. "We are paranoid about everything. We even look at the crows and ask ourselves, are they carrying anything?" Chee says. The Environmental Health Institute, set up last month, will focus on countering infectious diseases, including dengue and rodent-borne diseases.

Australian heifer dies of anthrax
A farm in the Australian state of Victoria is quarantined after the state's second case of livestock anthrax in 4 weeks was reported there. Victoria Agricultural Minister Keith Hamilton says anthrax was identified as the cause of death of a 2-year-old heifer on a property near Shepparton. The Department of Natural Resource and Environment has quarantined the property, incinerated the infected carcass, and vaccinated the remaining cattle on the property, he says. In the previous anthrax case, a property in nearby Tatura was quarantined late last month following the death of an 18-month-old steer.

May 12

Policy analysts doubt charge that Cuba is developing bioweapons
Some Cuba policy analysts are voicing disbelief of the recent American charge that Cuba is developing biological weapons. US Under Secretary of State John Bolton cited no specific evidence to support the allegation, in which he linked Cuba with other Libya, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, as threats to America for their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. US officials say they were sure of their facts but could not show the evidence for fear of revealing their sources. Wayne Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, says of the allegation, "It's absolute nonsense. There is no evidence that Cuba is manufacturing biological weapons of any kind." Some blamed political motives for the charges, saying Washington's Cuba policy is dominated by Cuban-American hard-liners. Cuban President Fidel Castro describes the US charges as lies.

May 11

Auditors say some federal agencies slow to counter threat of terrorism
Internal government auditors from several federal agencies have issued reports criticizing the agencies for moving too slowly to confront the potential for terrorist attacks. The security audits, prepared by watchdogs known as inspectors general, report that even after last fall's terror attacks, some government departments acted slowly to control hazardous materials, to secure buildings and aircraft, to clamp down on unlawful immigrants, to protect vital computers and communications links from attack, or to take other high-priority measures. For example, at the Department of Agriculture, the inspector general reports that many of the agency's 336 laboratories could not account for dangerous biological agents listed in their stockpiles, including 3 billion doses of a dangerous virus. Says Representative Jane Harman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, "Federal departments and agencies are not nearly as prepared as they need to be to prevent a second wave of terrorist attacks."

May 10

CDC to hold public forums on smallpox and its vaccine
The CDC plans to sponsor public meetings in five cities to educate the public about smallpox and the smallpox vaccine. Meetings are scheduled in Manhattan and San Francisco June 6 and in St. Louis and San Antonio June 8. All four meetings will provide a forum in which people can ask questions about the disease and the smallpox vaccine, which can cause serious and sometimes deadly side effects. The date for a fifth meeting, to be held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC, has not been set. That meeting, which will also be open to the public, will focus primarily on scientific questions involving smallpox. CDC spokesman Curtis Allen says the location of the Manhattan meeting has not been decided. "Beyond the dates, we don't have any location," Allen says.

HHS issues guidelines for protecting building ventilation systems
The Department of Health and Human Services issues new guidelines for protecting building ventilation systems from terrorist attacks. Among various other recommendations, the guidelines say that building air intakes should be at least 12 feet above ground level. The guidelines also advise building managers not to permanently seal outdoor air intakes or interfere with fire protection systems. "This guidance offers reasonable and practical measures to reduce the likelihood of a containment attack and to minimize the impact if one occurs," says Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. Officials say more comprehensive guidelines will be issued later.

UN official says Iraq must prove it has no weapons
Hans Blix, the chief United Nations weapons inspector, says Iraq must prove that it has no weapons of mass destruction. In an interview published in the London-based Arabic-language newspaper Al Hayat, Blix says inspectors need hard proof, not a mere invitation to examine whether Iraq has dismantled chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons, along with missiles to deliver them. Such verification is necessary before economic sanctions imposed on Iraq following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait can be lifted. The return of inspectors dominated discussions at Iraq-UN talks that ended without a breakthrough earlier this month. The United States accuses Iraq of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. Iraq maintains it has dismantled all such weapons, but refuses to let UN inspectors in. In his interview, Blix says Baghdad should present documents to UN inspectors concerning the weapons and permit meetings with Iraqi officials. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri has said Iraq is opposed to accepting inspectors as long as the US is threatening to attack Iraq.

May 9

Mail at Federal Reserve may have anthrax contamination
The Federal Reserve reports that preliminary tests showed traces of anthrax on about 20 pieces of mail delivered to its Washington, DC, headquarters. The mail was discovered during routine mail testing in a mobile trailer in a courtyard at the central bank's main facility in downtown Washington. Officials caution that preliminary tests are often wrong and further tests are underway. The mail did not contain any powders or handwritten addresses and was classified as "routine commercial and business mail." Officials do not know where the mail came from or where it had been processed. Some was addressed to Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan.

CDC expects to have over 200 million doses of smallpox vaccine by year's end
Increased production efforts should result in over 200 million smallpox vaccine doses on hand by the end of the year, according to the CDC. "This will prevent us from finding ourselves in the same situation we were originally  with an antiquated vaccine and no production capability," says Dr. James LeDuc, director of the CDC's Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases. LeDuc tells the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) that the vaccine stockpile includes four components: doses being produced by Acambis, a British company, under two federal contracts; Aventis Pasteur's recently revealed supply of 70 million to 90 million doses; and the existing stockpile of 15 million doses of Dryvax vaccine, which can be diluted to provide about 75 million doses. National Pharmaceutical Stockpile sites are ready, and plans are in place to deliver the final product, if needed, from the stockpile to all cities of more than 10,000 population. "There are 3,556 such cities in the US, and we feel that we can get this product to those cities within 5 to 7 days," says LuDuc. Dr. James M. Hughes, director of the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases, tells Reuters Health there will be a major need to educate the public and health professionals about the vaccine. "Nobody under 30 has received it and no recently trained health care providers have ever administered it," he says. Hughes says ACIP's smallpox working group will make recommendations about use of the vaccine.

Survey finds many physicians ill-informed about smallpox vaccine
A CDC survey finds that doctors are poorly informed about the dangerous side effects of the smallpox vaccine and the government's plan to control an outbreak if terrorists release the deadly germ. The survey consisted of one-hour interviews with 17 physicians in Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. The interviews revealed that many doctors mistakenly believe smallpox vaccine is as safe as common childhood vaccines, such as measles shots. "This is not something doctors have received formal training on," says Glen Nowak of the CDC's National Immunization Program. "It highlights that we have some education challenges ahead." The survey also included 20 public focus groups, each with about eight people, to determine how much work the CDC needs to do to correct misconceptions about the dangers of smallpox.

Defense Department expands Pentagon police force
The Defense Department creates a new security agency to protect the Pentagon. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency will incorporate and expand the Defense Protective Service, which previously served as the Pentagon police force. The new agency also will screen mail, cargo, and people entering the Pentagon. Further, it will provide security for Pentagon computers, work to counter terrorist threats, and prepare for and respond to any attacks involving chemical, biological, or radiological weapons. The new security force will expand from about 250 to 300 because of the additional responsibilities, Pentagon spokesman Glenn Flood says. John Jester, head of the Defense Protective Service, will direct the new agency.

Postal officials think sorting machines ground anthrax clumps in Leahy letter
Postal investigators believe that the anthrax-contaminated letter sent last fall to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy may have passed through sorting machines an extra time, causing the clumps of anthrax spores to become finer and more dangerous than those in a letter mailed the same day to Sen. Tom Daschle. The high-speed machines handle up to 550 letters a minute and could have acted like a mill, crumbling the microscopic clumps into smaller and lighter bits, says an investigator. "The Leahy letter was definitely handled by machines an extra time," he says. But federal law enforcement officials, who recently disclosed the discrepancy in the size of the anthrax particles, call the postal investigators' theory possible but unlikely. "There's no enthusiasm for that theory," an official says. "Mail processing would probably not be effective. Instead, the FBI suspects that whoever prepared the anthrax put material of different grades in the two envelopes.

Anthrax used in attacks originated in military lab, magazine report says
An article in New Scientist says that DNA sequencing of the anthrax sent through the US mail last fall confirms suspicions that the bacteria originally came from a US military laboratory. The strain used in the attack most likely originated at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Frederick, Md., the article says The new work also shows that substantial genetic differences can emerge in two samples of an anthrax culture separated for only three years. This means the attacker's anthrax was not separated from its ancestors at USAMRIID for many generations. The Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., did the new genetic sequencing work in collaboration with a team led by Paul Keim at the University of Northern Arizona at Flagstaff.

Genomic study may rule out some labs as sources of anthrax used in attacks
Anthrax investigators may eliminate some labs as possible sources for last fall's mail attacks because of a detailed new analysis, researchers say. Researchers working with the FBI report in Science that they found enough differences in the genetic structure of the Ames strain of anthrax to show that the spores from last fall's attacks did not originate from some labs where the strain was kept for research. Experts evaluating the Science report say more research, using the same technique, could eventually uncover other subtle but specific DNA markers that could link some lab cultures with the bacteria mailed to offices in Florida, New York, and Washington. Timothy D. Read, a geneticist at the Institute for Genomic Research in Rockville, Md., and first author of the Science study, says he has advised the FBI on his findings and believes the agency is using the DNA analysis technique to exclude some labs from further investigation.

May 8

FDA may accept animal results on drugs for diseases due to bioterrorism
The Food and Drug Administration is considering allowing animal studies to substitute for human studies of treatments for diseases caused by biological weapons. Approval of the policy could mean that drugs never tested on humans would be used in the event of a biological attack with limited certainty about whether they work. The rule allowing animal studies, first proposed in 1999, has passed FDA review and awaits White House approval. Under the new rule, drug and vaccine manufacturers would still have to do human studies to determine the safety of their product, but not to assess the product's effectiveness at preventing disease. Instead they could use animal models of human disease to demonstrate effectiveness. "This is a case of having to do the best you can with what you've got," says Joseph Fratanoni, chief medical officer at MaxCyte, a Rockville, Md., company. He notes it would be difficult to do human studies for bioweapon treatments because "you don't have natural epidemics of anthrax or smallpox." Peter Lurie, deputy director of the consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen Health Research Group, says he is concerned that pharmaceutical companies could exploit the rule.

Security at many USDA labs called poor
A government report indicates that unauthorized scientists, students, and foreigners routinely gain access to federal laboratories where potentially deadly biological agents are stored. An investigation by the US Department of Agriculture's inspector general found that many of the USDA's 124 laboratories were vulnerable to theft and unable to keep track of biological agents. Almost half of the labs need security improvements such as alarm systems, security fences, and surveillance cameras. Scientists and researchers, including non-US citizens "not associated with USDA work" had regular access to the most sensitive areas in the laboratories, it said. "Unauthorized personnel with knowledge of laboratory inventory could remove a biological agent and place it in a terrorist's hands long before the theft was discovered," the report says. In response, the USDA has developed a 10-year plan to modernize all its laboratories. USDA officials say they expect the plan to be completed by 2006.

Bioterrorist attack could damage US farm economy
A report in USA Today say a bioterrorist attack on crops and livestock could devastate parts of America's $1.3 trillion agricultural economy with countless dead animals, spoiled harvests, billions of dollars in lost exports, disrupted transport and processing of food, and chaos in stock and future markets. With thousands of unguarded farms, ranches and feedlots, hundreds of livestock markets and fairs, and a trusting culture of openness and pride in "feeding the world," US agriculture presents an easy target for deliberate infection. Kansas State University veterinarian Jerry Jaax, an expert in biological weapons, cautions against alarmism: "I don't know that the general public should lose a lot of sleep over agricultural bioterrorism, but it's an undeniable fact that we would be vulnerable, he says. "I don't think we can afford to blow this off." Government, industry, and animal-health groups are working to protect agriculture through a variety of approaches including education, preparedness, vaccinations, and deterrence

Libya denounces US allegations about Cuban work on bioweapons
The Libyan government denounces what it says are American charges that Cuba shared bioweapons technology with Libya, asserting that such "empty allegations" amount to terrorism. "This is no more than the usual ways that America uses to wage campaigns against people, by resorting to threat, terrorism and extortion," Foreign Minister spokesman Hassouna al-Shawis says. His remarks come in response to comments by US Under Secretary of State John Bolton that Cuba is trying to develop biological weapons and transferring its technical expertise to countries hostile to the United States. Bolton said the transfers involve biotechnology that could have legitimate uses as well. His remarks to a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group, were considered the first to raise the possibility of Cuban involvement in weapons of mass destruction.

Energy Department lab to help map genomes of potential bioweapons
The Department of Energy's Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, Cal., has enlisted in a government effort to map the genomes of potential biological weapons, lab spokesmen say. The DOE project reflects concern about last fall's anthrax mailings and could eventually help catch terrorists by pinpointing the strain of bacteria used and its source, says Michael Banda, a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientist working on the project. "If we had a catalog of genomes, we can see if a sample has been alteredintentionally or naturally," Banda says. The Walnut Creek lab will maintain no live cultures of dangerous disease germs but will receive fragments of DNA prepared from cultures maintained at other DOE sites, such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

May 7

Experts call for response to threat of hemorrhagic feverviruses
Experts say a bioterrorist attack with hemorrhagic fever viruses (HFVs) such as Ebola would find the healthcare system poorly prepared, with effective drugs few and vaccines nearly non-existent. The 26-member Working Group on Civilian Biodefense, writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, says there is "an urgent need to develop vaccines and drug therapy" for the HFVs. The only available drug treatment is ribavirin, an antiviral drug that may be helpful for some of the viruses but not all, and yellow fever is the only HFV for which a proven vaccine exists. In addition, diagnosis of HFV infections would be difficult because the early symptoms and signs occur in many diseases. Humans contract HFVs through contact with animals or animal wastes or from arthopod bites; the viruses spread person-to-person by closecontact and, rarely, through airborne transmission. The United States and Russia weaponized HFVs in past biological weapons programs, the report says.

Anthrax used in 2001 attacks grew more potent with each letter
Federal investigators have determined that the anthrax sent through the mail last fall generally grew more potent from one letter to the next, with the spores in the final letter sent to Sen. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont thedeadliest of all, the New York Times reports. The worrisome discovery poses new questions for investigators: Was the culprit an amateur making gradual improvements through experimentation, a malevolent professional intentionally increasing the potency of the germ powder, or someone else entirely? After more than six months of effort, government experts investigating the anthrax cases remain lost, in part because of a lack of advisers skilled in the subtleties of germ weapons. Investigators acknowledge that they still have no idea who is behind the tainted letters. Tests currently underway at several private laboratories may reveal the precise biological signature of the anthrax used in the mailings, helping to narrow the search for the source laboratory.

Five of six inhalational anthrax survivors still havesymptoms
Seven months after the 2001 anthrax attacks, only one of the six survivors of inhalational anthrax is well enough to return to work. Though 3 to 6 months is the typical time for recovery from a serious infection, the other five patients still suffer from nightmares, shortness of breath, exhaustion, loss of short-term memory, and other problems. Before the attacks, just 18 cases of inhalation anthrax had been reported in the United States in the last 100 years, and nearly all of the victims died. "There are more questions than there are answers," says Dr. Arthur M. Friedlander, an anthrax expert at the Army biological defense laboratory at Fort Detrick, Md., who has met with the six survivors.The CDC has been collecting the survivors' blood for research. Says Dr. Bradley Perkins, the CDC's chief anthrax expert, "As we get further out from theoriginal infection and these individuals do not return to their normal activities, that is going to be of great concern to us. It will be a clear indication that we need to pursue all avenues to find out what's going on."

Drum holding smallpox vaccine ruptures, but nothing spills
Baltimore fire officials say a pressurized drum for storing smallpox vaccine ruptured when a lab worker at Chesapeake Biological Laboratories tried to open it. The drum's internal container holding the frozen vaccine vials remained intact. The worker was struck in the forehead by the lid and was taken to a local hospital with an injury that was not life-threatening, says Mike Maybin,a spokesman for the Baltimore Fire Department. The lab, located in downtown Baltimore, packages medicines for commercial use.

Anthrax-related losses forcing more Postal Service job cuts
The Postal Service plans to cut more than 8,000 additional full-time jobs, as the agency struggles to contain its losses due to declining business and last fall's anthrax mailings. Postmaster General John Potter says that a total of 20,000 career positions will be cut this year through attrition. According to Potter, financial managers project a loss of $1.5 billion for the fiscal year that ends in September. Potter says he expects mail volume for this year to be down 6 billion items from last year. In addition to falling mail volume, the Sep 11 attacks followed by the anthrax-by-mail terrorism have cost the agency hundreds of millions of dollars.

Iran said to be developing long-range missile
Iran, assisted by Russia and other countries, is developing a long-range missile with the capacity to strike NATO countries in Europe, a senior administration official says. The Shahab-4 missile would initially have a 1,250-mile range but, if upgraded, could reach Italy, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Greece, according to the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. This worries US officials because Iran is considered by the State Department to be the world's most active terrorist country. Iran's missile development is proceeding hand-in-hand with its efforts to develop nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, US officials say.

May 5

'Sooner Spring' drill offered valuable lessons
Officials say that "Sooner Spring," a bioterrorism disaster drill conducted in three small Oklahoma communities last month, offered valuable lessons. The two-day drill cost only $8,000 but produced a wealth of information, according to state bioterrorism preparedness coordinators. The drill included use of fake antibiotic doses, ambulance transport of victims to triage areas, use of isolation and infection control procedures, aerial spreading of simulated pneumonic plague germs, and volunteer "victims" in a makeshift morgue. Thedrill's key findings: drive-through dispensing of medication is highly effective; local public health agencies must broaden and strengthen their collaborations to become more effective; incentives are useful in encouraging participation in community-wide disaster drills; and public information and reminder systems are essential to prevent public confusion during drills. An analysis of the drill appears in the May 5 edition of Bioterror Medical Alert, published by Atlanta-based National Health Information.

Methyl bromide may be better anthrax-killer for buildings
Methyl bromide, a common pest-control agent used to kill termites and fumigate citrus for shipment overseas, could also work to clean anthrax spores out of buildings, a researcher says. The chemical appears to be more effective and cheaper than current methods used for anthrax decontamination in buildings, says Rudolf Scheffrahn, a professor of entomology at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. "Tests indicate the fumigant used for more than 50 years to control insect pests in buildings, grain elevators, and fresh fruit offers a better option than current treatments, such as chlorine dioxide, for killing anthrax and other bacterial spores," Scheffrahn says. The different chemical properties of the two gases may be the reason, he says. Chlorine dioxide begins breaking down as soon as it is released, whereas methyl bromide is more stable. Jeff Kempter, senior adviser at EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs in Arlington, Va., says the results look promising. The use of methyl bromide will be considered on a case-by-case basis, he says.

May 3

Hauer to succeed Henderson in public health preparedness post
Donald A. Henderson, MD, is leaving his position as the first director of the federal Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP), says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Henderson, who held the position about 6 months, will be succeeded by Jerome M. Hauer, former emergency management director for New York City and a former student of Henderson's. Thompson says Henderson will continue to serve as his principal science advisor for public health preparedness and chairman of the HHS Council on Public Health Preparedness. Henderson agreed to serve for 6 months when he took the OPHP position last fall.

Experts doubt that UN arms inspections in Iraq can be effective
Three experts tell the Council on Foreign Relations that they doubt that theUnited Nations talks with Iraq on possible new arms inspections will be worth the effort. According to the three, Iraq worked to conceal its weapons of mass destruction before UN inspectors left Iraq in 1998 and would probably do thesame if the monitoring resumed. "It is extremely doubtful that any inspection regime will be or can be successful," says Richard Spertzel, who headed the former team of UN inspectors. Khidir Hamza, lead scientists in Iraq's nuclear program until he left the country in 1994, agrees, saying that Iraqis are committed to or frightened into lying about the nature of Baghdad's activities. Charles Duelfer, UNSCOM's former deputy chief, offered slightly more support, saying one could make an argument that "something is better than nothing." But he warned that deploying new inspectors is risky because the inspectors cannot be certain that if they charge Iraq with noncompliance, the UN Security Council will back them up.

NIAID expert says camelpox virus has potential as a weapon
Camelpox virus, a close relative of the smallpox virus, could have potential as a biological weapon, says an expert with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Modifying camelpox to make it a potential biologicalweapon "certainly would be a possibility," Catherine Laughlin, chief of virology in NIAID's division of microbiology and infectious diseases, tellsUnited Press International. "But that's not a trivial task," and it would require a certain level of refined technology, Laughlin adds. Concerns about the possible use of camelpox as a bioweapon were raised recently when scientists at Oxford University reported in the Journal of General Virology that camelpox is genetically similar to smallpox. United Nations weapons inspectors learned in 1995 that Iraqi scientists were studying the virus as a possible weapon.

May 2

Senate confirms Zerhouni as head of NIH
The Senate approves Dr Elias Zerhouni, President Bush's nominee to head the National Institutes of Health. Confirmation comes on a voice vote just hours after Zerhouni appears before the Senate Health Committee and expresses strong support for federal funding for research on stem cells from human embryos. Zerhouni also promises to intervene if scientific advances exceed the limits Bush has set on the promising but controversial research. "As executive vice dean at Johns Hopkins, I was instrumental in creating an institute for stem-cell engineering primarily because I was concerned about the lack of any federal funding to advance the fundamental research still needed in this promising but fledgling field," Zerhouni says. A Muslim who was born and educated in Algeria, Zerhouni and his pediatrician wife, Nadia, came to the United States in 1975. He specializes in medical imaging and biomedical engineering and has pioneered new ways of imaging living tissue. The NIH director's position has been vacant for more than two years, and six of the 27 institutes and centers also need new directors

May 1

A few anthrax spores may be enough to cause disease, experts say
A panel of experts warns that it might take only a few anthrax spores to cause fatal disease in some vulnerable people. This conclusion, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association by experts from Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere, contradicts statements made by some public officials and bioterrorism experts last year suggesting that the minimum infectious dose is 8,000 to 10,000 spores. That figure, according to the authors, was the estimated number of spores required to kill half of the people exposed, but was misinterpreted as the minimum infectious dose. The article emphasizes the danger of small doses and is prompted in part by the fact that no source of exposure has been found for two of the five people who died. "We don't know what dose any of the victims got," says Dr. Thomas V. Inglesby, deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Strategies and lead author of the report. "But we can assume the people in New York and Connecticut got a very low dose."

Cohen urges more spending to help destroy old Russian weapons stockpiles
Former US Defense Secretary William Cohen tells a Senate panel that the "clock is ticking" with regard to Russian Cold War arsenals that could become prime sources for international terrorists hoping to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Cohen warns Congress to increase funding for programs that help Russia guard and destroy its nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons infrastructure. "Those pursuing these weapons know that the fastest route to obtaining them is to acquire weapons materials from the enormous stockpiles that still sit in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union," Cohen says. He recommends sustained programs to help destroy such weapons materials.

Pennsylvania sues to stop marketing of home anthrax test kit
Pennsylvania Attorney General Mike Fisher files a civil lawsuit against Ohio-based Toxicology Associates Inc. to halt the online promotion and sale of its home anthrax test kit to Pennsylvanians and to obtain refunds for consumers who purchased the product. The suit comes as a result of an investigation by Fisher's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "The defendant is accused of misrepresenting the effectiveness and reliability of its test kit to diagnose actual cases of anthrax or exposure to the deadly bacteria," Fisher says."Those buying the product are not told that the testing method is inconclusive and specifically not recommended by disease control experts." The kit uses a nasal swab to assess exposure to anthrax.

Homeland Security Office needs strategy and more authority, report says
The Bush administration must do more to protect Americans from future terrorist attacks, according to lawmakers and a homeland security study released by the Brookings Institution. The study, "Protecting the American Homeland: A Preliminary Analysis," says the White House Office of Homeland Security lacks both a strategy and the necessary authority to direct the efforts of dozens of government agencies and offices that contribute to the country's security. The administration "concentrates on the 'last war,' rather thanthe possible next one," and has emphasized protecting specific targetsagainst attack rather than taking steps to prevent attacks in the first place, the report says. Ivo Daalder, a senior fellow at Brookings and one of the study's authors, says the Office of Homeland Security and its director, Tom Ridge, need statutory authority. In addition, Daalder says a single cabinet-level agency should be created to manage border security.

UN, Iraq begin talks on proposed return of weapons inspectors
Iraq and the United Nations begin talks that UN officials hope will lead to the return of weapons inspectors to Baghdad. The United States is demanding the return of inspectors following more than a 3-year absence, during which Iraq has been accused of trying to rebuild its banned weapons programs and of supporting terrorism. UN spokesman Fred Eckhard says the objective of the talks is to persuade Iraq to fully comply with Security Council resolutions, which call for UN inspectors to finish verifying that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have been eliminated. Sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until inspectors certify that Iraq's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and delivery missiles have been destroyed.

For other months' installments, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page