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G-7 and WHO Meet to Discuss WMD, Avian Flu Threats
Representatives of the Group of Seven industrialized nations and the U.N. World Health Organization met in Rome today in part to discuss radiological, chemical and biological threats, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Nov. 7). Strategies for combating the avian flu were also expected to be discussed at a conference on global health risks, according to AP (Aidan Lewis, Associated Press, Nov. 18). Italian researchers in Rome yesterday announced that vegetables such as potatoes and carrots could help combat a bioterrorist attack, the ANSA English Media Service reported. Researchers said that experts from the United States and Italy have begun a “vegetable vaccination” project, which could lead to smallpox DNA being incorporated into the genetic makeup of various vegetables. These vegetables, once eaten, would produce antibodies and boost the body’s natural defense against the pathogen. This method of producing antibodies would also cut down on costly injections and lower the risk of accidental infection, ASNA reported. Giuseppe Ippolito, a director on the project, said that incorporating smallpox DNA into common vegetable is still “a long way” off, but he believes that it could greatly simplify the vaccination process. Researchers are also considering using the same vaccination methods for agents such as anthrax, according to ANSA. Cooperation between Italy and the United States began in April 2003 when Italian Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia and then-U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson agreed to a medical science accord. Thompson and Sirchia agreed seven months later to exchange researchers and establish a center to combat infectious disease emergencies, ANSA reported (ANSA English Media Services, Nov. 17).
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