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Anthrax: Scientists Unveil New Method to Determine Origin of SporesBy analyzing water residues in anthrax spores, investigators might be able to determine the source of anthrax used in potential future biological terrorism attacks, according to research presented yesterday by a group of CIA-funded scientists to a biological defense conference in Baltimore (see GSN, Feb. 21). In their research, the scientists measured the minuscule amounts of certain hydrogen and oxygen isotopes that exist in various ratios in water supplies from different locations throughout the United States, according to the Baltimore Sun. These isotopes remain in anthrax spores grown using the water, even if they are dried into powder, the Sun reported. Helen Kreuzer-Martin, a University of Utah biologist and lead author of the study, said FBI agents involved in the bureau’s investigation into the autumn 2001 anthrax attacks have consulted her research team about their methods, but have not provided an anthrax sample from the attacks for testing. The bureau might have used similar techniques on its own to trace the water used to produce the spores used in the attacks, she said. While the method cannot determine the exact location where anthrax spores might have been produced, it can be used to rule out many locations, according to the Sun. “It’s not foolproof,” Kreuzer-Martin said. “But if the terrorist used water from the tap, we could tell a lot about where the spores were grown. We could say, for example, the spores were not grown in Iraq, they were not grown at Dugway Proving Ground (in Utah), but they could have been grown in Chicago,” she added (Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, March 12). New Anthrax Vaccine Meanwhile, the U.S. biotechnology company Vical Inc. has said it wants to begin human testing of its new anthrax vaccine by the end of the year (see GSN, Feb. 3). Vical executives presented data Monday indicating that the vaccine, produced with genetic anthrax material, is effective in preventing rabbits from contracting inhalational anthrax. The vaccine was previously found to be successful in protecting mice. The company plans to request permission from the Food and Drug Administration to test the vaccine, which would only require two injections as opposed to the current six-shot vaccine, on humans. Vical executives and FDA officials are currently discussing whether the results of the rabbit and mice tests support human testing or if additional tests on monkeys would be needed first, said company head Vijay Samant (Paul Elias, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 11). Canada Re-Examines Anthrax Tests The Canadian Defense Department has asked Donald Avery, a history professor at the University of Western Ontario, to re-examine the country’s history of testing anthrax as a biological weapon, according to the Globe and Mail. One reason for the request is to determine what exactly happened during a series of secret anthrax tests conducted by British, Canadian and U.S. researchers in the 1940s and 1950s to determine if any live spores still remain. Canadian defense officials are particularly concerned about reports that scientists used live anthrax during experiments conducted at the Canadian Forces Base Suffield in southern Alberta, Avery said. “They were very concerned about the allegations that have been made about the open-field testing of anthrax during the Second World War, and possibly afterwards,” Avery said. “And for understandable reasons,” he added, “because those anthrax spores could still be there” (Graeme Smith, Globe and Mail, March 12). For further information, see: CDC Frequently Asked Questions About Anthrax Journal of the American Medical Association Background on Anthrax GSN Anthrax Attack Chronology (Dec. 12, 2001)
From March 11, 2003 issue.Smallpox: Acambis Completes First Phase in Smallpox Vaccine TestingVaccine developer Acambis has completed the first phase testing of its new smallpox vaccine, ACAM2000, the company said today (see GSN, Feb. 26). Researchers did not record any side effects in the testing of the vaccine on 100 subjects. A protective immunity can be determined by the development of a pockmark on the skin or a neutralizing antibody response. All but one subject developed the pockmark and 96 of the subjects developed the antibody response. The second phase trials have already begun and the third phase is scheduled to begin later this year (Acambis release, March 11).
From March 11, 2003 issue.French Response: Paris to Begin Smallpox Vaccinations and Other Readiness MeasuresOne hundred fifty volunteers, mainly health workers but also firefighters and gendarmes, will be vaccinated against smallpox within coming days in France, Liberation reported today. In an overview of the main elements of France’s bioterrorism response plan, in place for about 1« years, the newspaper reported that hospitals, firefighters, gendarmes and emergency health clinics are stepping up their preparations to respond to a potential biological or chemical attack. The smallpox vaccinations are meant to provide a small response force in case of an attack and, according to Liberation, those receiving the immunization will be the first in France to get it since France ended routine vaccinations in 1984. The last French smallpox case was in the 1950s, and the disease was eradicated worldwide in 1977. Liberation reports that no large-scale vaccinations are planned because the risk of an attack is small and the side effects of smallpox vaccine can be serious. In case of a high alert, though, French health officials hope to vaccinate 60 million people in two weeks. France expects to have 72 million smallpox vaccine doses and 60 million special needles on hand by the end of May. In terms of other threats, one official told Liberation that France would have “no problem” providing enough antibiotics in case of an anthrax attack. Plans are also in the works to use drugs with mineral known as Prussian blue to neutralize radioactive thallium or cesium, and anti-botulism planning is also under way (see GSN, Feb. 3). Water authorities have been ordered to increase chlorination to 0.3 milligrams per liter to respond to a possible botulism attack, and large water and food companies have been asked to improve their security with surveillance cameras and alarm systems. French experts cited by the newspaper, though, said they fear a chemical attack most, believing an anthrax attack would not yield a “guaranteed result” and that the risk of a smallpox outbreak is “less than minimal.” Hospitals and emergency facilities have for months been stocking up on respirators, antidotes and protective gear to respond to a potential chemical assault, as well as stepping up chemical weapons training for their staff. Chemical attack response has also been added to the curriculum of French medical schools (Julie Lasterade, Liberation, March 11, GSN translation).
From March 10, 2003 issue.U.S. Response: NIAID Preparing Fiscal 2004 Research Funding InitiativesBy Mike Nartker The initiatives include current research funding programs that will be extended into the next fiscal year and new initiatives that the institute is currently preparing, said Rona Hirschberg, senior program officer at the institute’s Office of Biodefense Research Affairs, at a meeting yesterday of the American Society for Microbiology. Some initiatives under consideration could be further modified or eliminated altogether depending on the final fiscal 2004 budget, she said. Some current research funding initiatives are being extended into fiscal 2004, Hirschberg said. These programs help fund basic research into biological agents, such as pathogen replication, animal modes of infection and host response. Funding will also continue for developing partnerships between academic researchers and private industry to help develop new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines; to aid small businesses seeking to develop new products to counter biological agents; and to fund increased training and career development opportunities for researchers. These training funds are important in order to increase the number of researchers knowledgeable in the area of biological defense, Hirschberg said. Funding is planned to aid new genomic research, she said. In addition to extending current funding programs into the next fiscal year, the institute is also considering new fiscal 2004 research funding initiatives, Hirschberg said. These potential programs include increased funding for collaborative research between scientists from different disciplines, as well as private industry, to develop new treatments and vaccines. Initiatives are also being considered that would providing funding for research into new treatments against botulinum toxin and development of a second generation smallpox vaccine and useable plague vaccines, Hirschberg said. All of the institute’s fiscal 2004 funding initiatives are focused on developing practical results, Hirschberg said. “That’s where we’re going to put our money,” she said. For further information, see: Journal of the American Medical Association Background on Botulinum Toxin CDC Basic Information About Botulism Journal of the American Medical Association Background on Plague Journal of the American Medical Association Background on Smallpox
From March 10, 2003 issue.U.S. Response II: Smallpox Immunizations Impede Other Health EffortsThe U.S. smallpox immunization program has severely hampered other aspects of public health planning and bioterrorism defense, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, March 7). Communities across the United States have assigned large staffs to deal with smallpox immunization and in some cases large public health concerns are being ignored, the Post reported. Seattle, for example, has seen a sudden rise in sexually transmitted diseases. “We would have been on this faster and more effectively if I could have put a critical mass of infectious-disease people on this rather than on smallpox,” said Alonzo Plough, director of the Seattle and King County public health department. “We are stretched as thin as I have ever seen,” he said. Last month the National Association of County and City Health Officials surveyed 539 health departments and 79 percent said the smallpox effort was detracting from other homeland defense initiatives. Half of the respondents said the departments said the smallpox immunizations were cutting into resources for traditional public health efforts. “It’s been disruptive,” said association President Patrick Lenihan. “People who were doing routine health activities six months ago like taking blood pressures and assessing diabetes are now spending time preparing for smallpox vaccination and treatment,” he added. U.S. health officials also said that the financial burden of the immunization program, beyond the initial phase, would be too great for states to shoulder without federal assistance. The United States distributed $1 billion for bioterrorism defense last year and that money can be used for the first phase but “anything beyond that will be too much of a burden,” said Joe Henderson, associate director of terrorism preparedness and response for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, March 10).
From March 7, 2003 issue.Smallpox: Gregg Says New Compensation Plan Will Move QuicklyBy David McGlinchey Gregg, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said that the proposed legislation would move to the full Senate by the end of the month. “We need to do this one fast,” he told a press conference hosted by the Health and Human Services Department to introduce the Bush administration’s smallpox vaccine compensation plan. Held back by concerns over the vaccine’s side effects and the lack of related compensation, fewer than 13,000 medical workers have been vaccinated out of an anticipated 500,000. The legislation would provide $262,100 to vaccine recipients, or their families, who die or suffer permanent disability. It would also provide limited compensation, after five missed days of work, for those who suffer less serious side effects. “People should certainly sign up because this legislation is going to pass,” Gregg said. Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), the committee’s senior Democrat, believes the White House plan is a “step in the right direction” but he has some areas of concern, according his aide Jim Manley. The new proposal “falls short of what is needed to compensate injured workers adequately,” Manley said. As examples of shortcomings, he cited the absence of funding for states to carry out their immunization plans, the cap on compensation and the five-day period before sickened workers begin to receive lost wages. “Senator Kennedy shares Senator Gregg’s desire to move quickly. That being said there are some concerns,” Manley said. In a statement yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) gave his support to the administration plan. “As majority leader, I’m committed to moving legislation quickly through the Senate so that a strong smallpox compensation program is in place for our nation’s health care workers,” Frist said. Gregg said he could not predict when the legislation would become law. “I can’t speak for the House of Representatives, I wish I could,” he said. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) recently proposed a bill in the House that would provide a more generous compensation plan than the White House is championing. Waxman yesterday applauded the attention given to the compensation issue, but questioned whether the plan went far enough. “It doesn’t seem fair for a worker who we ask to take the vaccine to bear the cost of up to five days lost wages if they are injured by the vaccine, or to face this cap on wages,” Waxman said in a statement. Gregg joined top U.S. health officials at the Washington press conference yesterday to say that the United States must quickly improve its ability to respond to a smallpox attack. “Now more than ever, we really need to scale up and speed up,” said Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also speaking at the press conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced that hundreds of federal health workers would be immunized to augment the regional and state efforts. He said also that the second phase of the immunization plan, in which millions of emergency workers are to be vaccinated, could begin soon. New Bioterrorism Center Thompson took Gregg, and a group of reporters, on a tour of the department’s newly finished command and control center. The $3.5 million facility, a large room designed to monitor the United States for the possible outbreak of dangerous pathogens, was built in 59 days, according to a department official. The center was ready for operations Dec. 1, and is now staffed around the clock. The center is filled with communications equipment and features floor-to-ceiling screens displaying regional maps and television stations. Thompson told Gregg that the center has access to 4,000 television stations across the United States and can record up to 90 hours of footage. Gregg noted that the center must be useful during college basketball season. It would be “great during the Final Four,” Thompson said.
From March 6, 2003 issue.Smallpox: White House Agrees to Back Limited Compensation PlanIn an effort to breath new life into its stalled smallpox immunization campaign, the Bush administration yesterday proposed a limited compensation plan for health workers and emergency personnel who are sickened by the vaccine (see GSN, Feb. 28). “This removes the concern that a lot of people had, and we would expect that the numbers of people that would be vaccinated would increase,” said Jerome Hauer, acting assistant secretary of health and human services for public health preparedness. “This would provide them the level of comfort they need in the very small likelihood of an adverse event,” he added. Only 12,404 health workers nationwide have been immunized so far in the program that once anticipated vaccinating 500,000, the Washington Post reported today. Modeled after an existing law enforcement compensation program, the smallpox plan would pay $262,100 to medical workers or their families if the individual is permanently disabled or killed by the vaccine. The plan is also designed to pay lost wages to hospital workers who become sick, although those benefits would only kick in after five days of missed work and would be capped at $50,000. “We appreciate they recognize it’s a problem, but there’s a long way to go from what we’re looking for,” said Chris Donnellan, associate director of government affairs for the American Nurses Association. Donnellan took particular exception to the caps on compensation and the administration’s refusal to pay the first five days of lost wages, according to the Post. Other union officials agreed that the proposal was a positive first step, but said it was not enough. “President Bush refused to listen to patients, physicians, nurses and health workers when he launched the smallpox program,” said Rob McGarrah, coordinator for workers’ compensation at the AFL-CIO. “Now, more than two months later, with the program in shambles, the administration has finally taken a step in the right direction,” he added (Ceci Connolly, Washington Post, March 6). Local union officials supported some aspects of the plan, but said it should be federally funded and should not divert resources from other public health needs. The provisions on lost wages and medical compensation are “totally inadequate. It should be full compensation, and it should start immediately,” said Charles Idelson, spokesman for the California Nurses Association. The plan must be approved and funded by Congress, the Los Angeles Times reported (Vicki Kemper, Los Angeles Times, March 6). The compensation could cost $20 million to $30 million, according to an administration official. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) plans to sponsor the legislation. Representative Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) has proposed a more liberal compensation plan in the House of Representatives. Health officials renewed their call to medical workers last night. “A smallpox release is possible and we therefore must prepare by offering vaccine to those most likely to respond,” Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said (Connolly, Washington Post).
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