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Industry News
CDC Power Outage Prompts Congressional Consideration of Biocontainment Security
The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee will hold a hearing in early October of 2007 to evaluate the safety and security issues of biocontainment and infectious disease research facilities. Prompted in part by the June 15, 2007 power failure at the CDC’s new $214 million laboratory in Atlanta, the session will investigate recent releases and incidents at high containment sites.
APHIS Publishes Proposed Changes to Select Agent Rules
Proposed changes to the select agent rules 42CFR73, 7CFR331, and 9CFR121 were published in early September of 2007, reflecting the biennial review of the select agents and toxins lists. The main changes proposed are to the plant pathogen list with some movement of HHS/USDA overlap agents onto solely the HHS list. Comments on the proposed changes can be submitted on the APHIS website until 10/29/07.
Dept. of Homeland Security Plans National Bio and Agro Defense Facility
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology directorate is exploring possible sites for its proposed $500 million National Bio and Agro Defense Facility (NBAF). Locations include Flora, Miss.; Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan.; Texas Research Park in San Antonio; Umstead Research Farm, N.C.; the University of Georgia in Athens; and Plum Island, N.Y., the location of the existing BSL-3 Animal Disease Center which the NBAF will replace.
World Health Report 2007 Details Increasing Spread of Infectious Diseases
The World Health Organization's 2007 report states that infectious diseases are emerging more rapidly and spreading more quickly due to increased human mobility and travel. As the increasing risk of disease outbreaks and epidemics escalates, these health emergencies can become threats to global public health security. The World Health Report 2007 examines contemporary infectious disease trends and examines the revised International Health Regulations (2005), which came into force in 2007, as a tool for health risk identification and management.
University of Delaware to Upgrade Biocontainment Facilities
The University of Delaware has been allocated $100,000 in federal funding to upgrade its biocontainment facilities and diagnostic avian flu laboratories. The grant is part of $450,000 that the State of Delaware will receive for avian flu preparedness and irrigation system upgrades.