Pandora Report – Page 50 – The Pandora Report

Pandora Report 6.21.15

June 21, 2015June 21, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Changing things up this week, our lead story is a nuclear photo essay. We’ve also got Russian nuclear posturing and a bunch of other stories you may have missed.

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Next Exit, Armageddon: Photos of America’s Nuclear Weapons Legacy

I love a good photo essay, especially those focused on abandoned places—so this is the perfect* combination of that and nuclear history. Many times on the blog I’ve made somewhat flippant comments about visiting nuclear sites on summer vacation. However, evidently there is great public interest in this. As such, the National Park Service and the Department of Energy will establish the Manhattan Project National Historical Park that will include sites as Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Hanford.

VICE News—“Elsewhere in the US, the ruins of the Manhattan Project and the arms race that followed remain overlooked. In North Dakota, a pyramid-like anti-missile radar that was built to detect an incoming nuclear attack from the Soviet Union pokes through the prairie grass behind an open fence. In Arizona, a satellite calibration target that was used during the Cold War to help American satellites focus their lenses before spying on the Soviet Union sits covered in weeds near a Motel 6 parking lot. And in a suburban Chicago park, where visitors jog and bird watch, nuclear waste from the world’s first reactor — developed by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi for the Manhattan Project in 1942 — sits buried beneath a sign that reads ‘Caution — Do Not Dig.’”

*Check out the photos. They’re truly extraordinary.

Putin: Russia to Boost Nuclear Arsenal with 40 Missiles

Everything old is new again, it seems. This week Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will put more than 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles into service in 2015. It is said that the new missiles are part of a military modernization program. However, the announcement comes on the heels of a US proposal to increase its own military presence in NATO states in Eastern Europe.

BBC—“Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the statement from Mr. Putin was “confirming the pattern and behaviour of Russia over a period of time; we have seen Russia is investing more in defence in general and in its nuclear capability in particular”.

He said: “This nuclear sabre-rattling of Russia is unjustified, it’s destabilising and it’s dangerous.” He added that “what Nato now does in the eastern part of the alliance is something that is proportionate, that is defensive and that is fully in line with our international commitments.’”

Stories You May Have Missed

Did you hear?! North Korea found the cure for AIDS, Ebola, cancer and bird flu. Because, obviously! (Or not.)
As if things weren’t bad enough in Yemen already, a top health ministry official reports that at least 5,000 have been diagnosed with dengue fever. Reportedly, uncollected garbage, untreated sewage, and heat have contributed to the spread of the disease.
The Pennsylvania man who laced a card with homemade ricin and delivered it to his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in 2014 has been sentenced to 20 to 40 years in prison.
In an incredibly quick turn around, the MERS outbreak in South Korea has leveled off. The most up to date count is 166 infected with 24 deaths.
According to a new book by Michael Oren, former Israeli Ambassador to Washington, Israel played a significant role in the American-Russian deal that pressured Syria to get rid of their chemical weapons stockpile.
According to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) the current avian influenza outbreak cannot be associated with one factor or group of factors. APHIS indicates that there are several ways the virus could be transmitted, including lapses in biosecurity practices and other environmental factors.
After a new case of the disease in Liberia, it has been discovered that pregnancy may conceal Ebola infection. The researchers suspect that the woman’s reduced immune response due to pregnancy could have allowed the virus to remain undetected.
In other Ebola news, there were reports this week that the first Ebola outbreak could have occurred in ancient Greece more than 2,400 years ago. And the virus may be even older than that—some scientists speculate that it could be over 20 million years old.
If you’re interested in transit systems, like I am, you may be interested in a new study recently published in PLOS Pathogens that looks at airline and commuter travel’s influence on flu distribution within the U.S.

Image Credit: Federal Government of the United States

Pandora Report 6.14.15

June 14, 2015June 14, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

I’ve got brunch reservations this morning so the big story about the coming egg shortage is hitting close to home. We’ve also got a story about ISIS’ WMD and a bunch of stories you may have missed.

As a final reminder, the Early Registration Deadline for the Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and International Security is tomorrow, Monday, June 15. For more information and registration, please click here.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Egg Shortage Scrambles U.S. Food Industries

The unprecedented outbreak of avian influenza in the U.S. has meant massive losses in the domestic poultry industry which has left experts warning that U.S. consumers are very likely to see an increase in egg prices. Cases of avian flu have been reported in 15 states, with Iowa and Minnesota being some of the hardest hit. “In Minnesota, the number of lost turkeys represent about 11 percent of our total turkey production…of the chickens we’ve lost that are laying eggs, 32 percent… have been affected by this” In Iowa, about 40 percent of the state’s egg-laying chickens and 11 percent of its turkeys have been affected. All these losses will mean a shortage of whole eggs and other egg-based products.

U.S. News and World Report—“Consumers haven’t felt the pinch too much just yet, but they are unlikely to emerge with their pocketbooks unscathed, [Rick] Brown [Senior VP at Urner Barry, a food commodity research and analysis firm]. He says two-thirds of all eggs produced in the U.S. remain in a shell, many of which are placed in cartons and sold in grocery stores. This stock of eggs has been hit significantly less by the avian flu outbreak than those used in the egg products industry, which Brown says encompasses “everything from mayonnaise to salad dressings to cake mixes to pasta to bread.”

Australian Official Warns of Islamic State Weapons of Mass Destruction

You may have already seen this, since this story was everywhere this week. Julie Bishop, Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, said the Islamic State (ISIS) already has and is already using chemical weapons. Bishop made these comments in an address to the Australia Group—a coalition of 40 countries seeking to limit the spread of biological and chemical weapons. In a follow-up interview, Bishop also said that NATO was concerned about the theft of radioactive material and what that could mean for nuclear weapons proliferation.

The Washington Post—“‘The use of chlorine by Da’ish, and its recruitment of highly technically trained professionals, including from the West, have revealed far more serious efforts in chemical weapons development,” Bishop said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State in a speech reported by the Australian. She did not specify the source of her information. “… Da’ish is likely to have amongst its tens of thousands of recruits the technical expertise necessary to further refine precursor materials and build chemical weapons.’”

Stories You May Have Missed

In Ebola news, Guinea has extended the health emergency declared in March until the end of June and Sierra Leone has introduced curfews in two districts after a spike in new cases.
Dugway Proving Grounds is in back in the headlines. Evidently, in 2007, the Army laboratory was cited for failing to properly kill specimens of anthrax. However, according to USA Today, no fine was ever issued and the incident was not disclosed to Congress.
Park officials at the Grand Canyon are worried that local squirrels, mice, and prairie dogs may be carrying a form of bubonic plague. Let’s face it, they probably are, so this summer come for the views but stay away from the wildlife.
Scientists in Sweden are developing their own mead—a wine-like drink made from fermented honey and water—as a possible method to fight growing antibiotic resistance. The team has found that bacteria in the honey are able to kill off human pathogens, including resistant ones.
A study in Cornwall, England is looking at how surfers exposed to human sewage and pollution in seawater may be affected by antibiotic resistant bacteria. They’re calling the study Beach Bums because it relies on swabs taken from the surfer’s, you guessed it, bums. The researchers hope swabs from the surfers compared with swabs from non-surfers will help to clarify how environmental antibiotic resistance can affect people.
The WHO is now reporting 138 confirmed cases of MERS CoV in South Korea. They have issued a call for continuation of “strong disease control measures” in order to bring the outbreak to an end.
In response to continuing Russian aggression on the European continent, the UK says it may consider housing U.S. nuclear weapons on their soil. Meanwhile, Russia is accusing the U.S. of operating a secret bioweapons lab under the guise of the Richard G. Lugar Center for Public and Animal Health Research. I can’t make this stuff up, folks!
Former Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, and former Senator Joe Leiberman, released an opinion piece in Roll Call this week urging the strengthening of American biodefense, now.

Image Credit: Hannahdownes

Pandora Report 6.7.15

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

We’ve got stories this week about MERS spread in South Korea and Ebola drugs that may already be in your medicine cabinet. We’ve also got some stories you may have missed.

As a reminder, the Early Registration Deadline for the Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and International Security professional education course has been extended to June 15. For more information and registration, please click here.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

South Korea Grapples to Contain MERS as 1,369 in Quarantine

The big story this week is MERS in South Korea. Last week we reported that there were five cases. As of Friday, the number has jumped to 36 confirmed cases and three deaths. Hundreds of schools have closed in an effort to prevent further spreading of the disease, which arrived in a 68-year old index patient who had traveled in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. Many in public health have been surprised by the extent of the outbreak in South Korea because the virus has not been shown to pass easily from human to human and the health care system is “considered to be sophisticated and modern.”

CNN—“‘This is quite unusual. I think this is the only country, apart from those in the Middle East, that has such a number of cases,” said [Dr. Leo] Poon [a virology expert at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, who worked on the SARS outbreak more than a decade ago]. “It’s not entirely surprising. In the Middle East, people in Saudi Arabia had hospital outbreaks where a few people got infected. It’s a similar situation at the moment.’”

Drugs to Fight Ebola May Already Be in Your Medicine Cabinet, Study Suggests

A team from USAMRIID, the University of Virginia, and Horizon Discovery Inc. have been working to determine if any existing drugs could be used to fight Ebola. Using 2,635 compounds, including FDA-approved drugs, amino acids, food additives, vitamins and minerals they discovered a possible answer could already be in your medicine cabinet—Zoloft and Vascor.

The LA Times—“But Zoloft (also known by the generic name sertraline) and Vascor (generic name bepridil) had more encouraging results. Of the 10 mice that got Zoloft, seven survived for 28 days. Even better, all 10 of the mice treated with Vascor were still alive 28 days after [Ebola] infection. For the sake of comparison, all of the untreated mice that served as controls were dead within nine days.”

Stories You May Have Missed

I use Google alerts with various keywords to pull stories for this weekly wrap up, and let me tell you…those keywords bring up some bizarre articles sometimes. For example, this one that states, “peeing in the pool is an act of chemical warfare.”
At least this one stating, “nanotech sensors can detect illness, fake art, chemical weapons” is more on point. Its very interesting, too!
103 travelers were being monitored in Virginia, this week, for signs of Ebola. As of June 3, all were asymptomatic and did not pose a risk to others.
One thing you might not know about Canada is that they sell milk not in plastic gallon jugs but in plastic bags and a church in Baxter, ON is using those bags to weave sleeping mats for those impacted by the ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Tweets about Ebola in Nigeria dramatically increased in the days prior to the official announcement of the disease outbreak. A study published in the American Journal of Infection Control “suggests that a social media platform such as Twitter ‘can support and contribute to early warning systems in outbreak surveillance.’”
Planning your summer vacation? You can visit Australia’s newest tourist attraction—the Maralinga nuclear test zone!

Image Credit: Shikhlinski

Pandora Report 5.30.15

May 30, 2015May 30, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

It was a slow-ish news week, this week with very few small stories but two huge ones about Chemical Weapons threats against airplanes and an inadvertent shipment of live Anthrax spores. We’ve also got a few stories you may have missed.

Have a great weekend!!

U.S. Military Says It Mistakenly Shipped Live Anthrax Samples

It was a big story this week when live anthrax spores were inadvertently shipped from Dugway Proving Ground—an army facility in Utah—to 19 military and civilian labs across as many as nine states and an overseas site. The shipments were supposed to contain dead spores. Army and CDC officials have emphasized that these shipments pose no risk to the public and there are no suspected or confirmed cases of anthrax infections among lab workers.

NBC New York—“The Defense Department, acting “out of an abundance of caution,” has halted “the shipment of this material from its labs pending completion of the investigation,” [Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve] Warren said.”

FBI Looking Into Chemical Weapons Threats Against Planes

While many of us had a day off from work on Memorial Day, the FBI was investigating threats made against at least 10 flights claiming that chemical weapons were aboard the planes. These included a Delta Airings flight from London Heathrow, a United Airlines flight from Edinburgh, Scotland, and an Air France flight into New York that was escorted to the ground safely by two F-15 fighter jets.

NBC News—“The threats are not deemed credible, but the information has been passed along to the airlines anyway, out of an abundance of caution.

The male caller made threats against at least 10 flights in a quick series of calls to local police around the country. All but three planes have landed with nothing of concern found.”

Stories You May Have Missed

South Korea has two more reported MERS-CoV cases, brining the total number of cases to five. It appears the patients either travelled to the Middle East themselves or had contact with those who had.
MSF reports there is an ongoing cholera outbreak in Burundian refugee camps in Tanzania. According to the WHO, 31 people have died and more than 3,000 have been affected.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of NATO, has said Russia’s promises to put nuclear-capable missiles in Kaliningrad and Crimea are deeply troubling, unjustified, and destabilizing.

Image Credit: United States Government

Pandora Report 5.24.15

May 24, 2015May 24, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Two quick updates before we get into the weekly wrap-up.

First, the Early Registration Deadline for the Pandemics, Bioterrorism, and International Security professional education course at the GMU Arlington Campus has been extended to June 15. For more information and registration, please click here.

Second, we here at Pandora Report wanted to let you know about a new website designed to provide resources for biosecurity professionals and practitioners and key stakeholders. The International Biosecurity Prevention Forum (IBPF) brings together the world’s leading experts from the health and security communities to share expertise on key biosecurity and bioterrorism prevention issues. Registering to join IBPF is free and easy. Go to http://www.ibpforum.organd click the “Request Membership” button to request an IBPF member account. Members get access to a discussion section and projects, resources, and best practices submitted by other members. Contact the IBPF support team at IBPForum@ic.fbi.gov if you have any questions or problems.

Now, onto the news. This weekend we have stories about British nuclear submarines, anti-vaccine legislation in California, the development of bird flu vaccines, and other stories you may have missed.

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!!

Britain Investigates Sailor’s Disaster Warning Over Nuclear Subs

Able Seaman William McNeilly—a weapons engineer who served aboard HMS Vanguard, one of the four British submarines carrying Trident missiles—wrote a “lengthy dossier” released on the internet which says that the “Trident nuclear defense system was vulnerable both to enemies and to potentially devastating accidents because of safety failures.” McNeilly has since gone AWOL and both police and naval officials are trying to locate him.

The Japan Times—“The Royal Navy said it totally disagreed with McNeilly’s “subjective and unsubstantiated personal views,” describing him as a “very junior sailor.” But it added it was investigating both his claims and the “unauthorized release” of his dossier. “The naval service operates its submarine fleet under the most stringent safety regime and submarines do not go to sea unless they are completely safe to do so,” a spokeswoman said.”

A Blow to Anti-Vaxxers: California Approves Forced Vaccination Bill

By now, we all know that the measles outbreak that started last winter at Disneyland was a result of unvaccinated individuals. In California, the State Senate has passed a bill which limits parent’s use of the “personal belief exemption” in order to get out of getting their children vaccinated. Under the bill, parents who don’t get their children vaccinated would not be able to send their kids to state-licensed schools, nurseries, or day care centers.

State Column—“Only children who have a medical reason for why they can’t be vaccinated would still be allowed to attend schools without receiving their vaccinations under Senate Bill 277, which was sponsored by a California Sen. Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacremento), a pediatrician, and Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica), a former school board member and the son of a survivor of polio, according to a Forbes report.”

Vaccines Developed for H5N1, H7N9 Avian Flu

Findings appearing in the Journal of Virology indicate that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases have developed a vaccine for both H5N1 and H7N9—two strains of avian influenza which can be transmitted from poultry to humans. The vaccine was developed by cloning the Newcastle disease virus and transplanting a small section of the H5N1 virus into it; the same method was used for the H7N9 vaccine.

Toronto Sun—“‘We believe this Newcastle disease virus concept works very well for poultry because you kill two birds with one stone, metaphorically speaking,” Richt said. “You use only one vector to vaccinate and protect against a selected virus strain of avian influenza.’”

Stories You May Have Missed

North Korea claims that it can miniaturize nuclear weapons, which means the warheads could be attached to missiles and aimed at the U.S. and South Korea. Experts and U.S. military officials doubt the claims.
Readers in England (or those planning on moving to England), boy, do I have a new apartment for you! A TB sanatorium in Sussex, which was opened in 1906, is being converted into luxury flats. Housing search, done.
The Obama administration is having a bad week re: Syria. An agreement with Russia on Ukraine and Syria isn’t going well and it appears that ‘red line’ drawn for Bashar Assad may not actually be that red.
There were reports this week that the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. could cause egg shortages. However, it turns out a federal law will, at least, protect the financial loss for farmers.
Drones normally have a negative connotation. However, they’re being used to transport medical supplies to remote areas of Papua New Guinea in order to fight tuberculosis.
Chemical weapons are pretty horrifying, but it was in chemical weapons that doctors developed chemotherapy. Get the whole story on io9.

Image Credit: UK Ministry of Defence

Pandora Report 05.17.15

May 17, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Yowza! That’s another semester in the books for the GMU Biodefense students. Please excuse the sparse activity on the blog, but with the semester over, things should be getting back to normal.

This weekend we have a updates on Ebola and the bird flu outbreak in the U.S., plus other stories you may have missed.

Have a great week, (enjoy the Mad Men finale!) and see you back here next weekend!

Ebola is (still) living in an American doctor’s eye

As an update, Liberia has (finally) been declared Ebola free, the number of cases in Guinea continue to rise due to transmissions at funerals, and those in Sierra Leone are dying less from Ebola than from other diseases due to the collapse of the healthcare system. It’s been over a year and we are still learning things about Ebola and its persistence on hospital surfaces, sexual fluids, and now, according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, the eye. WHO volunteer Ian Crozier was diagnosed in Sierra Leone and transported to Emory University where he was treated. Months later he returned to the hospital with symptoms like blurred vision and acute pain in his left eye. The cause? Ebola.

The Washington Post—“Ebola may have found refuge in patients’ eyes because, researchers said, the eye is walled off from the immune system. As the New York Times put it: “The barriers are not fully understood, but they include tightly packed cells in minute blood vessels that keep out certain cells and molecules, along with unique biological properties that inhibit the immune system.” This phenomenon is called “immune privilege” — and it means the eye can harbor viruses.”

America’s $45 Billion Poultry Industry Has a (Really) Bad Case of Bird Flu

The title says it all, frankly. Since early December 2014 three strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been circulating in North America. A state of emergency has been declared in Iowa (one of the hardest hit states) and over 21 million birds have been killed to contain and prevent the spread of the virus. Beyond the culling of birds, the outbreak is having an affect on business—China, South Korea, and Mexico have banned imports of U.S. poultry (to protect their own industries.)

The Motley Fool—“Falling exports could hurt farmers, but it could also help to offset domestic price increases from less supply. Although, with tens of millions of bird deaths and no end in sight to the pandemic, domestic food prices could be the largest casualty in the end.”

Stories You May Have Missed

Biodefense topics in popular culture (especially TV and movies) are one of my favorite things! That’s why I was delighted to see the medical explanation of Game of Thrones’ greyscale.
Bird influenza and canine influenza cause problems for our furry and feathered friends, but how can they affect humans? The Washington Post investigates.
Are you one of the many Americans who takes a daily probiotic? You’ve got Ilya Metchnikoff to thank—the man who drank a glass of cholera all in the name of science!
Bavarian Nordic pharmaceutical company has announced two successful late-stage tests for a smallpox vaccine called Imvamune.
I don’t want to shock you, but the OPCW has announced the discovery of chemicals used to make sarin and VX nerve agents at an undisclosed Syrian site. “This is a pretty strong indication [Syria] have been lying about what they did with sarin.”
According to the U.S. Justice Department a former Department of Energy and Nuclear Regulatory Commission employee has been charged with attempting to extract information on nuclear weapons.
The WHO received notification that a new case of MERS CoV has been diagnosed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. The 61-year-old patient was treated and discharged.
The USDA Economic Research Service estimates that the yearly economic burden of foodborne pathogens is $15.5 billion! A run down of the report is available on barfblog (clever name, right?)

Image Credit: 8thstar

Pandora Report 5.3.15

May 3, 2015May 4, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Over the past two weeks I’ve learned an important lesson which I would like to share with you: moving the same week you leave a job which is the week before the semester ends and you start a new job is too many things at the same time! Please excuse the lack of a weekly wrap-up last weekend—I was moving an apartment full of boxes which I am currently surrounded by. This weekend we look at antibiotic resistance in isolated societies and the eradication of rubella in the Americas plus other stories you may have missed.

Have a great week!

Tribe Isolated from Modern Societies for 11,000 Years Carries Antibiotic Resistant Genes

Findings published in the Science Advances journal describe the Yanomami Amerindians, who live in a remote, mountainous area of southern Venezuela and have been isolated from other societies for more than 11,000 years and yet still carry antibiotic resistant genes. This finding suggests that the human body may have carried the ability to resist antibiotics long before they became the overprescribed medicine they are today.

Design & Trend—“Thousands of years prior to the use of antibiotics to fight infection, soil bacteria began to produce natural antibiotics to kill competitors. The microbes evolved similar defenses to protect themselves from the soil bacteria. Researchers believe this was likely done by acquiring resistance genes from the producers themselves through a process known as horizontal gene transfer.”

Rubella Has Been Eliminated from the Americas

Joining the ranks of polio and smallpox, the Pan American Health Organization, the CDC, Unicef, and the United Nations Foundation announced this week that Rubella (also known as German Measles) has been eradicated in the Americas. The last case was confirmed in Argentina in 2009.Each year, approximately 120,000 children worldwide are born with severe birth defects that can be attributed to the disease.

The Science Times—“The Americas region is the first region to eliminate rubella. The European region, which includes Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, hopes to be next, according to the World Health Organization.

Some regions are still not close enough to set firm target dates, so there is no chance that the disease will be eliminated worldwide before 2020, said Dr. Susan E. Reef, team lead for rubella at the CDC’s global immunization division, who joined in the announcement.

Stories You May Have Missed

So, just how many nuclear weapons does North Korea have? The Wall Street Journal provides estimates from the U.S. and China.
Fake and substandard drugs are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths globally each year and threatens efforts to combat malaria, TB, HIV and other conditions. This can also affect medicines for cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Two of the most recent advocates for vaccination are S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and Elmo. Yes, Elmo from Sesame Street!
April 22 marked the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Flanders Fields, the first time chemical weapons were used in modern warfare. This led to the Geneva protocol in 1925, which prohibited the use of the weapons, and the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1993, which prohibited the use, development, production, testing and stockpiling of the weapons.
According to a new study, fewer than 18% of New York taxi drivers got their flu vaccine this year, which puts the cab-riding public at risk. This is well below the 39% vaccination rate for adults in the United States.
Cholera poses a large risk to earthquake ravaged Nepal. The disease is endemic and makeshift camps with poor sanitation create the potential for outbreaks of this and other water borne diseases.
A new experimental Ebola drug is matched exactly to the West African strain that has infected more than 26,000 and killed more than 10,000 people over the last year. The drug is made by a Canadian company named Tekmira.

Image Credit: Juan Tello

Pandora Report 4.19.15

April 19, 2015July 15, 2016 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

Sunday has to be the biggest brunch day of the week, so it is only fitting that our lead story looks at the many (delicious and nutritious) uses of maple syrup. We also look at Dengue fever in Brazil, missteps in the U.S. fight against Ebola, and other stories you may have missed.

Once you’re updated, get out there and enjoy the rest of your weekend and the beautiful weather! Have a great week!

Syrup Extract Found to Make Antibiotics More Effective Against Bacteria

It seems like we look at growing antibiotic resistance every week here at Pandora Report. This week, researchers at McGill University in Montreal reported that a “concentrated extract of maple syrup makes disease-causing bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics.” This finding suggests that combining the extract with antibiotics could increase their effectiveness and lead to lower antibiotic usage overall. Honestly, is there anything maple syrup can’t make better?!

Infection Control Today—“‘We would have to do in vivo tests, and eventually clinical trials, before we can say what the effect would be in humans,” [Professor Nathalie] Tufenkji says. “But the findings suggest a potentially simple and effective approach for reducing antibiotic usage. I could see maple syrup extract being incorporated eventually, for example, into the capsules of antibiotics.’”

Brazilian Teams on Alert because of Dengue Fever Outbreak

Brazilian soccer teams are on high alert because of a dengue fever outbreak that has already affected some of the country’s top teams. This week three players were diagnosed with the mosquito borne disease, which normally takes about two weeks to recover from. Players have been forced to use insect repellent during games and practices and health officials have been asked to check fields and training centers for mosquito breeding sites.

USA Today—“Cases of dengue fever have increased significantly across Brazil this year, with most of them reported in Sao Paulo state. Brazil’s health ministry said there have been more than 460,000 cases of the disease in the country in 2015, which accounts for almost 5,000 cases a day. More than 130 people have died so far this year, the ministry said.”

Empty Ebola Clinics in Liberia Are Seen as A Misstep in U.S. Relief Effort

After spending hundreds of millions of dollars and deploying 3,000 U.S. troops to build Ebola treatment centers (E.T.C.) in Liberia, the facilities have largely sat empty. Only 28 Ebola patients have been treated at the 11 E.T.C.s built by the U.S. military. Nine of the centers never had a single Ebola patient. Looking back, the emphasis on building E.T.C.s had far less of an impact than the “inexpensive, nimble measures taken by residents to halt the outbreak.”

The New York Times—“Had the Americans and other donors been more flexible, critics and some officials contend, the money could have been put toward rebuilding Liberia’s shattered health care system—or backing the efforts of local communities—instead of focusing on treatment centers that would scarcely be used.”

Stories You May Have Missed

Can’t get enough of pandemic TV shows? You’re in luck! Fox is working on a new drama series centered on a global flu pandemic.
There is currently a bill stalled in the California state legislature that would require children who are unvaccinated due to ‘personal beliefs exemptions’ to be homeschooled. Children who are medically unable to receive vaccines would still be allowed to attend public school.
Speaking of California, the Coachella music festival wraps up this weekend. Experts warn that this and similar outdoor festivals are breeding grounds for viral and bacterial infections. Be smart out there!
This week, the World Bank unveiled a $650 million recovery assistance plan for Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea. The African Development Bank also pledged $300 million in the recovery efforts.
An interesting study was released this week looks at rates of tuberculosis in Norway from 1997-2011. The results indicate that approximately 90% of new TB cases were diagnosed in asylum seekers and other immigrants. This underscores the importance of disease surveillance worldwide, not just were diseases are endemic.
A class of Ohio 11^th graders wrote thank you letters to Ebola fighters in West Africa and the students got some enlightening responses from those on the front lines. If you’re a softie like me, you may need to grab a tissue!

Image Credit: Dvortygirl

Pandora Report 4.11.15

April 11, 2015April 11, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

It’s a public health weekend here at Pandora Report as we check out stories on TB and Polio. We also have other stories you may have missed.

Have a great week and see you back here next weekend!

Ancient Hungarian Crypt Offers Clues to Tuberculosis Origins

As one of the leading infectious disease killers, Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection, holds interest for scientists who disagree over the origins of the human disease. However, a new study in Nature Communications uses a cutting-edge approach called metagenomics to analyze corpses that were naturally mummified in a Hungarian crypt. Of 14 genomes found in eight of the corpses, researchers discovered that multiple strains were circulating in Hungary in the 18^th century when these people died.

The Toronto Star—“‘All the historic genomes belonged to lineages that we see today,” said senior author Dr. Mark Pallen, a professor of microbial genomics at the University of Warwick. “So TB hasn’t changed much in 200 years … (and) it turns out that the most common ancestor of the Euro-American lineage that all our (tuberculosis) genomes belonged to dates back to late Roman times.’”

Polio, Cancer—One Nemesis May Counter the Other

Tomorrow, April 12, is the 60^th anniversary of when Dr. Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine was declared to be effective. Today, as the world inches closer to full polio eradication, interesting news highlighted on “60 Minutes” looks at the polio virus’ ability to kill another lethal illness—Cancer. A genetically engineered strain of polio virus appears to thwart lethal brain cancer tumors.

The Huffington Post—“The modified polio virus seems to deactivate the cancer tumor’s ability to defeat immune capacities. Freed up, the immune system works at defeating the tumor. Miraculously, the immunotherapy workings spare healthy tissues, while killing cancer cells.”

Stories You May Have Missed

A study in Annals of Virology indicates that Ebola antibodies were present in Liberia in 1982. The antibodies were found in 26 of 433 Liberians who were tested for Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa fever viruses.
Six agents are being removed from the bio-threat list: Coxiella burmetii, Rickettsia prowazekii, Bacillus anthracis Pasteur strain, and three organisms from the Brucella genus. The CDC issued the recommendation for removal in February.
Dick Wolf loves to do “ripped from the headlines” episodes of Law and Order. This week, on SVU, he used a Jenny McCarthy look-alike and skewered the anti-vaccine movement. Can’t wait to watch!
The first human trials of a monoclonal antibody for the Hendra virus have begun in Australia. First discovered in 1994, the Hendra virus causes fatalities in humans and horses as a rate of 60-75%. A vaccine for horses was developed in 2012.
The National Pork Board has signed onto the White House’s action plan for combatting antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The Pork Checkoff—funded by America’s 62,000 pig farmers—has pledged $1.2 billion for antimicrobial research antimicrobials over the next decade.

Image Credit: Pudelek

Pandora Report 4.5.15

April 5, 2015 by juliadhomstad, posted in Pandora Report

I love when the stories find me, so we’ve got some big ones this week including the nuclear deal with Iran and the arrival of multi-drug resistant Shigella in the United States. We’ve also got an Ebola update and other stories you may have missed.

Enjoy your (Easter) Sunday, have a great week and see you back here next weekend!

An Iran Nuclear Deal Built on Coffee, All-Nighters and Compromise

For months—many, many, months—there has been discussion of potential for Iranian nuclear weapons and what the U.S. planned to do about it. This week, those questions were finally answered as a nuclear agreement between American and Iranian officials was reached in Lausanne, Switzerland.

New York Times—“The agreement calls for Tehran to slash its stockpile of nuclear materials and severely limit its enrichment activities, theoretically bringing the time it would take to produce a nuclear weapon to a year — a significant rollback from the current estimate of two to three months.

Both sides made significant compromises. For the United States, that meant accepting that Iran would retain its nuclear infrastructure in some shrunken form. For Iran, it meant severe limits on its production facilities and submitting to what Mr. Obama has called the most intrusive inspections regime in history.”

Drug-Resistant Food Poisoning Lands in the U.S.

Before I travelled to China in 2012, my doctor prescribed me ciprofloxacin. It was, in his opinion, almost guaranteed I would come into contact with some sort of bacteria that would result in the dreaded “travel tummy.” Now, Cipro-resistant Shigella (a bacterial infection of the intestines) is becoming a growing problem in Asia and around the world. Over the past year, the resistant strain has shown up in 32 U.S. states and was linked with international travel to India, the Dominican Republic, and Morocco. However, in many instances, people who got sick hadn’t travelled outside the U.S. meaning the strain has already started to circulate unrelated to international travel. This could be a real problem.

NPR—“‘If rates of resistance become this high, in more places, we’ll have very few options left for treating Shigella with antibiotics by mouth,” says epidemiologist Anna Bowen, who led the study. Then doctors will have to resort to IV antibiotics.

Shigella is incredibly contagious. It spreads through contaminated food and water. “As few as 10 germs can cause an infection,” Bowen says. “That’s much less than some other diarrhea-causing germs.’”

This Week in Ebola

It’s been awhile since we’ve had an Ebola update, which should mostly be interpreted as a good sign. And there are good signs, like the two experimental trials of Ebola vaccine candidates have proven to be both safe and effective. However, during a three-day countrywide shutdown in Sierra Leone, 10 new cases of Ebola were found. The good news is that there were not hundreds of hidden cases, as some feared, and the Head of Sierra Leone’s Ebola Response has said the small figures indicate that the country is now at the “tail end” of the epidemic. If things are going relatively well in Liberia and Sierra Leone, Ebola still remains entrenched in Guinea. This week Guinea closed its border with Sierra Leone as an effort to stamp out the virus. Even those who aren’t sick, or have recovered, must still deal with the after effects of the disease. This week, the Liberian government recommended that all Ebola survivors practice “safe sex indefinitely” until more information can be collected on the length of time the virus may remain present in bodily fluids. All these stories should serve as a reminder that even though Ebola may not be as present in the news, the disease is still affecting people around the world.

Stories You May Have Missed

My time here at Pandora Report has taught me that Hepatitis C is an epidemic in the U.S. affecting approximately 3.2 million people, many of whom don’t know they have it. It is a chronic infection that is most prevalent among those born between 1945 and 1965. On March 23, Tazo Tea co-founder Steven Smith died from liver cancer caused by Hepatitis C.
I’ve taken to calling airplanes “flying disease tubes” and this interesting question posed to the New York Times explains How Not to Catch a Cold on a Plane.
When you mix garlic, onion (or leek), wine, and bile from a cow’s stomach what do you get? Evidently, according to microbiologists at the University of Nottingham in the UK and a 10^th century book of Anglo-Saxon medical advice, a treatment for MRSA.
Planning a spring trip to New York? Make sure to stop by the New York Hall of Science to see the Epi-Rail visualization map of how diseases spread.
A study out of Texas Tech has concluded that DNA from antibiotic-resistance bacteria in cattle feedlots is airborne. An estimated 80% of antibiotics sold in the U.S. are used on livestock.
Brought to my attention by Greg Koblentz, Defense One, this week, published a piece called To Protect Ourselves From Bioweapons, We May Have to Reinvent Science Itself. It’s definitely worth a read.

Image Credit: Zeynel Cebeci

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