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Homeland Security Focus Areas Bio-Terrorism From the July/August issue of "Technology Review": Biotechnologists are facing restrictions similar to those At the beginning of the nuclear age, physicists had to submit to With foreign-born students holding a quarter of all biology In early nuclear physics, it was relatively simple to draw the A portion of the article is available at July 21, 2003 Before the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the anthrax contamination
scare a month later, public health advocates were clamoring for attention
on Capitol Hill for a full plate of issues-ranging from more nutritious
school lunches to lowering diabetes rates. Anthrax hammers immune system THE WASHINGTON TIMES SSOCIATED PRESS Team Developing Self-Administered Bioterrorism Triage System Experts from Harvard and Georgetown Universities are developing a "do-it-yourself triage system" that will enable the public to determine more accurately whether they need to seek emergency care in the event of a bioterrorism attack, the Washington Post reported. Georgetown University biodefense coordinator Michael D. McDonald and Harvard psychiatrist Stephen E. Locke have developed a sophisticated electronic questionnaire that would give users immediate advice on how to proceed if they suspect they have been exposed to a biological or chemical weapon. The system, which could be programmed for a variety of pathogens and chemical agents, would perform an instantaneous medical risk assessment based on users' responses to the questionnaire. It would then dispense a set of instructions, raging from 'stay at home' to 'seek treatment at a designated facility'. Dr. Robert E. Armstrong of the National Defense University and Dr. Stephen D. Prior of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies point out that in the event of bioterror attacks, there will be no need for the public to rush to emergency rooms. In most cases, people will have a window of several days to get vaccinated or receive antibiotics. "Many patients we saw in our emergency room during the anthrax attacks [of 2001] would not have needed to come in for care if they could have had simple questions answered," said the director of a large emergency room who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity. "You could lop 20 or 30 percent off the top." ANALYSIS: In the midst of a bioterror attack, a major challenge for authorities will be to maintain calm among the public so that first responders can do their jobs effectively. George C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, told Intellibridge that he is optimistic about this self-administered system. "People use these kinds of systems everyday; for instance, through pediatrician's offices and live nurse help lines. These systems work, and the public has confidence in them," Benjamin said. "The real challenge is to have equality across our communities. But even those who are not well off enough to have a computer often have access to a cell phone." However, since the triage system would be accessed via the telephone or internet, it would be vulnerable to telephone service interruptions, as evidenced during the 11 September attacks when a high volume of calls jammed phone lines in New York City and Washington, D.C. Martin Schram, author of "Avoiding Armageddon," pointed out in a recent Washington Times article that the "most deadly and menacing" bioterrorism attacks will unfold slowly, as victims are discovered over a period of days. An electronic questionnaire for citizens concerned about exposure could be particularly helpful in a situation like that, especially in helping to limit the number of people visiting emergency rooms, thus easing clinicians' workload and limiting the spread of disease. Nevertheless, many experts doubt that the public, engulfed in the panic of a bioterror attack, would choose to act calmly and rationally enough to utilize such a self-administered electronic triage system. "Some people would do it, but the great majority wouldn't be able to do it. The major engine is fear," said Ken Alibek, George Mason University biodefense specialist. HHS Secretary Thompson Proposes Local Government Bioterrorism Advisory Group Speaking at a National Association of Counties (NACO) meeting in Milwaukee on 11 July, Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson called on hundreds of local officials to form an advisory group to help ensure that federal money for bioterrorism preparedness and public health reaches the right places, according to a NACO statement. Of the $1.1 billion that was disbursed to states last year, only 41 percent went to local programs and government. "I know full well that if we're going to have an incident in America, it's going to be you at the local level that's going to make sure that we're able to counteract it, be able to contain it and be able to respond," Thompson told NACO, according to the Associated Press. Thompson pledge his commitment to greater local involvement in terrorism funding decisions announcing his willingness to tour counties and cities to discover for himself how terrorism preparedness funding is being used and where more funding is needed. ANALYSIS: In his address to NACO, Thompson also recapped the changes he has made to the department to prepare it, and the rest of the country, for a bioterrorism attack, according to AP. He cited his establishment of a "war room" to facilitate quick communication with local, state, and foreign public health officials and boosting public health mobilization capabilities including HHS' 8,000 medical personnel, 50 tons of medical supplies and equipment, and 400 million smallpox vaccines ready to be deployed in the event of a bioterrorism attack. While Thompson seemed confident of local governments being able to respond in the event of an attack, he encouraged county leaders to ensure that sufficient numbers of medical personnel are vaccinated against smallpox so that the rest of the state can be vaccinated within 10 days. Establishing an advisory group to facilitate communication across all levels of government also will likely result in critical information reaching local officials faster, important factors in bioterrorism preparedness and response. New Technology Can Detect Bitterer Agents Within Seconds A new misdetection device, developed by researchers at MIT and recently reported on in the journal Science, can detect dangerous virus or bacteria in mail, air or water within seconds of contact, AP reported. The researchers, funded mostly by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DRAPE), spliced luminescent genes found in jelly fish into mouse white blood cells. The experiment resulted in cells that glow when they come in contact with dangerous pathogens. Dubbed Canary (cellular analysis and notification of antigen risks and yields), the detection device has successfully detected pathogens most likely to be used in a bitterer attack including anthrax, smallpox, plague, tularemia and encephalitis. A significant improvement over other detection systems, Canary can be operated by almost anyone, even without advanced training. "It is very simple to operate," said MIT researcher Todd Rider. "The cells do all the hard work. Nature has designed them to detect bacteria and viruses." The technology is so sophisticated that it can detect the difference between SIRS and the common cold in patients, AP reported. And perhaps more importantly, the detection device works on site in 30 seconds to 3 minutes, eliminating the need to send samples to be studied at a lab. ANALYSIS: The simplicity of the system will allow first responders and others authorities to test for the presence of dangerous biological agents in high risk areas like airports, subways, and even streets, allowing for a quick response in the event of a bioterrorism attack. Rider said that the detection system can even be used to test food and water for the presence of disease-causing E. coli bacteria. The application of this kind of technology could greatly assist various kinds of biodefense operations including essential processes like detection of anthrax in the U.S. postal system. Study: Federal Agencies Lack Sufficiently Trained Personnel to Respond to Bioterror Attack A study released on 8 July found that federal agencies responsible for biodefense preparedness lack the medical and scientific expertise and resources necessary to efficiently counteract a bioterrorism attack, according to the media reports. The Partnership for Public Service, a Washington, D.C. non-governmental organization (NGO) that seeks to attract talented and dedicated individuals to the U.S. Civil Service, identified "a serious underinvestment in the human side of addressing the bioterrorism threat," said President and CEO Max Stier. "Perhaps more than any other terrorist threat, bioterrorism will place huge burdens on small pools of medical, scientific and technical expertise...These organizations are already exhibiting hairline cracks - some would say fractures - that may presage disaster," the study concluded, according to the New York Times. The NGO identified several agencies currently understaffed including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Food and Drug Administration, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. ANALYSIS: The study is but the latest in a growing body of negative assessments regarding the nation's preparedness against a catastrophic terrorist attack. In contrast to this study on federal preparedness, a June study by the Council of Foreign Relations cited underfunding of first responders as a major soft spot in the nation's preparedness. The Partnership for Public Service's study not surprisingly pointed out that far more resources are being devoted to first responder biodefense training than what is allocated to federal agencies. Federal agencies will encounter "significant and unavoidable hurdles" as they try to fill gaps in critical biodefense expertise given the large numbers of personnel eligible to retire in the next five years and the draw of more lucrative jobs in the private sector, the New York Times reported. "Based on our interviews with officials from these agencies and other areas of biodefense research we found that the federal employees responsible for our defenses against bioterrorist attacks constitute a 'civilian thin blue line' that is retreating both in terms of capacity and expertise," the study cautioned. July 6, 2003 WASHINGTON, July 5 - The government is likely to be overwhelmed in the event of a bioterrorism attack because of serious shortages in skilled medical and scientific personnel, according to a study by a public service advocacy group. "Perhaps more than any other terrorist threat, bioterrorism will place huge burdens on small pools of medical, scientific and technical expertise," the study concluded. "These organizations are already exhibiting hairline cracks - some would say fractures - that may presage disaster." The study, which focused on five federal biodefense agencies, will be made public on Tuesday. It was prepared by the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit group founded in 2001 that seeks to attract more qualified people to government service. The study found that the anthrax mailings in 2001, which killed five people, created confusion and heavily burdened the federal agencies that responded to the incident. The attacks forced employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work around the clock and to sleep in their laboratories as they performed tests on tens of thousands of specimens. The study suggested that a larger attack involving infectious diseases would probably be overwhelming. A planning exercise in 2001 called Dark Winter, which involved the simulated release of smallpox virus, showed that crucial public health decisions had to be made in the early stages of such an event, but the study said policy makers "were generally unfamiliar with the character of bioterrorist attacks." Billions of dollars have been allocated for so-called first responders like police officers, firefighters, ambulance and hospital workers, and National Guard units to improve their training for emergencies involving chemical, biological and nuclear attacks. But the study found that far fewer resources have been sought by the federal government for medical and scientific experts. "We have uncovered a serious underinvestment in the human side of addressing the bioterrorism threat," Max Stier, president and chief executive of the partnership, said in an interview. "Each of the five agencies plays a central role in responding to the bioterrorism threat," he said. "The resources they have are stretched too thin." The group recommended that the government undertake a campaign including the recruitment of biodefense experts trained in fields like genetics, infectious disease medicine, bacteriology, microbiology, pharmacology, epidemiology and the physics of aerosol attacks. The study said the federal agencies that faced serious staffing issues were the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Food and Drug Administration, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. Representatives of several agencies that have jurisdiction over counterterrorism programs - the Homeland Security Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health and the disease control centers - declined to comment on the study's findings. The study found that there were far too few people in the government with the skills needed to respond effectively to a bioterror attack. "Based on our interviews with officials from these agencies and other areas of biodefense research," the study said, "we found that the federal employees responsible for our defenses against bioterrorist attacks constitute a `civilian thin blue line' that is retreating both in terms of capacity and expertise." The study, based on interviews with senior agency officials and a review of technical literature on the subject, cited several specific problems. It found that biodefense agencies struggled to hire employees with adequate scientific and medical expertise, and concluded that the need for highly trained personnel would increase, while the supply of such talent is likely to decline. At the same time, these agencies were found to be losing some of their most talented employees because of government pay systems geared less to outstanding performance than to longevity in service. Moreover, the agencies are likely to face "significant and unavoidable hurdles" in maintaining staffing levels because half of the employees in critical jobs are eligible to retire in the next five years, the study found. Even efforts to fix the problems are likely to run into difficulty. The study cited the "byzantine hiring process" used by the federal government, which it said had already left some agencies without employees with the appropriate skills to respond to a bioterror attack. Flu Virus Poses Greater Bioterrorism Threat than Anthrax, Smallpox The influenza virus, commonly overlooked as a potential weapon of terror, has been found to have a greater destructive potential than smallpox or anthrax, according to a report in the July issue of the UK's Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine. Dr. Mohammed Madjid and other researchers from the University of Texas found that the influenza virus could be a prime bioterrorism agent since it is easily transmissible, readily available, has a short incubation period - making it difficult to immunize, and may not be immediately identified as a terrorist attack, the report stated. Researchers at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, based at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, are close to completely sequencing the flu virus that caused the 1918 pandemic that killed close to 40 million people, according to Congressional Quarterly. While noting that he does not believe the Institute will release the sequence, which rogue scientists could recreate, Madjid said, "We must, since the terrorist attacks of September and October 2001, consider the possibility of malicious genetic engineering to create more virulent strains" that can be used in a bioterrorism attack. Madjid theorized that the release of a genetically-altered, aerosol flu virus on public transportation, like a plane or train, could result in a devastating flu epidemic. ANALYSIS: The report specifically mention world leaders as targets of flu virus attacks because they may be susceptible to the illness due to age, and, give their frequent travel and contact with the public, they would be ideal for spreading the virus. It recommended that governments take steps to prevent an outbreak, including expanding immunization, increasing security at labs working with influenza viruses, stockpiling antiretroviral drugs, contemplating a federal vaccine-development program, and expanding surveillance of the virus, including antiviral filters, biosensors, and virus-detecting ventilation systems. The report also recommended that organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) bring together experts to "study the matter" and work on a strategy for combating influenza as a bioterrorism weapon. CQ TODAY - HOMELAND SECURITY The Select Homeland Security Committee on Thursday became the third House
committee to approve legislation that seeks to encourage the development
of vaccines and treatments to combat bioterrorism. Firm's Anthrax Drug Cleared for Human Tests A Rockville biotechnology company plans to announce today that it has
received government permission to launch human tests of a drug designed
to combat anthrax, the biowarfare agent that killed five people and terrified
Congress in 2001. E-learning Bioterrorism Preparedness Training Course Available for Public Health Personnel The Association of Public Heath Laboratories (APHL) announced at a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting on 23 June the first interactive, online bioterrorism training and response program for clinical laboratory professionals, according to Business Wire. The "Agents of Bioterrorism" program, a collaboration between APHL, the Massachusetts State Laboratory Institute and Boston-based Acadient, an e-learning program developer, is slated as the "first line of an early warning system for recognition of an outbreak or bioterrorism attack." The program's coursework, which can be completed in 1.5 hours, is designed to train microbiologists, medical technologists, doctors nurses and academics to identify the biological agents most likely to be used as terror weapons including anthrax and plague. The training program is expected to be field tested in Massachusetts over the next two months. A demonstration of the coursework can be viewed on Acadient's website. ANALYSIS: The development of training tools to better assist state public health personnel to identify bioterrorism agents is an important step toward better state bioterrorism preparedness. As the APHL e-learning program is tested in Massachusetts it is hoped that the "course can be used as a prototype for other local, state and worldwide healthcare organizations that need to prepare laboratory professionals to respond to agents of bioterrorism," Acadient president Greg Titus said. Experts continue to remain concerned that state laboratories and public health institutions are unprepared to respond to a bioterrorism attack. CDC Advisory Group: Smallpox Vaccinations Should not be Expanded to First Responders An advisory group to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a statement on 19 June recommending that the national smallpox vaccination program not be expanded to first responders until severe heart-related side effects can be further evaluated, according to press reports. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which meets several times a year to evaluate and advise the CDC on vaccination policies, agreed unanimously that the vaccination program should only be offered to phase one health care workers. Of the 450,000 health care workers eligible to receive the vaccine, less than 10 percent of have volunteered for the program, according to AP. The second phase of the vaccination program aims to vaccinate first responders, like firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical workers. Eventually the smallpox vaccine would be offered to the general public. ANALYSIS: Based on comments made by CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding during a news conference on 19 June, it seems unlikely that the program will come to a complete standstill, especially in light of comments made earlier by other CDC officials that there are currently not enough vaccinated medical personnel to respond to a smallpox attack, AP reported. Gerberding said, "I don't think I hear anything that says, 'Stop the program'...The question of how broad the program is [is] something we must pay attention to. It's absolutely clear we must have preparedness in public health and response teams if we have any hope of mitigating a smallpox attack." Gerberding assured reporters that she and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson will carefully weigh the advisory group's recommendation with national security concerns before making a decision. From the "Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security Daily," 20 June: A Pill for Anthrax Relief? Army in Hot Pursuit Emisphere Technologies, Inc., a New York pharmaceutical company that specializes in the oral delivery of medicine, is teaming up with the Army’s biodefense laboratory in Frederick, Md., to develop an oral anthrax vaccine, the company said Thursday. The Tarrytown-based company says it can encapsulate vaccines or drugs that normally cannot pass from the intestinal tract into the body. The company also is developing an oral insulin drug for use by diabetics. Emisphere and the Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases facilities at Fort Detrick in Frederick have signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) under which the company will not receive federal funding but would be given an exclusive patent and royalty rights should the CRADA produce an oral anthrax vaccine. - David Clarke June 12, 2003 Monkeypox outbreak tests bioterrorism response systems By David McGlinchey, Global Security Newswire U.S. efforts to prepare for a bioterrorist attack have enabled an effective response to this month's outbreak of monkeypox in the United States, according to health officials and public health experts. "State health departments have been actively involved in planning and preparing for the possibility of a bioterrorist event. We are now seeing that this level of preparation can also assist in unexpected, natural outbreaks," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson. Health officials are investigating 54 suspected cases of monkeypox in four states. The disease is carried by rodents and is similar to smallpox but much less deadly. U.S. officials yesterday recommended the smallpox vaccine to "persons investigating monkeypox outbreaks and involved in caring for infected individuals or animals." Monkeypox was not mistaken for smallpox, health officials said, but the similarity helped detect the disease quickly and bioterrorism was quickly ruled out. Health workers are "trained more in clinical recognition of poxes" than they once were, said Lorna Will, an epidemiologist with the Wisconsin Department of Public Health. Wisconsin has reported 20 cases of monkeypox. The monkeypox outbreak also tested the U.S. ability to respond to a bioterrorism incident, and the public health system performed admirably, officials said. "Mother Nature has given us a little practice opportunity," said Shelley Hearne, executive director of Trust for America's Health, a nonpartisan public health group. Hearne compared the monkeypox response to the confused public health reaction during the anthrax mailings of 2002 and said there has "certainly been significant improvement. That's the good news." She cautioned, however, that the government might be focusing too heavily on a few, select biological threats. To prepare for terrorism, health officials should be prepared to face the "unexpected." The most effective preparation for an unknown biological or chemical threat is a strong public health infrastructure, according to Hearne. Cuts in public health funding, brought on by nationwide budget shortfalls, risk "undercutting the foundation" of biological and chemical terrorism defenses, she warned. Health officials said the outbreak was detected and reported quickly. "Surveillance has certainly been upgraded," said Von Roebuck, a spokesman for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "I suspect we may have seen monkeypox in the past and we didn't pick it up," Hearne said. Enhanced communication in the public health community was the most valuable improvement cited by several officials and experts. The focus on preparing for bioterrorism "helped a lot with communication between hospitals and health departments," according to Will, the Wisconsin epidemiologist. The CDC was able to effectively alert local health departments, said Roebuck, adding, "the information communication side has been very good, and that's huge, especially in an investigation like this." Will, who until recently was a clinician, said that doctors now know where to go during a public health emergency. "When we first started [improving public health infrastructure] people used to call me constantly without a clue," she said. Confused doctors did not know where to report unusual diseases or where to get information on new outbreaks. "I can tell you that as a clinician, I would not have known who to call," she said. June 16, 2003 Paul Redmond had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day recently.
It was the day that Redmond, assistant secretary for information analysis
at the Homeland Security Department, testified before the House Select
Homeland Security Committee about Project BioShield, President Bush's
$6 billion anti-bioterrorism project that's been cruising through the
House. FBI Does Some Heavy-Duty Digging in Md. By Marilyn W. Thompson The scene yesterday at a drained pond in Frederick was less reminiscent of the underwater adventures of Jacques Cousteau than it was of plodding Mike Mulligan, the outdated but determined steam shovel. In a pit of red mud, a bright yellow earthmover chugged up scoop after scoop of rain-drenched dirt, moving it aside for analysis in the second phase of the FBI's search for evidence in the unsolved anthrax case. Along the perimeter, about a dozen men in hard hats and reflective vests worked on various dirty missions. Some gathered around a square container, apparently used as a sifting box. Action was slow but steady, and no one seemed to notice a helicopter full of press gawkers hovering at 400 feet. After three days spent diverting 1.45 million gallons of water from the one-acre pond -- a process made more taxing by occasional downpours -- yesterday's work was the more important step in the much-discussed anthrax hunt. The operation is top secret, but law enforcement sources have said that the FBI hopes to find evidence that could have been left behind by the ingenious killer who mailed out a lethal agent in pre-stamped postal envelopes in the fall of 2001. Five people died and 17 were infected, with more than 10,000 people put at risk of exposure. More broadly, the incident brought the prospect of bioterrorism into the average U.S. household. The FBI has been unable to solve the baffling "Amerithrax" case, one of its highest priorities, after 18 months of rigorous investigation, using virtually every known modern law enforcement technique. Searches were mounted of homes, outbuildings and rented storage sheds. In military research labs, considered the most likely source of the anthrax bacteria used in the mailings, FBI polygraphs became commonplace. Hundreds were interviewed, and thousands more were asked for leads. Every so often, top FBI officials would head to Capitol Hill to report their progress, offering little hope of an imminent arrest. Then the isolated pond came to the bureau's attention. A business associate of Steven J. Hatfill -- who has been called a "person of interest" in the case but has not been charged -- told agents about a hypothetical discussion in which Hatfill explained how he might dispose of contaminated material. FBI agents descended on the Frederick Municipal Forest, a few miles from where Hatfill once lived while working as an Army pathogens researcher. Expert divers were called in to cut through the winter ice and comb the murky waters of about a dozen spring-fed ponds, created years ago to fight forest fires. Weather prevented a complete search. But the FBI's early discoveries included a mysterious box, something akin to a makeshift scientific glove box, in which laboratory researchers wearing triple layers of latex gloves can safely manipulate deadly pathogens. A novel theory evolved: Could the killer have waded into water with the contraption and used it to stuff anthrax into envelopes? Could the depths of the pond explain why searches on land had turned up no evidence of contamination? Had the bureau finally solved a nearly perfect crime? On the edge of the pond yesterday stood an assortment of tarps, tents and trailers, the most prominent emblazoned "FBI" in bold letters. It appeared that Hollywood's crime-fighting "Men in Black" had become rather grungy "Men in Hip Boots." Before the search began, FBI agent Bob Roth, a veteran murder investigator, spent weeks communicating with bureaucrats at the Maryland Department of the Environment. There were issues to be sorted out. The state wanted assurances that water would be pumped gradually and properly diverted to avoid flooding. Endangered species would have to be protected, including several spectacular varieties of rare orchid. The state wanted an inspector on-site daily to ensure compliance with regulations. Although the operation held the potential of great law enforcement breakthroughs, a self-respecting cop might simply have tried to decline this assignment. There were reports of agents being rescued after sinking knee-deep in the voracious goop. The FBI has informed state and city officials that it may take three to four weeks to finish its work inside the yellow police tape, strung across roads cutting through the woods. Mountain hikers and orchid lovers will have to be redirected for a while. When the work is through, the bureau's private contractor will pipe water back into the pond, filling it to its normal level of three to four feet. The FBI will silently pack up its equipment and troop back to headquarters, revealing nothing of what agents may have found after days of clawing and sifting through the pond's rich, red bottom. © 2003 The Washington Post Company New Virginia Lab to Give Bioterror Support to CDC in Case of Attack A high-tech laboratory, second only to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a few military labs opened today in Richmond, Virginia, according to the Washington Post. The lab, called "Biotech Six," has more sealed rooms - eight in all - than any other state lab to manage lethal diseases like SARS, West Nile, and tuberculosis. There is also a working plan to build the first state-run "Biosafety Level 4" room to safely contain and test more dangerous pathogens like Ebola, hantavirus, and smallpox. The new facility has been named one of five labs in the nation responsible for 24 hour testing in the event that a biological or chemical attack exceeds the CDC's facilities in Atlanta. Charles Schable, director of bioterrorism preparedness for the CDC's National Center for Infectious Disease said, "We can't always do everything ourselves. This will enhance the nation's capability to respond to a bioterror event." ANALYSIS: The new lab may be called upon to respond to bioterrorism attacks in the future due to its close proximity to Washington, DC. George Foresman, who advises Virginia Governor Mark Warner, said, "We find ourselves consistently in the bull's-eye of terrorist actions targeted against America. It becomes incumbent upon us...to make sure we have state labs that can handle the spillover." The lab was partially funded by federal homeland security funds, but it still needs $1.7 million to complete delayed construction of its Level 4 testing facility. To save money, the lab has left 20 of its 220 jobs vacant until construction can be complete. Lab Director James L. Pearson said, "It will happen, but it isn't here today." FBI Draining Pond in Anthrax Investigation Monday, June 9, 2003; 11:55 AM The FBI today began an elaborate operation to drain a rural pond in
the Frederick Municipal Forest, hoping to find evidence that might have
been dumped there in the fall of 2001 after postal envelopes were stuffed
with deadly anthrax bacteria. Posted on Thu, Jun. 05, 2003 Lawmakers Consider Anti-Bioterror Plan LAURA MECKLER WASHINGTON - Members of Congress complained Thursday about intelligence on Iraqi biological weapons as they considered legislation that would rely on intelligence to help counter bioterror threats at home. The House Select Committee on Homeland Security is considering a President Bush proposal dubbed Project BioShield, which would give the administration unprecedented authority to research, buy and distribute vaccines and antidotes against pathogens that could be used by bioterrorists. Among other things, it would guarantee private companies that, if they spend money to create new treatments, the government will buy them. But a linchpin of the proposal requires the Homeland Security Department to determine what biological agents pose a severe enough threat to trigger the program. At a committee hearing Thursday, several members of Congress quizzed Homeland Security officials about their ability to make those assessments. Specifically, they noted that U.S. forces have been unable to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, despite intelligence that allegedly said these weapons were there. "The entire premise of this country going to war with Iraq was that we needed to rid the rogue nation of weapons of mass destruction," said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. "To this date, no weapons of mass destruction have been found. ... We sent our brave men and women into war under false pretenses." He said that in order to determine what projects to fund under BioShield, officials must have reliable intelligence about the threat. Paul Redmond, assistant secretary for information analysis at the Homeland Security Department, responded that he had no information about intelligence concerning Iraq, though other administration officials have expressed confidence that biological weapons will ultimately be found there. Members also pressed Redmond to specify the most troubling bioterror threats. "If the threat is as serious as some would suggest, this committee need to hear about it," said Rep. Jim Turner of Texas, the top Democrat on the panel. Redmond said he was not prepared to disclose detailed information on threats. He added that the department does not yet have a full handle on what pathogens pose the most serious danger. He spoke in general of the threat posed by anthrax and botulinum toxin, two of the biological agents that most concern experts. Redmond said he and one other person are now working to assess the threat. Under questioning, he said he did not need any further resources to do his job. "We're here to help you," said Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., the panel's chairman. "We're not getting very far very fast today." He said the committee's purpose is to provide the department with the money it needs for this "enormous job." "The impression you've left is it's the two of you working with the outside world," Cox said. Redmond responded that he plans to hire two to three others to help. "We're just getting started," he said. Turner didn't buy it. "It causes me to have grave concern that we are not doing the job in the way the legislation envisions," he said. Overall, the BioShield legislation enjoys broad support. The only significant controversy has been whether the program should be singled out for special, automatic funding, as Bush wants, or whether it should have to compete with other programs in the budget for dollars. A bill approved by the House Commerce Committee requires it to go through the normal budgeting process, while a Senate version makes the funding automatic. Anthrax detection test delayed May 31, 2003 WASHINGTON -- A test of a new anthrax detection system planned for Monday in more than a dozen cities is being postponed, the U.S. Postal Service said Friday. The system, which uses rapid DNA testing to detect the germs, was developed after anthrax pores were mailed to several prominent people in 2001. The cases resulted in five deaths and made many more ill. The 30-day exercise, with test sites including Rockford, Ill., had been scheduled after a preliminary run in Baltimore. However, postal vice president Azeezaly Jaffer said Friday that more time was needed to work with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities in the test cities to develop guidelines on test results. The detection systems have been installed in 14 cities and are ready for use, he said. No new date to begin the tests was announced. The other test sites are Dulles, Va.; Capitol Heights, Md.; Albany, N.Y.; Edison, N.J.; Manasota, St. Petersburg and Tampa, Fla.; Midland, Texas; Los Angeles; Tacoma, Wash.; Lancaster and Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Cleveland. Copyright © 2003, Chicago Tribune CQ HOMELAND SECURITY - WEAPONS According to a new Pentagon report, the Al Qaeda terrorist organization
pursued "a sophisticated biological weapons research program"
for several years before launching its 2001 attacks on the United States.
Smokeless Gun Postal Anthrax Testing to Expand The U.S. Postal Service plans next week to greatly expand the testing
of a new security system to detect against bioterror agents, the direct
result of the anthrax attacks of October 2001, when two employees lost
their lives at the Brentwood postal facility in Northeast Washington. May 21, 2003 United States intelligence agencies have concluded that two mysterious
trailers found in Iraq were mobile units to produce germs for weapons,
but they have found neither biological agents nor evidence that the equipment
was used to make such arms, according to senior administration officials. From the "Congressional Quarterly Homeland Security Daily," 20 May: ‘Swipes’ for Getting Icky Chemical or Biological Agents Off Your Face? Pentagon’s Looking into It. A discreet Pentagon unit that is developing counterterrorism contract
proposals for the Department of Homeland Security has announced a new
round of ambitious product ideas to help individual Americans cope with
chemical or biological poisons. One idea proposed by the Technical Support
Working Group is a “sponge-like” mitt soaked with special
decontamination chemicals that victims could wipe over their faces and
limbs. “The kit could be handed out to ambulatory and coherent victims
for use with minimum instruction,” said a May 14, 2003 announcement
calling for bids from contractors. Another idea is a $10 personal decontamination
kit which includes both “a simple mask to minimize inhalation and
a capability to quickly remove or neutralize biological agent aerosol
materials on people’s skin, hair and clothing.” A third envisions
a “low cost shelter-in-place kit” to protect people who find
themselves in public places at the time of an attack. Deadline for an
initial proposal is June 13, 2003.-Jim McGee Postal Service Expanding Anthrax Detection Pilot The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will expand a pilot program to detect anthrax and other biological agents in the mail to 14 cities beginning 1 June, following "several months" of testing in Baltimore. Tom Day, postal vice president for engineering said, "We have carefully reviewed its results and we are now confident that it is working successfully," AP reported. The expanded testing will be conducted for 30 days, after which the technology could be installed "in all of the 282 postal plants that sort the nation's mail," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. ANALYSIS: The $3.7 million pilot project in Baltimore employed a system using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to test for traces of anthrax DNA. Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Security Systems LLC provided the technology for the pilot, with Cepheid Inc., Smiths Detection, and Sceptor Industries providing equipment for the detection system. The "Automated Bio-agent Detection System collects and analyzes air samples from mail-sorting systems," according to Northrop Grumman. PCR technology allows rapid testing using only trace amounts of the anthrax bacteria. William O'Neill, systems analyst and engineer for USPS told the Post-Gazette that the system "could be altered to also screen mail for other potential agents of bioterrorism such as the smallpox virus." Bioshield program likely to become law despite challenges: report Although some experts question whether the Bush administration's plan to encourage production of treatments and vaccines for bioterrorism agents will succeed, the bill to implement the plan "appears to be on a sure path to becoming law," according to a 12 May Chicago Tribune report. Project Bioshield would provide $6 billion over 10 years to: "Ensure that resources are available to pay for 'next-generation' medical countermeasures; Strengthen NIH development capabilities by speeding research and development on medical countermeasures based on the most promising recent scientific discoveries; and, Give the FDA the ability to make promising treatments quickly available in emergency situations," according to the White House. The Tribune reported that "scientists and biotechnology industry officials say that while the proposed funding and decade-long time frame sound like a lot, they aren't nearly enough to get all the best researchers and companies that will be required to shift gears to biodefense work." "Biotech companies also want protection from antitrust laws and product liability lawsuits that could arise from their work on vaccines against biological weapons." ANALYSIS: Although Senate and House action on the bill appears likely to result in a Bioshield law eventually, conflicts have arisen in Congress over "the bill's central provision-a guaranteed, mandatory funding mechanism for firms that undertake development of anti-bioterror products," the Tribune said. These conflicts have slowed work on the bill, however, "the House Energy and Commerce Committee may try again [15 May] to mark up [the Bioshield bill]," CongressDaily reported. Guidance for bioterrorism funding released The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on 9 May that it had released guidance for $1.4 billion in FY 2003 bioterrorism preparedness and response funding. The funding includes $870 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for public health preparedness and $498 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for hospital preparedness. Guidance for the CDC funding "focuses on seven areas that include preparedness planning and readiness assessment, surveillance and epidemiology, laboratory capacity for handling biologic agents, laboratory capacity for handling chemical agents, health alert network and information technology, communicating health risks and health information dissemination, and education and training." The HRSA guidelines "outline six priority areas [including] governance, regional surge capacity to handle terrorism victims, emergency medical services, hospital linkages to public health departments, education and preparedness training, and terrorism preparedness exercises." ANALYSIS: About 20 percent of the $1.4 billion has been available to states since March 2003 to "support current activities, including smallpox vaccination for selected health workers and emergency responders." States must submit plans to HHS detailing how they will spend the funding. Upon approval of these plans, CDC and HRSA will distribute the remainder of the funds. New Find Reignites Anthrax Probe By Marilyn W. Thompson The FBI has developed a new theory on a central mystery of the 2001 anthrax attacks after finding evidence in a Frederick, Md., pond that may suggest how an ingenious criminal could have packed deadly anthrax spores into envelopes without killing or sickening himself, according to sources close to the investigation. A piece of equipment and other evidence recovered this winter from ice-covered ponds in Frederick Municipal Forest have reinvigorated the 18-month-old case, leading officials to explore a novel theory with shades of science fiction. Some involved in the case believe that the killer may have waded into shallow water to delicately manipulate anthrax bacteria into envelopes, working within a partly submerged airtight chamber. When finished, the killer could have easily hidden the evidence by simply dumping contaminated equipment and clothing into the pond. Publicly, the FBI has said nothing about material that divers recovered during the elaborate search missions in December and January, which involved cutting through thick ice atop about a dozen spring-fed ponds on the city-owned parkland. Debra Weierman, media coordinator for the FBI's Washington Field Office, which supervises the case, declined to comment on the findings or on any law enforcement theories about how the crimes might have been carried out. But sources close to the case said the discoveries were so compelling that the FBI now plans to drain one of the ponds in another search for sunken evidence. The FBI has notified the city of Frederick and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources that it will begin the operation by June 1 and expects to pump thousands of gallons of water from a single pond into the others and a nearby reservoir. Additional agents have been assigned to the case, code-named Amerithrax. Two sources familiar with the items recovered from the pond described a clear box, with holes that could accommodate gloves to protect the user as he worked. Also recovered were vials wrapped in plastic. Not everyone involved in the case subscribes to the theory. Some believe that the killer could have completed the task on land and simply dumped materials into the pond to avoid detection. These investigators contend that the water theory is the result of the FBI's interest in one subject, Steven J. Hatfill, a medical doctor and bioterrorism expert who formerly worked as a researcher at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft has described Hatfill as "a person of interest" in the investigation. Hatfill has a varied background in science and medicine that includes research for NASA and exploration in Antarctica. On a résumé he sent several years ago to federal agencies, Hatfill, a former member of the Rhodesian special forces who received medical training in South Africa, lists a postgraduate diploma in diving and underwater medicine from a South African naval training institute. Hatfill's attorney, Thomas Connolly, called the water theory "far-fetched" and said Hatfill had nothing to do with the anthrax crimes. The evidence found in the pond has buoyed the FBI's hopes for resolution of the baffling case, which claimed five lives, sickened 13 other people and exposed thousands more to the lethal bacteria. The attacks involved a series of letters mailed in pre-stamped envelopes to media outlets in Florida and New York and to the offices of Sens. Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.). While en route, the letters passed through various post offices and postal distribution centers along the East Coast and left a trail of contamination. The five people who died from inhalation anthrax included two postal workers at the Brentwood postal facility in Washington, a Florida photojournalist, a New York hospital worker and a 94-year-old woman in Connecticut. Entering the water to manipulate virulent anthrax bacteria would provide some degree of natural protection from finely ground spores, which disperse in the air and can live for decades in the soil. But expert opinions vary on whether spores from contaminated equipment could later be found in a natural body of water. Several scientists suggested that the spores would likely disperse and be difficult to trace, but they said it would be wise to test sediment at the bottom of the pond for the possible presence of hardy microbes. The FBI's theory could explain why, after numerous searches of homes, buildings and open land, investigators have failed to locate any sign of anthrax contamination. It would suggest that the criminal had experience doing complicated manual tasks in water and was highly skilled in the use of small laboratory tools to work within an airtight glove box or bag. Some FBI officials involved in the case have theorized that the killer could have put both dry envelopes and secured anthrax powder into an airtight, waterproof chamber, sealed it shut, then stood in the water while filling the envelopes. When finished, the envelopes could be secured inside layers of zip-lock plastic bags and removed from the protective chamber. The most commonly used devices for handling dangerous pathogens are known as glove boxes or bags. They feature polyurethane gloves built into the chambers. Scientists usually wear additional layers of gloves for added protection. The devices come in all sizes and range in price from simple models that cost less than $150 to custom-designed varieties that are priced at $10,000 or more. The Justice Department secured the sales records of major U.S. glove box and bag manufacturers soon after the anthrax attacks occurred. The FBI has come under criticism for the pace of the investigation, which has involved dozens of agents and cutting-edge laboratory analysis. The pond findings, the sources said, offer the first possible physical evidence in a case that, thus far, has been built almost exclusively on circumstantial clues considered too tenuous to lead to criminal charges. But the case still has significant weaknesses, the sources said. A major problem is that the FBI has found no evidence linking anyone to the actual mailing of the letters. The two most deadly letters, to Daschle and Leahy, are believed to have been mailed from a highly visible mailbox in the village of Princeton, N.J., just across the street from the Princeton University campus. The box, which tested positive for anthrax, was removed from its concrete footings in August 2002 and shipped to Army labs for testing. The water theory has increased investigators' interest in Hatfill, who formerly lived in an apartment outside Fort Detrick's main gate that is about eight miles from the ponds. Based on a tip, FBI teams rushed to seal off the municipal forest in late December and sent divers into the ponds, which were created decades ago to provide water in case of forest fires. The FBI said at the time that it was looking for equipment that might have been used in the crimes. Since then, a team of FBI agents has returned occasionally to the site. The pond searches represented another flurry of activity in an investigation that had appeared stalled. Soon after the anthrax letters surfaced, the FBI released a psychological profile of the likely suspect, describing a disgruntled, middle-aged white male with scientific training and some experience working in government research labs. Agents scrambled to interview a short list of people who fit the profile, then seemed to focus on Hatfill. After Ashcroft called Hatfill a "person of interest" in the probe, Hatfill held two news conferences to adamantly proclaim his innocence. He remains under round-the-clock FBI surveillance, and his attorney, Connolly, said he has refused recent approaches from the FBI. Connolly said Hatfill cannot find a job because of the unjustified FBI scrutiny. Connolly said it would not be unusual for the FBI to find scientific equipment discarded in waters around Frederick, which is home to many research labs and biotech companies. He suggested that equipment dredged from the pond could have been discarded by a drug dealer operating a methamphetamine lab. The FBI also has questioned Hatfill's associates about a device he used in much of his recent research. Hatfill had federal backing for projects using the "rotary cell culture system," a small device developed by NASA researchers to rapidly culture cells. It is marketed by Synthecon, a small Texas company. While at USAMRIID between 1997 and 1999, Hatfill had the backing of a federal health agency for a project in which he sought to use the culturing device to develop a "Universal Pathogen System." He hoped to grow pathogens that had proved difficult to culture, including possibly the smallpox virus, according to his proposal. Hatfill said the project would help researchers trying to quickly analyze emerging infectious diseases. Roger Akers, a Synthecon vice president and a friend of Hatfill's who worked with him on an unpublished bioterrorism thriller, said he was questioned by FBI agents in recent months about whether Hatfill could have used the rotary cell culture device to grow anthrax bacteria. Akers said he found the questions silly, because anthrax bacteria are easy to grow without the aid of such sophisticated equipment. Akers said Hatfill was trained in the use of the cell culture system, which he employed both at USAMRIID and during a previous government research appointment at a division of the National Institutes of Health. The FBI has reviewed the manuscript of Hatfill's novel, which is on file at the U.S. Copyright Office. Staff writers Allan Lengel and David Snyder contributed to this report. CQ TODAY - HOMELAND SECURITY The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday is expected to approve
legislation that would authorize about $6 billion over 10 years for vaccines,
treatments or services to combat bioterrorism. Suspected Bioweapon Mobile Lab Recovered A suspected mobile biological weapons lab has been recovered in northern
Iraq, a development that senior U.S. officials said yesterday would lend
support to Bush administration allegations of a banned weapons program
by the government of deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. |