August 2004

Below is a listing of bioterrorism-related events this month, part of an ongoing bioterrorism chronology that begins with Sep 11, 2001. To see events from other months, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page.

Aug 31

Guidebook on leadership during bioterror attack distributed to 10,000
A handbook entitled "How to Lead During Bioattacks with the Public's Trust and Help" was distributed this month to about 10,000 mayors, governors, and public health officials. The guidebook, which presents research-based "best practices and principles" for leaders during an emergency, was developed by an expert working group convened by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Center for Biosecurity. Recipients have praised the publication; Martin O'Malley, Mayor of Baltimore, says its recommendations can help leaders "avoid the pitfalls of crisis responses that can prove costly—both economicall and interns of public trust," according to a Medical News Today story.

Aug 26

Powdered anthrax vaccine may be in the future
Researchers at the American Chemical Society meeting in Philadelphia say they found a powedered form of anthrax vaccine to be 100% effective in animal trials. They administered the powder intranasally to groups of rabbits and then exposed them to 100 times the lethal dose of anthrax. All the animals survived. The powdered vaccine was made from liquid vaccine now in clinical trials. (See CIDRAP News story.)

Small aircraft containing deadly weapons could be in terrorists' plans
Small airplanes or helicopters carrying chemical, biological, or radiological material could be among plans for future terrorist attacks, according to a story in the Boston Globe. Experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies determined this possibility after working with the federal government to study past Pakistani intelligence. Small planes are not searched like large planes are, according to the article, and no-fly zones over many large-scale environments like stadiums are loosely enforced, making a ready recipe for relatively easy attack. A full report from the panel of experts is expected shortly.

'Immune Building' technology under development by DoD
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), of the Department of Defense (DoD), is developing "Immune Building" technology designed to protect DoD buildings from biological and chemical agents, effectively removing such weapons from terrorists' arsenal, according to a Global Security Newswire article. The ventilation-based system will be capable of detecting and neutralizing such agents as well as decontaminating a building's air. The technology should be ready for demonstration within 2 years and is planned for eventual widespread use outside the military.

Aug 23

AMA to provide online training for first-responders
The American Medical Association (AMA) is getting a $1 million grant from the Department of Homeland Security for online training of first-responders. The main area of training will be in disaster life support, and it is hoped that the online resource will be used by personnel in both cities and rural areas. The AMA plans to have the training available by the end of the year.

Multinational mock WMD attack scheduled for next year
A 1-week counterterrorism exercise involving the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom will be carried out next spring, reports the London Times. The scenario, code named Atlantic Blue and set to involve thousands of participants, will involve a mock attack on the US that will then move to the other countries.

Aug 20

Sufficient anthrax vaccine for an emergency?
A New York Times article says that only 159 vials of anthrax vaccine, sufficient for about 530 people, have been put aside for civilians even though the federal government promised 2 years ago to stockpile drugs to protect the public from a bioterrorist attack. Behind the delay in transferring vaccine from the military to civilian programs are disputes between government agencies, particularly in the recent transfer of control over the stockpile of drugs for civilians to the new Department of Homeland Security, says the story. Also slowing the process is the government's hope for a new and better anthrax vaccine. Government spokespersons say BioPort, which makes the currently licensed vaccine, has enough for more than 330,000 people, but if this were to be used for civilians, it would impinge on the military vaccination program, the Times story says.

Aug 18

National Guard CERFP units ready for action
Maj. John Toniolli, a National Guard spokesman, says that 10 of 12 regional CERFP (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear or High-Yield Explosives Enhanced Response Force Packages) teams have been assembled and trained, according to a Global Security Network story. The teams consist of personnel from current National Guard units who have been instructed in management of mass casualties, decontamination, and medical triage at the site of an attack. Included in the training is response to a mock attack. National Guard Civil Support Teams (see Apr 1 and 22, 2003, items) would be the initial responders to an attack, and then a CERFP unit would supply follow-up support.

Physician whose home searched in anthrax investigation loses job
Dr. Kenneth Berry, whose homes and car were searched recently in connection with the 2001 anthrax investigation (see Aug 5 and 7 items below), will no longer be employed as an emergency department physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) as of Nov 8 and will be on leave until then, according to the Associated Press. The announcement was made by UPMC spokesman Frank Raczkiewicz, who gave no elaboration.

Aug 13

Sri Lanka embassy to reopen
The US embassy in Sri Lanka will reopen on the 16th after testing shows no evidence of anthrax, reports Reuters. The embassy was closed Aug 9 (see below) after a letter containing white powder was received. Embassy spokesman Chris Long made the announcement.

Aug 12

New CDC lab in Fort Collins
Ground is broken for the new Vector-Borne Disease Laboratory, a CDC facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. It is part of a $1 billion program to update older CDC facilities there, according to the Denver Post. The new laboratory, to be finished by 2006, will house research on plague, tularemia, and Venezuelan, western, and eastern equine encephalitis.

Aug 11

CDC and military to cooperate on anthrax treatment
A program begins today to enlist military personnel who are ricipients of anthrax vaccine to voluntarily donate their blood plasma to aid in work on a new treatment for anthrax infection. The treatment, anthrax immune globulin, is to be used along with antibiotics in patients with severe infections. The CDC, which is running the program, aims to make enough immune globulin to treat 5,000 to 10,000 people if necessary—military or civilian. The Department of Defense agreed to take part in the program and is calling for volunteers first at Fort Campbell, Ky. Other sites will be added later. Vaccinees will need to donate the plasma between 10 and 21 days after receiving at least the fourth dose of the six-shot series, which is when antibody levels are highest.

Nebraska governor wants regional alliance on bioterrorsim
Gov. Mike Johanns of Nebraska says at a meeting on bioterrorism collaboration that his state will create a 10-state alliance to call on in the case of a bioterrorist attack or other emergency affecting public health. States included, in addition to Nebraska, would be Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Montana. The alliance, which Johanns plans to fund with federal money, would be the first such collaboration in the country.

Aug 10

September to be National Preparedness Month
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tom Ridge announces that September will be National Preparedness Month. The aim of the effort is to raise public awareness of a possible attack and provide education on preparedness. Citizens will be encouraged to take actions such as gathering an emergency supply kit, forming a family communication plan, and taking first aid/CPR traning. The governors of all states and territories and 55 organizations such as the Red Cross, veterans' groups, and labor unions are already on board and planning events. The launch Sep 9 will be cochaired by Senators Susan Collins (R-Me.) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Representatives Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) and Jane Harman (D-Calif.), according to a DHS press release.

NIAID funds database on potential bioterrorism agents
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a 5-year, $16.9 million contract to Northrop Grumman Corp to develop a database on potential bioterrorism agents, according to a Federal Computer Week story. The Web-based centralized reservoir, called BioHealthBase, is intended to collect, integrate, and analyze genomic and related information as well as bibliographic data on Giardia lamblia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, influenza virus, Entamoeba histolytica, microsporidia, and Ricinus communis (castor beans). Similar information on additional organisms can be added in the future.

Sri Lanka embassy closes for anthrax scare
The US embassy in Sri Lanka has today closed for "security reasons," and employees have been sent home No specifics are yet available, but a letter containing a unidentified white powder is the item in question, according to a Reuters report. The Medical Research Institute is reportedly conducting tests, and results are expected in a few days. An unnamed doctor at the institute told Reuters he understood that some Embassy staffers were receiving anthrax prophylaxis.

Aug 9

Bioterrorist attack could come from helicopters, says FBI

Biological or chemical agents spread by helicopters may be in the plans of al Qaeda, according to an FBI intelligence bulletin obtained by the Associated Press. The "maneuverability and nonthreatening appearance when flying at low altitudes" may make these craft attractive to terrorists, says the bulletin. Law enforcement officials are urged by the FBI to pay special attention to commercial and private helicopter companies and schools, and those organizations are to be alert for anyone suspicious and to consider extra security measures for passengers and cargo.

Smallpox vaccination push no longer needed, say experts
Two bioterrorism experts who have advised the Bush administration say that first-responders need no longer volunteer for smallpox vaccinations, according to a Global Security Newswire article. Donald Henderson, a former HHS senior advisor and a key player in the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s, said that because the United States now has adequate supplies of smallpox vacccine and plans for rapid vaccination in case of an emergency, continuation of the program launched 2 years ago by President Bush to vaccinate large numbers of first-responders is not needed. Jerome Hauer, former HHS acting assistant secretary, says the sense of urgency over widespread vaccination waned with the failed attempts to find biological weapons in Iraq. Both experts, however, say the threat of a terrorist event involving smallpox still exists, mainly because stores of smallpox formerly in the possession of Soviet Union researchers are unaccounted for.

Aug 7

Doctor's car searched in anthrax investigation
FBI agents search the car of Dr. Kenneth Berry, whose homes were recently searched in the 2001 anthrax investigation (see Aug 5 item below). The car was at the Connellsville, Pa., airport, where Berry reportly kept it parked for visits to his two daughters who live nearby. Berry, a pilot who owns a plane, has flown from his home in New York to the airport for years, observers say. No information on the investigation or on any evidence gathered has been issued by the FBI. Berry claims he knows nothing about the anthrax attacks.

Aug 6

NIAID committed to speeding funding for new counterterrorism drugs
Director Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announces that he wants to cut the time it takes from receipt of proposals for new drugs against potential bioweapons to funding of the development work from the current 12 to 14 months to 6 months. NIAID, he says, plans to spend $10 million in this endeavor in FY2005, as well as $4 for development of immune-system protection against radiation, according to a Global Security Newswire story. Accelerated drug development is one of the main goals of Project Bioshield (see July 21 item).

Aug 5

New York ER doc's home searched in anthrax investigation
The Westville, New York, home of Dr. Kenneth Berry, an emergency physician, is searched by FBI and US Postal Service agents as part of the ongoing 2001 anthrax investigation. Also searched is an apartment in the village, where Berry lived previously, and a cottage in Ocean Beach, New Jersey, owned by Berry's parents. No details on the search have been provided, but an FBI agent stated that "There is no present danger to public health or safety." Several hours after the Ocean Beach search, Berry was arrested on domestic dispute charges at a nearby motel. He posted $10,000 bail and was released from Ocean County Jail. Berry in 1997 founded an organization called PREEMPT Medical Counter-Terrorism, Inc, which trains medical professionals in responding to chemical and biological attacks; he has since the late 1990s been an advocate for widespread distribution of anthrax vaccine; and he filed for a patent on a biohazard tracking system in September 2001.

Aug 1

Terrorist threat level raised in certain areas
The Department of Homeland Security raises the threat level to orange (high) from yellow (elevated) for several East Coast financial areas. Intelligence on al-Qaeda's potential targeting of a numberof specific institutions within the commercial financial sectors of New York City, northern New Jersey, and Washington, DC, led to the heightened warning. No information on timing of an attack are known, however. HHS Secretary Tom Ridge did not mention bioterrorism specifically in his announcement, but he did describe recent advances in security by the department, among them "air-monitoring technologies that can check for biological pathogens" in key locations. This is the first time that the alert level has been elevated for specific areas rather than for the entire country.

For other months' installments, go to the Bioterrorism Watch index page