July 2002

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.

July 31

Experts at Senate hearing warn of risks in invading Iraq
Experts speaking at a Senate hearing warn that an invasion of Iraq would pose risks ranging from more terrorist attacks on Americans to higher oil prices. Witnesses at the first public hearing on the Bush administration's goal of ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein express confidence that an American invasion would succeed, but say it would be a difficult fight requiring a major commitment of troops and the support of many allies. Two retired US generals agree that Iraqi opposition groups would not be likely to win a campaign against Hussein's forces without the help of a large American ground force. Morton H. Halperin, a senior fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, says that unless the United States uses its influence to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before attacking Iraq, many more people in the Arab world will "choose the path of terror."

Pennsylvania's public health infrastructure is weak, says researcher
Margaret Potter, a University of Pittsburgh researcher, tells state legislators that Pennsylvania's public health infrastructure is so weak that it might not be able to handle a bioterrorism incident. Speaking at? a legislative committee hearing, Potter says the state has only 37 public health workers for 100,000 population, compared with a national average of 138 per 100,000. But Helen Burns, a state health department planner, says those numbers don't count the many contract employees the state hires for public health work, nor do they count some public health workers in other branches of state government.

Singapore civil defense forces begin training for chemical, biological attacks
Civil defense reservists in Singapore are being trained to handle terrorist attacks involving chemical and biological weapons, according to the Associated Press. Security officials in Singapore have been on increased alert since more than a dozen suspected Islamic extremists were arrested in December on charges of plotting to blow up the US Embassy and other Western targets. A group of 30 reservists in the Civil Defense Force began training this week by responding to a mock biochemical terror attack.

July 30

Postal Service says Brentwood fumigation test went smoothly
Workers wearing protective suits enter a tent inside Washington's Brentwood postal plant to collect bacteria strips to help determine whether yesterday's fumigation of anthrax-contaminated equipment was successful. Postal Service spokesmen say that, from the outside, everything appears to have gone according to plan. Constant air monitoring showed that no chlorine dioxide gas pumped into the tent escaped, and the equipment used to mix and distribute the chemicals worked properly, officials say. About 900 strips containing samples of harmless bacteria with the same resiliency as anthrax were spread throughout the tent. If the strips show that all the bacteria were killed, the entire plant will be fumigated in a few weeks. If tests show all bacteria were not killed, another test will be done before full fumigation, says Theodore Gordon, senior deputy director of the District of Columbia Health Department.

Hamilton, N.J., postal center to stay closed until spring
A New Jersey postal center that has remained closed since it was contaminated in last fall's anthrax mailings will likely reopen next spring. Decontamination of the Hamilton postal facility near Trenton will begin in October or November, says Tom Day, the US Postal Service's vice president of engineering. The facility will be fumigated with the same chlorine dioxide process that is being used at Washington's Brentwood mail processing center. After fumigation, the Hamilton building will be equipped with a system to detect and vacuum up toxic substances, Day says. Similar systems will be installed in 292 postal facilities across the country, he says.

Alleged Al-Qaida members suspected of plotting to poison water supplies
Fox News reports that federal officials have arrested two Al-Qaida suspects who had documents about how to poison water supplies. James Ujaama surrendered to the FBI last week in Denver; sources say they found documents about water poisoning among other terrorism-related documents in his Denver residence. Sources say the government also has evidence that before Sep 11 Ujaama acted as a courier who delivered laptop computers to the Taliban. James Ujaama's brother, Mustafa Ujaama, founded the now-closed Dar-us-Salaam mosque in Seattle, which has been under FBI investigation. The Ujaama brothers are known to have helped establish Web sites for radical Islamic clerics worldwide. A second former mosque member, Semi Osman, is in custody on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks. The report says Osman too had documents about how to poison water supplies, but the report does not say where or when he was arrested. Sources say all three men are tied to Sheikh Abu Hamza Al-Masri, a prominent radical Muslim cleric in London.

Report criticizes Britain's choice of smallpox vaccine
A report by the Potomac Institute, an American group, contends that the British government bought the wrong vaccine to protect the country against smallpox. The report raises doubts about whether the vaccine based on the Lister strain is effective. The claims raise new questions about the government's decision to award the contract for the supply of smallpox vaccine to a company run by a Labor party donor. Powderject Pharmaceuticals won the 32-million-pound contract after its chief executive, Paul Drayson, gave the Labor Party 50,000 pounds. The Bush administration purchased a different vaccine developed by the New York City Board of Health to protect the US population. The British Department of Health says it stands by its decision, which it says was based on advice from a committee of scientific experts.

CDC officials resent Bush administration's close oversight
Bush administration audits of the CDC are provoking complaints from some CDC officials about the degree of oversight. According to officials in the inspector general's office at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, all HIV/AIDS-related programs are currently under review, as well as other grants and contracts administered by the health agency. The review follows a report last year that found that one San Francisco-based organization was using taxpayer dollars to fund HIV/AIDS prevention programs that featured drag-queen beauty pageants and masturbation demonstrations. CDC advocates say that the Bush administration is creating a culture of tension and micromanagement that threatens the CDC's effectiveness. But other observers say the reviews, especially of HIV/AIDS programs, are long overdue.

Arab League leader says Iraq may allow new weapons inspections
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa says that Iraq still might allow the return of UN weapons inspectors to verify if the country is developing weapons of mass destruction. "The UN inspectors should return to Iraq and verify the situation," Moussa tells BBC radio. "The Iraqis have not rejected that proposal, they are negotiating the terms and certain points of clarification." He also warns that any attack on Iraq would further threaten the stability of the Middle East. "Therefore nobody needs more tension to provoke public opinion again," Moussa adds. Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, says the Arab League is adamantly against any move on Iraq.

July 29

USDA official calls for capability to respond quickly to food sabotage
Protecting the country's farms and food supply requires faster responses to threats and better communication at all levels, according to Jim Moseley, US Department of Agriculture deputy secretary. "We need to make sure that our front line of defense is solid and cannot be penetrated," Moseley says in Omaha at the opening of a two-day agricultural bioterrorism summit of governors from 13 Midwest states. "The most important thing we have to do is to compress and shorten the response time we have," he adds. "Early detection, rapid detection technologies are very important," along with better communications among local, state, and federal governments. Moseley says likely targets or vulnerable spots will not be discussed publicly because "we don't want to plant any ideas, any seeds out there." But he adds, "[The threat] lies all along the food line, and the strategy must be to defend every link."

Rumsfeld says Iraq's toxic weapons are hard to hit with bombs
Destroying Iraqi weapons with bombs is difficult because Baghdad hides its weapons, moves them, and knows US tools for detecting them, says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld when asked why the United States doesn't strike Iraqi chemical and biological weapons sites. Speaking at a news conference, he adds, "The Iraqis have a great deal of what they do deeply buried." Biological labs can be in trailers, making them mobile, he says while visiting the US Joint Forces Command in Virginia. His comments are the latest in the continuing public debate over the Bush administration goal of ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

D.A. Henderson and critic debate ring vaccination strategy for smallpox
In a report by Global Security Newswire, Dr D. A. Henderson and a critic debate a pending government decision on whether to vaccinate the US population against smallpox. The debate centers on whether the "ring vaccination" strategy, or vaccinating an infected person's immediate contacts, would be sufficient to contain the spread of smallpox in the event of an attack. Henderson, the Department of Health and Human Services' principal science advisor for public health emergency preparedness, is a prominent proponent of the ring strategy. Yale University professor Edward Kaplan authored a study suggesting that mass vaccination would be a better way to deal with a terrorist attack using smallpox. Henderson criticizes the Kaplan study's assumption that one infected person could pass the virus to 50 others before that person's case could be diagnosed; he says that by the time a person becomes infectious, he or she is too sick to be active. Kaplan concedes that his study used a worst-case scenario, but argues that that was appropriate because terrorists would try to cause maximum damage. He also maintains that infectious people could circulate in society.

July 28

Pentagon considering new strategy for ousting Saddam Hussein
Senior administration and Pentagon officials say they are considering a new military strategy for ousting Saddam Hussein: take Baghdad and one or two key command centers and weapons depots first, in hopes of cutting off the country's leadership and causing a quick collapse of the government. The "inside out" approach would capitalize on the American military's ability to strike over long distances, maneuvering forces to surround large targets. The strategy would not require a full quarter-million American troops and would attempt to disrupt Iraq's capacity to use weapons of mass destruction. The approach is essentially the reverse of the American strategy in the Persian Gulf War of 1991. The goal would be to kill or isolate Hussein and to pre-empt Iraq's use of weapons of mass destruction, whether against an incoming force, front-line allies, or Israel.

Some senior military leaders favor containment over invasion of Iraq
Many senior US military officers think that President Saddam Hussein poses no immediate threat and that the United States should continue its policy of containment rather than invade Iraq to force a change of leadership, according to a Washington Post report. The conclusion held by some top generals and admirals is based in part on intelligence assessments of Hussein's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons programs and missile delivery capabilities. The officers say Iraq unquestionably possesses chemical and biological weapons, but it has few, if any, long-range missiles that could deliver those weapons to Israel or other US allies in the region. Officials say the officers contend that continuing a containment policy is preferable to invading a country that possesses an arsenal of biological and chemical weapons.

July 26

House passes homeland security bill that shifts some HHS functions
Just before leaving for an August recess, the House of Representatives passes by 295-132 a bill to establish a Department of Homeland Security, which would take control over some bioterrorism-preparedness functions along with various other responsibilities. The Department of Health and Human Services would maintain primary authority over biodefense research and development. However, HHS would cede control of certain national emergency-response systems to the new department, including the national pharmaceutical stockpile, the National Disaster Medical System, and the Metropolitan Medical Response System. The bill also would limit liability for companies that make drugs and vaccines to treat and prevent diseases related to bioterrorism.

Pentagon urged to quadruple spending on biological research and development
A Pentagon study says the Defense Department should quadruple its annual investment in biological science and technology research from $250 million to $1 billion. The report further says the military has failed to utilize developments in the life sciences. The Defense Science Board, an internal Pentagon advisory group, recommends that the military undertake a 20-year effort to reduce the time it takes to make viable drug treatments available when a new pathogen is identified. A credible defense to deter biological warfare will require [the Defense Department] to tap promptly and effectively into the vast and expanding expertise in biotechnology, says the report. Currently, [Defense Department] relationships with industry and academia are weak in this area, with limited expertise within the military. Anita Jones, a former Pentagon director of defense research and engineering, and Larry Lynn, a former director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, headed the study.

Focus on bioterrorism is delaying other public health services in Ohio
Local public health agencies in Ohio say their new role in the effort to combat bioterrorism is depleting their budgets and causing delays in more traditional services they provide. We are supposed to be the lead agency to detect bioterrorism . . . but none of us ever budgeted for the possibility of anthrax, says Robert Titko, commissioner of the Zanesville/Muskingum County Health Department. Titko says the current focus on protecting the countys residents from a large epidemic or a bioterrorist attack has forced health officials to delay other services such as spraying for mosquitoes and testing swimming pools for bacteria. Ohio is expected to receive nearly $30 million from the CDC for fighting bioterrorism, but local health officials say the new federal funding wont be enough to offset state and local cuts.

Scientists report technique for screening potential anthrax antidotes
Italian scientists say they have created a way to rapidly screen thousands of drugs to find those capable of disarming the anthrax bacteria. The researchers say their screening system has identified two chemical compounds that inhibit the lethal factor protein that anthrax unleashes on the bodys immune system. Those two compounds blocked the toxic effect in mouse cells tested in the laboratory but have yet to be tried in living animals. Its just one step. Its too early to say whether we have anything of use, says Cesare Montecucco, a professor of general pathology at the University of Padua. Montecucco says his team is collaborating with the Pasteur Institute in Lyon, France, on plans to test the two compounds on anthrax-infected animals. The findings are reported in the July 26 issue of Nature.

July 25

Henderson says smallpox vaccination policy to be ready shortly
Donald A. Henderson, the federal government's senior advisor on bioterrorsm, says a new federal policy on smallpox vaccination will be announced "in days, or two weeks at the most." Henderson makes the remark at a meeting sponsored by the Alliance for Health Reform, a Washington, DC, nonprofit group that provides information on healthcare issues.

Postal Service prepares to test fumigation method in Washington plant
The US Postal Service prepares to pump chlorine dioxide gas into a tent inside the Brentwood postal plant in Washington, DC. In a test of equipment to be used to decontaminate the entire building, workers will place the tent over three mail-processing machines, including the one that handled last falls anthrax-contaminated letters sent to members of Congress. Theodore Gordon, senior deputy director for the DC Health Department, says 5 pounds of the toxic gas will be pumped into the 29,000-cubic-foot tent. About 2,000 pounds would be used to fumigate the entire 17.5-million-cubic-foot facility. Nobody will be inside during the test, and air-quality monitors will be positioned outside, Gordon says. The building is sealed, and the amount of gas used in the test would not pose a health threat even if it escaped. If gas is released, ultraviolet rays would cause it to break down very rapidly, Gordon says.

July 24

Chinese groups sanctioned for supplying weapons technology to Iran or Iraq
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher identifies nine Chinese entities and one Indian individual subject to US sanctions for transferring weapons technology or related goods to the Middle East. Boucher says the technology was passed on to "Iran or Iraq." At issue are alleged violations of the Iran-Iraq Non-Proliferation Act of 1992 and separate legislation to control the spread of chemical and biological weapons. Boucher adds that the sanctions do not extend to the Chinese or Indian governments. "Non-proliferation is a key issue in our relations with China, and we will continue to seek Chinese cooperation in resolving these areas of concern," Boucher says. Under the Iran-Iraq Act, the US government is barred for 2 years from doing business with the sanctioned entities or persons or issuing export licenses on their behalf.

Student says he wasn't told to destroy anthrax he found
University of Connecticut graduate student Thomas Foral says that professors never ordered him to destroy the vials of anthrax he found last fall, and the only reason he saved them was to use them as a comparative reference in scientific research. Foral, who has been researching the West Nile virus, says he was bewildered that his actions set off a grand jury investigation and dismayed to find himself charged Jul 22 with unlawful possession of a deadly pathogen. "I thought maybe later on, I could come back and compare [the anthrax] to other strains, that I might isolate it and compare the strain," he says. "Researchers do this all the time: They save samples of tissues for future research." Federal officials are offering Foral an opportunity to have the charges dismissed if he completes a "pretrial diversion program" designed by probation officials.

State Department still thinks Cuba is working on bioweapons
John Bolton of the State Department says in a letter to a lawmaker that the department has no "smoking gun" but continues to have "major" and "legitimate" concerns that Cuba is developing biological weapons for offensive purposes. Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control and international security, seeks in the letter to expand on his earlier remarks about Cuba without compromising intelligence-gathering methods and sources. "While I cannot go into specifics in this letter due to classification concerns, the intelligence community has evaluated a body of information and has come to the conclusion that Cuba has at least a limited developmental offensive biological warfare research and development effort," he writes. Bolton says he cannot prove this beyond a shadow of doubt, but that the conclusion was based on reports from defectors, ?migr?s, and other intelligence sources.

Troops in Afghanistan monitor environment for bioweapons
Sgt. Phillip George of the US Army 310th Chemical Unit, based in Bagram, Afghanistan, spends most nights working in a small laboratory testing for traces of anthrax and other deadly biological weapons. Teams from the unit, based at Fort McClelland, Ala., bring George samples from the dining tents, as he constantly monitors the air around the base that serves as headquarters for thousands of coalition soldiers. Though Afghanistan is not the first place where biological attacks have threatened, this is the first war in which front-line US units are able to test for the deadly weapons. "We realized we had a problem during Desert Storm," Sgt. 1st Class Connie Parker tells the Associated Press. "Biological weapons were a big threat in Desert Storm, but we had no capability for detecting them." US troops have not discovered evidence of biological weapons in Afghanistan, but officials fear that al-Qaida tried to acquire anthrax.

Biotech leaders worry about red tape tied to biodefense research grants
Biotechnology leaders meeting at Roche Biosciences in Palo Alto, Calif., say new anti-terror legislation will give the industry a welcome infusion of research money but warn that new safety rules could also hobble small companies and academic labs with red tape. Post-Sep 11 legislation will provide about $2.2 billion for research on vaccines, drugs, and detection systems to combat bioterrorism. But the same laws will also require an estimated 190,000 industrial and academic laboratories nationwide to fill out a new form stating whether they are working with any of 60 infectious agents. "It's clear we are going to have a US biodefense industry," says David Gollaher, president of the California Healthcare Institute, a nonprofit biotech lobbying group. "It's not clear to what extent that industry will grow and thrive" if labs find that money to develop bioterrorism countermeasures comes tied up in too much red tape.

Parliamentary panel pans Britain's preparedness
Britain is unprepared to respond to a major terrorist attack and must improve training and be more vigilant about tracking weapons of mass destruction, a House of Commons committee warns. Bureaucratic stalling and departmental turf battles have slowed government efforts to prepare fully for an emergency, the Defense Committee says in a harsh assessment. "We do believe that there has been a lack of grip and direction on the part of the central government," says committee chairman Bruce George, a Labor Party legislator. "We are concerned that central government has not responded to the scale of complexity of the challenge posed by international terrorism." The lawmakers say fire and ambulance crews lack the training and equipment necessary to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks. Home Office Minister John Denham, in response to the report, says Britain is much better prepared now than it was before Sep 11.

July 23

Sixteen states have passed public health emergency laws
Fewer than a third of the states have adopted laws to equip governors and state health officials with public health emergency powers. A model law developed for the CDC and provided to state legislatures last year would give authorities the right to enforce quarantines, vaccinate people, seize and destroy property without compensation, and ration medical supplies, food, and fuel during a public-health emergency. While federal officials say such laws are needed, and most state health emergency laws haven't been updated since the polio epidemic 50 years ago, a broad coalition of opponents, ranging from civil libertarians to conservative physicians, says the proposed law would violate individual rights. To date, 16 states and the District of Columbia have passed all or parts of the model law. It has been rejected or stalled in 22 states.

Disparate missions hobble probe of anthrax attacks, report says
A Newsday report says the FBI investigation of last fall's anthrax attacks is struggling, in part because of lack of coordination between criminal and public health experts. White House sources say the FBI isn't close to solving the mystery, and top intelligence officials say the investigation, though vigorous, is struggling. FBI insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, say the agency is operating on "many hypotheses" and is proceeding in a methodical fashion. But others report that the probe is troubled by confusion and lack of coordination between criminal and public health investigators. "The problem goes back to the very first days in Florida," one intelligence source says. "That's when everything started going wrong." Overall, observers say, the proposed Homeland Security Department needs to examine how bioterrorism investigations should be conducted. The FBI's mandate is criminal prosecution, whereas public health's mandate is contagion control. It is inevitable that the two pursuits will clash.

Senate confirms Carmona as surgeon general
The Senate easily confirms Richard Carmona, a Green Beret turned trauma surgeon, as the next US surgeon general. Carmona, a Hispanic-American who is a professor of surgery at the University of Arizona, has also had experience in disaster and bioterrorism preparedness. With his appointment, the administration has recently filled three top health jobs: surgeon general, director of the National Institutes of Health, and director of the Centers for Disease Control. The position of Food and Drug Administration commissioner is still vacant. The American Medical Association, among others, offers high praise for Carmona. "Committed to disaster preparedness long before Sept. 11, Dr. Carmona is a natural choice for Surgeon General during a time of turmoil in our nation," the AMA says in a statement. Carmona says he will continue his predecessors' work on tobacco and HIV/AIDS prevention and will also focus on the bioterrorism threat.

Annan says no more talks until Iraq shows willingness to allow arms inspections
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan tells Security Council members and a television interviewer he does not plan to conduct further talks with Iraq until Baghdad shows some willingness to allow UN arms inspectors back into the country. Annan stresses that a channel for dialogue should be kept open even following the recent third round of unsuccessful talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri in Vienna. The United States believes that three rounds of talks with no progress were sufficient, but other envoys hope the discussions can continue and help to ward off any possible US attack. Annan also tells CNN's Lou Dobbs on "Moneyline" that he deliberately did not set a date for another session after the Vienna talks because he intends to wait until the Iraqis give a "reason to meet again."

July 22

Connecticut student accused of keeping anthrax in lab
Thomas Foral, a University of Connecticut student, is charged with keeping anthrax in a campus laboratory. Authorities say he will not be prosecuted if he completes a pretrial diversion program. Foral faces a potential penalty of up to 10 years in prison for possessing a biological agent, but the US Attorney's Office says he will be allowed to participate in a program that could include community service. Two vials containing anthrax-infected animal tissue from the 1960s were found in Foral's laboratory freezer Nov 27, 5 days after the fifth and final death from last fall's anthrax attacks. Investigators say Foral had been told to destroy the samples but kept them instead. The university has not taken action against Foral, and he is scheduled to receive his master's degree next year.

Mess hall in Afghanistan routinely checked for anthrax
Soldiers in gas masks and gloves routinely check for anthrax in a Bagram, Afghanistan, dining hall where more than 6,000 coalition troops take their meals. Though such checks have turned up no evidence of anthrax or other food poisoning, the inspection creates bad publicity for the mess hall, which already hears plenty of soldiers' complaints. Feeding the troops in Afghanistan has proved difficult, and local food has fallen out of favor because it can cause "Osama's Revenge," or severe diarrhea that can lead to dehydration. There is little chance that al-Qaida agents could poison Bagram's food, say officials, because it is all flown in from Germany. The added precaution is for sanitation reasons, not security, they add.

July 21

Magazine says FBI is broadening search for anthrax culprit
Despite claims by some in the bioterrorism community that the anthrax investigation should be focusing on a particular American bioweapons expert, the FBI appears to be expanding its search, according to Time magazine. The report says more than 5,000 interviews have been conducted and 1,700 subpoenas issued. Fifty US bioweapons experts have been targeted for the most intense scrutiny, though the pool of suspects also contains hundreds more, including researchers of pesticides, biopharmaceuticals, and veterinary products. "Remember, it doesn't have to be a top scientist. It could just be a good bench technician," says a federal investigator. Beyond the anthrax labs, the feds have also looked into more than 1,000 companies that sell equipment that could be used to process the deadly spores or that could have profited in some way from the attacks. The FBI counsels patience, though the public and critics are becomingly increasingly impatient.

July 19

Columnist alleges 'cowboy culture' at Army biodefense lab
Internal Army documents about the US biodefense program describe missing Ebola and other pathogens, internal feuds, lack of security, cover-ups, and a "cowboy culture," writes New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof. Additionally, says Kristof, the CIA and the Defense Department decided, without consulting the White House, to produce anthrax secretly and experiment with it in ways that put the US in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention. "Shenanigans have been going on," declares one internal Army memo about the labs at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick. Md. Kristof bases his article on 400 pages of documents obtained and described by the Hartford Courant earlier this year. The documents quote a newly arrived officer named Michael Langford as saying that he found "little or no organization," "little or no accountability," "a very lax and unorganized system," and signs of covert work and cover-ups.

Report says US will punish 8 Chinese companies for selling arms to Iran
The United States will impose economic sanctions on eight Chinese companies for unlawful sales of arms to Iran, the Washington Times reports. The newspaper cites State Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity who say the alleged violations involve three cases of sales of advanced conventional arms and chemical and biological weapons components to Iran. The sales took place between September 2000 and October 2001 in violation of US laws designed to curb transfers of weapons and related goods to rogue states, according to the report. "These are pretty serious cases and there is a lot of intelligence to support them," one official told the newspaper. The report says officials declined to identify the eight companies, which would be barred from doing business with the US government for two years. They said the firms will be identified when an announcement is made in the Federal Register.

Torture in North Korean prisons included bioweapons tests, says ex-prisoner
Former prisoner Soon Ok Lee tells a US Senate committee that biological and chemical weapons apparently were tested on prisoners inside Kaechon camp and other prisons in North Korea. Tens of thousands of political prisoners in the prison camps face starvation, torture, and execution, according to Soon. She says that the estimated 6,000 prisoners in jail when she was first incarcerated had nearly all died by the time of her release 5 years later. Soon, who was arrested in 1984, says she was tortured in pre-trial interrogation before being sentenced to a 13-year jail term for crimes against the state. She says she managed to survive in the camp because her background as an accountant kept her busy keeping the camp's records. "About 1,000 prisoners died each year and a fresh supply was obtained each year in order to meet the quotas," says Soon.

Company says feds ignored suggestion to monitor sales of DNA sequences
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the Iowa company that unknowingly supplied bits of genetic material used by scientists to make a poliovirus, says it asked the government to keep tabs on the sales of such DNA sequences. A company official says that IDT wrote to the Defense Department on May 13 about the possible terrorist use of such biomedical material but never got a response. "We had submitted a proposal to the Defense Department, ironically suggesting that (DNA) sequences ordered by suppliers like ourselves be screened and then reported to federal agencies for the purposes of identifying orders or parts of orders that would be perhaps investigated, questioned, double-checked or whatever," says Roman Terrill, vice president of legal and regulatory affairs for IDT. "The inquiries that we sent weren't really responded to." Terrill says IDT only became aware that its supplies were used to create the poliovirus when a report appeared in Science.

CDC opens new labs for identifying chemical toxins and studying parasites
The CDC opens two new laboratories, including one that will help combat chemical terrorism. One lab specializes in detecting toxins such as lead and pesticides in the body, and the other houses studies of parasitic diseases. They are part of a 10-year, $1-billion plan to upgrade the CDC's buildings. "We have waited a long time to be here," CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding says. The toxin lab can detect 120 chemical-weapon agents. In the event of a chemical attack, the lab would be used to determine what substance was used and who was exposed. The same lab tests human blood, urine, and tissue samples for more common toxins. The second lab is dedicated to researching parasites that cause diseases like malaria. The CDC is engaged in a construction plan aimed at moving the agency out of World War IIera quarters.

Minnesotans ponder how to manage public health emergencies
To prepare for legislative proposals dealing with bioterrorism, 150 Minnesota healthcare workers, lawyers, and citizens ponder problems that could arise with a mysterious disease outbreak. The conference on public health emergency powers organized by the Minnesota Health Department features a fictitious scenario involving a mysterious disease outbreak in three Minnesota communities. "We need to figure out how to deal with massive casualties and the type of public panic we haven't seen in years," Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm tells the group. Conference participants work on issues such as control of medical supplies and requirements for managing communicable diseases that likely would crop up during a real emergency. Health Department officials will use information from the conference to develop a report and recommendations for lawmakers early next year.

July 18

Bioweapons expert, cleared in anthrax probe, has new job
?Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, a bioweapons expert whose Frederick, Md., apartment was searched Jun 25 by anthrax-attack investigators, has a new employer who says the FBI told him that Hatfill has been cleared of any suspicion in the anthrax case. "They told me Steve was not a suspect and was not on any list," says Stephen L. Guillot, director of the Louisiana State University National Center for Biomedical Research and Training. He adds he is satisfied that Hatfill has been cleared of any role in the anthrax attacks. Hatfill started Jul 1 as associate director of the center, which uses grants from the Justice Department to train emergency personnel to handle bioterrorist attacks. Hatfill is one of several scientists whose knowledge of and access to anthrax brought him under suspicion.

Federal program will enlist citizen volunteers in homeland security efforts
The Corporation for National and Community Service unveils the nation's first federal grants intended to engage citizen volunteers in homeland security initiatives. According to a press release, the new program will involve 37,000 AmeriCorps members and Senior Corps and other volunteers nationwide in public safety, public health, emergency response, and disaster preparedness. The Corporation for National Community Service is awarding a total of $10 million in competitive grants to 43 nonprofit and public organizations in 26 states and the District of Columbia. These groups will recruit local volunteers to develop disaster response plans, expand neighborhood watch and community emergency response teams, disseminate information on bioterrorism, establish medical reserve corps, train youth to cope with disasters, and assist ham radio operators and volunteer pilots in responding to disasters.

British official denies report that troops are getting anthrax vaccinations
British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon denies claims that British soldiers have begun an anthrax vaccination program in preparation for possible military action against Iraq. A report in the Daily Express newspaper claimed that soldiers have been calling the National Gulf War Veterans and Families Association to express concern about receiving the vaccine. According to association officials, the soldiers are being told there is a risk of being deployed to an area where anthrax may be used. But Hoon says there has been no change in the regular vaccination program in which troops routinely receive protection against a variety of illnesses. He tells the BBC, "There has been a program of vaccination for some time now," adding that the drive is nothing new and it is up to the troops whether they participate.

Oak Ridge researchers working on multiple-assay technology
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee are working on a technology that they say will be able to test for up to 16 pathogens at once. The technology allows researchers to check for microbial DNA as well as for antibodies. "Most, if not every other chip-system does one or the other," says Tuan Vo-Dinh, a group leader in advanced biomedical science and technology at ORNL. "This is a platform where we can do something very unique, which we call a multifunctional assay." Vo-Dinh says the development team plans to have a prototype that can test 16 agents by the fall and eventually hopes to be able to test for 100 pathogens at once.

July 17

Poland pledges to work with US on anti-terrorism efforts
At a White House meeting, President Push and Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski commit their two nations to closer military ties and a broad enlargement of NATO. Bush also announces that the United States will help Poland transform its military to meet NATO standards, undertake joint military training exercises, and cooperate on defense against nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. In turn, Kwasniewski says Poland is committed to remaining part of Bush's anti-terrorism coalition. "In the war on terror, even if it lasts many decades, we shall go to every battle, take up every risk until the victory," the Polish president says in a toast to Bush during a state dinner.

Synthetic poliovirus sparks concern about regulation of biotech firms
Scientists' announcement last week that they used mail-order molecules to make a poliovirus from scratch prompts questions about whether the DNA-synthesis industry deserves closer scrutiny and whether strategies for preventing the proliferation of biological weapons need to be rethought. If infectious agents can be made from off-the-shelf bits of DNA that are individually benign, government regulators, law enforcement agencies, and even DNA-synthesis companies may have no way of knowing when someone is developing a harmful biological agent. "The customer gets to design the sequence they want manufactured and there is a limited ability for us to know what people are going to do with it," says Roman Terrill, vice president of legal and regulatory affairs at Integrated DNA Technologies. According to Terrill, with $10,000 and a few months' time, motivated scientists could manufacture the genetic components of a deadly virus. Integrated DNA is one of about a half-dozen major US manufacturers of small DNA strands known in the trade as oligonucleotides or "oligos."

Cheney visits CDC to discuss bioterrorism preparedness
Vice President Dick Cheney makes an unpublicized stop at the CDC's Clifton Road headquarters in northeast Atlanta, where he meets senior bioterrorism planners and speaks to about 200 employees. He also tours the agency's infectious disease labs. "The purpose of his visit was to talk about our preparedness for bioterrorism events," says CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding. "We reassured him that we were scaling up, speeding up, and streamlining our efficiency of operations and we're ready to serve . . . in the war against terrorism."

July 16

White Houses presents comprehensive strategy for homeland security
The White House releases its National Strategy for Homeland Security, a lengthy report presenting a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy, including numerous initiatives to deal with the threat of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear terrorism. The reportthe first of its kind in US historyemphasizes the creation of the proposed Homeland Security Department. In addition to the new Cabinet-level agency, the plan recommends several key initiatives, such as augmenting vaccine stockpiles, enhancing the FBI's analysis capabilities, improving computer security, and setting uniform national rules for obtaining a driver's license. Most of the biodefense efforts described in the report have to do with detecting attacks, developing new vaccines and treatments, and improving and supporting state and local preparedness. Many of the initiatives, such as expansion of the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile and increased funding for state biodefense programs, are already under way.

Kennedy opposes stripping biodefense programs from CDC, NIH
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and the General Accounting Office express concern over the Bush administration's plan to move bioterrorism-related functions from the CDC and the National Institutes of Health to the proposed Homeland Security Department. Kennedy says he wants to make sure that the "legislation establishing the new department does not undermine important ongoing programs at HHS to enhance our national preparedness for bioterrorism." He says many health organizations have reached the "overwhelming conclusion . . . that transferring public health preparedness programs away from the CDC or stripping the NIH of its ability to make key decisions about the nation's bioterrorism research program would do a disservice to the goal of enhancing our security."

July 15

Washington Post urges Thompson to go slowly on smallpox vaccinations
A Washington Post editorial says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson should proceed with caution in deciding how many healthcare and emergency workers should be vaccinated against smallpox. Citing the need to ensure that enough vaccine is on hand, the editorial says officials must also make certain public health officials can recognize and report outbreaks of smallpox or other illnesses that might be deliberately spread and can secure enough beds and other facilities to treat a sudden surge of patients. While there is common-sense appeal to vaccinating substantial numbers of healthcare and emergency workers, current vaccine clinical trials point to improved vaccines coming up, and drugs to mitigate potential bad reactions to the vaccine are not in large supply. Starting slowly with inoculations provides time to stockpile more vaccine. Additionally, officials must communicate more clearly with the public about the disease and what steps would be taken if an outbreak occurred. Only when all those jobs have been completed will it be time to consider voluntary inoculations for the general public, the editorial says.

FDA chief not likely to be named before fall elections
The Food and Drug Administration commissioner position remains empty, and the combination of intense partisan politics and competing demands from the industries that the agency regulates suggests that there will not be a nominee before the fall election, the Washington Post reports. According to FDA watchers, the agency continues to function, but important decisions about the future are not being made. The deputy commissioner, Lester M. Crawford Jr., has been running the agency but does not have the authority and influence of a commissioner confirmed by the Senate. "There is nobody leading with a clear sense of direction," says the most recent FDA commissioner, Jane E. Henney, whose resignation was requested and accepted by the incoming Bush administration. "Industry loses because it needs predictable and strong signals about the review process, the consumers need to make sure somebody is in charge, and the FDA staff needs somebody who can take the heat if necessary," Henney says.

July 14

Adequate biodefense system will take years to build, experts say
The United States has taken its first steps toward biodefense readiness, but it will take years for the nation to build a robust system, according to experts quoted in the Washington Post. "This is only the first year, and in this context, it's going to take maybe five years to build the systems and capacity," says Thomas Milne, executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials. " What we'll get this year is an increment of improvement, not preparedness. Not yet." Besides the $1.1 billion being distributed by the Department of Health and Human Services to states and cities to upgrade community public health preparedness, the nation's biodefense preparations include a plan to shift $1.9 billion in research funds from the National Institutes of Health to a new Department of Homeland Security, and a new $420 million program to transform four urban areas, including metropolitan Washington, into showcases for the best in biodefense.

July 11

Researchers make polio virus from mail-order materials
Researchers report they used the Internet and mail-order materials to assemble a synthetic polio virus in the lab. "The world had better be prepared," says Dr. Eckard Wimmer, leader of a biomedical research team that created the virus at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. The group used data from the Internet and tailor-made DNA sequences ordered from a laboratory supply service and then injected the virus into mice to show that it worked. "This approach has been talked about, but people didn't take it seriously," says Wimmer, senior author of a study to appear July 12 in Science. Wimmer says the laboratory demonstration proves that eradicating a virus in the wild may not mean it is gone forever.

Iraqi minister says country has complied with UN demands
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz says his country is in compliance with a United Nations resolution demanding it get rid of weapons of mass destruction, despite recent stalled talks on new arms inspections. "Iraq has carried out all UN Security Council resolutions, particularly 687," the official Syrian SANA news agency quotes Aziz as saying. Aziz' statements follow a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the failure of talks last week to resume weapons inspections. Though the impasse in discussions has fueled speculation about a US attack on Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri claims that Iraq is ready to resume discussions with the UN to resolve the stalemate on weapons inspections.

Report says Iraq is moving ahead with weapons program
Senior Iraqi defectors say Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction capable of killing millions of people, according to a report in the London newspaper The Times. The report suggests that the Iraqi leader is moving ahead with all three elements of his secret weapons plans: nuclear, chemical, and biological. The analysis is based on information from officials who once worked on the program and intelligence on Iraqi agents trying to buy dual-use components. Terence Taylor, a UN weapons inspector in Iraq for four years up to 1997, says he believes Saddam's biological arsenal poses the greatest immediate threat. Since 1998, when the UN inspectors withdrew, Iraq has failed to account for 17 tons of growth media used for culturing anthrax and other biological agents.? Evidence further suggests that Iraq is switching production back to biological agents. Saddam has rebuilt part of the al-Daura vaccine plant, which was destroyed by the UN weapons inspectors because it was directly used in the production of biological agents.

July 10

Pentagon slow to notify vets involved in toxic weapons tests in 1960s
Pentagon and Veterans Affairs officials acknowledge they have failed to quickly investigate chemical and biological weapons tests conducted in the 1960s and to notify soldiers who may have been exposed. "We could have and should have done better," VA benefits official Daniel Cooper tells the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. The Defense Department admitted in May that some of those tests involved spraying US ships in the Pacific with the nerve agents sarin and VX and a biological toxin that causes flu-like symptoms. The Pentagon has so far identified about 2,800 soldiers who were involved in the tests. According to Cooper, the VA has sent letters to only 622 because of difficulty locating the veterans.? Senators on the committee are furious with the delays.

July 9

US military prepares for anthrax threat in Europe
Military medical authorities in Europe are prepared to test and treat people for anthrax if it becomes a threat in that area, according to a report in Stars and Stripes. The medical community has established a plan and treatment guidelines and is equipped with antibiotics to deal with an anthrax outbreak of epidemic proportions, says Air Force Lt. Col. George Christopher, a consultant on infectious diseases. According to Navy Capt. Tom Burkhard, fleet surgeon for Naval Forces, Europe, all Navy facilities can complete preliminary tests, such as nasal and throat swabs, for anthrax spores. "We have the same capabilities to test for [anthrax] as the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.," Burkhard says. The Army has established a laboratory network in Germany to handle the biological threat, says Army Maj. David George Heath, the chief of microbiology at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Modeling study says mass vaccination is best response to smallpox outbreak
A new study predicts significantly different outcomes from different smallpox vaccination strategies used in response to a smallpox terror attack. The study applied a mathematical model to predict how a smallpox attack that infected 1,000 people in a large city would progress when countered with different vaccination plans. The best strategy would allow 440 deaths and the worst 110,000 deaths. In all cases, mass vaccination of the population would work far better than limited local immunizations. "We find that mass vaccination results in both far fewer deaths and much faster epidemic eradication," the authors conclude. In the best case the hypothetical epidemic would be stopped in 115 days, versus 350 days in the worst case. The analysis, published in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was written by Edward H. Kaplan of Yale University and David L. Craft and Lawrence M. Wein, both of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

July 8

HHS says smallpox vaccination plan still undecided
Health and Human Services Department officials say no decisions have yet been made about the smallpox vaccination policy, despite reports that the agency will recommend vaccinating many more healthcare workers than was recommended in June by an advisory committee. HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson plans to announce a decision within a few weeks. "There are a great many decisions that remain to be made by the secretary, including working with states to better understand exactly what the recommendation is," spokesman Bill Pierce says. There is no estimate of how many people will be vaccinated, he says. "There is only speculation by high-placed people."

CDC working on quarantine plans for smallpox containment
US health officials say they are working on plans to quarantine Americans who might be exposed to a contagious smallpox patient, addressing sensitive issues of how to hold people, possibly against their will, in case of a bioterror attack. The planning deals with difficult logistical and policy questions, such as where to keep people while waiting for officials to confirm a smallpox case and, if necessary, administer vaccinations. "It's not pretty to think through these type of doomsday scenarios, but it's important to start to put yourself there and imagine things unfolding if you want to anticipate how to react," says Dr. Marty Cetron, a quarantine expert at the CDC. In the coming weeks, the plan will circulate among federal officials and others involved in the preparation, says Cetron, who co-chairs a CDC working group on the issue. Under the plan, officials would stress that people would be better off staying in quarantine because that's where the vaccine and other medications would be available.

Pregnant women should be vaccinated in case of smallpox outbreak
Because the smallpox vaccine can injure a fetus, pregnant women are normally not vaccinated against the disease. Yet, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston say, if smallpox is ever intentionally released by bioterrorists, pregnant women exposed to the virus should be vaccinated, because the disease can kill both mother and child. "In the event of a woman being at risk from smallpox . . . the risks to the mother and fetus from experiencing clinical smallpox, especially hemorrhagic smallpox, substantially outweigh any potential risks regarding vaccination," lead author Dr. Victor R. Suarez tells Reuters Health. Suarez and his co-author, Dr. Gary D.V. Hankins, base their recommendation on a review of the medical literature. They report their findings in the July issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Israel begins stockpiling smallpox vaccine
Klalit HMO Chairman Dan Michaeli, a former director-general of Israel's Health Ministry, says that Israel has begun stockpiling smallpox vaccine for possible use in the event of a biological weapons attack. "I know that decisions have been taken that have led to provisions for all the residents of the country," Michaeli says in an Army Radio interview. "If and when it is decided to vaccinate, I hope they will do so quickly." A senior Israeli defense officer says on Army Radio that intelligence gathered by security forces points to the possibility that Palestinian terrorists will use unconventional weapons in the future.

Fifty people to take part in smallpox vaccine study in Oakland
Fifty people aged 18 to 32 will participate in a smallpox vaccine study at Kaiser Permanente's California Vaccine Study Center at the Oakland Medical Center. The center is one of four US sites participating in the study to test the effectiveness of an almost 50-year-old store of vaccine owned by Aventis Pasteur and a diluted preparation of vaccine from the existing federal stockpile. "If we can show that this vaccine stock is still effective, it will go a long way toward making a dose of smallpox vaccine available for everyone in the US," says Dr. Steve Black, co-director of the center. Similar studies will take place at the University of Iowa, Baylor College of Medicine, and Vanderbilt University.

Surgeon general nominee faces tough questions on his record
President Bush's choice for surgeon general faces hard questions over his record and reputation as a "cowboy" doctor as a Senate committee opens confirmation hearings. Dr. Richard Carmona was initially touted as a Green Beret turned trauma surgeon who engaged in daring helicopter rescues and works as a sheriff's deputy. Questions have since surfaced concerning his employment record and his dedication to medicine as opposed to fighting crime. A colleague of Carmona's at the University of Arizona, Dr. Charles W. Putnam, charges that Carmona is unfit for the job because of his lack of experience in health policy and "concerns about character issues," including an inability to work "in an effective or even civil manner" with others. Health and Human Services Department spokesman Bill Pierce says the department has seen no information that the administration was not already aware of.

July 7

Half a million healthcare workers may get smallpox shots, official says
The federal government may vaccinate a half-million healthcare and emergency workers against smallpox, according to a federal official quoted in a New York Times report. The government is also beginning to plan for mass vaccinations of the public should a large outbreak occur. The plan to increase the number of "first responders" who receive the shots from 15,000 to roughly 500,000 and to prepare for a mass vaccination program indicates that the government's existing program is insufficient to fight a large outbreak, the report says. "Now we can act differently because we have more vaccine," says Dr. D. A. Henderson, the Department of Health and Human Services' senior science adviser on public health preparedness. On Jun 20, HHS' Advisory Panel on Immunization Practices recommended vaccinating certain emergency workers before any attack, and experts estimated that the plan would mean vaccinating about 15,000 people. But Henderson says a tentative new plan could involve vaccinating half a million healthcare workers or more.

July 6

Strategists expect Iraq would use unconventional weapons if attacked
Pentagon strategists who are devising a plan for a potential invasion of Iraq must contend with the fact that President Saddam Hussein has little to lose by unleashing weapons of mass destruction, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Though Hussein refrained from using chemical and biological weapons against US troops during Operation Desert Storm, today military analysts believe the Iraqi leader has little to deter him from using the weapons that war planners hope to destroy. "We've talked ourselves, in many ways, into a war with Iraq because [its] possession of weapons of mass destruction is unacceptable, when it's almost certain that the very war is going to lead to the use of weapons of mass destruction," says Ivo Daalder, a military analyst at the Brookings Institution. This reality forces military planners to emphasize preemptive strikes against suspected chemical and biological weapons production sites and unprecedented protection for American forces.

Annan sets no date for further talks with Iraq
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is purposely refraining from setting a date for new meetings with Iraq until Baghdad shows a readiness to resume arms inspections, say diplomats. Two days of talks with an Iraqi delegation led by Foreign Minister Naji Sabri resulted in no progress toward resolving the issue. "We have agreed to maintain contacts, including continuing discussions on technical matters," Annan says following the third high-level session this year. By reducing future sessions to "technical issues," Annan makes his own participation uncertain unless Iraqi leaders indicate they would allow inspectors to examine any remaining weapons of mass destruction, according to sources close to the talks. "He drew the line after three meetings but he didn't pull the plug on the process," says one senior envoy. Iraq has been seeking assurances from Annan that the US would not carry out its threats to topple Saddam.

July 5

EPA not ready to respond to terrorist attacks, internal report says
The Environmental Protection Agency is not ready for a radioactive "dirty bomb" or a chemical or biological terror attack, according to an internal report titled "Lessons Learned in the Aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001." A New York Daily News story quotes the report as saying, "Agency information, experience, and equipment are insufficient to respond with confidence." Among the report's findings: the agency was short of critical equipment in its frontline regional offices; and local, state, and federal authorities often wouldn't acknowledge the agency's role and kept it from doing critical work to measure the safety and livability of areas around the attack sites. The report recommends a series of remedies, including clarifying the EPA's on-site authority in decision-making, communications, response-plan reviews, and training exercises.

New York postal union leader decries dismissal of suit to close Morgan facility
The president of the New York Metro Area Postal Union denounces a judge's decision to dismiss a union lawsuit seeking to close the Morgan postal facility for further anthrax testing. "No one seems to care a bit about safety," union President William Smith says at a news conference. District Court Judge John Keenan dismissed the 9-month old lawsuit against the Postal Service in an opinion dated July 1. The Morgan postal facility processed several anthrax-contaminated letters sent to New York addresses last fall.

July 4

Automated disease-surveillance programs under development
Several universities and hospitals are developing systems to collect and analyze disease data rapidly in order to detect unusual patterns that could signal a bioterrorist attack. One such system, called Real-Time Outbreak and Disease Surveillance, or RODS, is at the Center for Biomedical Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh. Financed primarily by the National Library of Medicine, the program receives data about patients through a private computer network from 15 hospital emergency departments in western Pennsylvania as soon as the patients are admitted. Another real-time disease surveillance program, the Children's Hospital Project in Boston, monitors its own data and data from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

British government may buy 20 million more doses of smallpox vaccine
The British government is considering buying another 20 million doses of smallpox vaccine to protect more of the British population from a biological attack, the Guardian reports. This time the government hopes to avoid accusations of corruption by allowing companies to submit bids, according to industry sources. Earlier this year the government agreed to pay 32 million pounds to a major Labor Party donor's company, Powderject, without opening the bidding process. The Department of Health says the question of buying more vaccine is "under? review."

July 3

Workers near Washington postal facility worried about effects of fumigation
Business owners and construction workers near Washington's Brentwood mail-processing center are worried about how the pending fumigation of the anthrax-contaminated building will affect their health. The US Postal Service is planning to treat the building with chlorine dioxide gas. Giant Construction workers near the center say two tanker trucks escorted by police arrived at the post office grounds near the site where the workers are building a new store. After two workers in hazardous-materials suits came near the construction site to test the air, the construction workers contacted their safety and risk-management specialists. "We were concerned, but they told us that we would be safe and there would be no danger of the gas leaking out of the building," says Richard McCracken, plumbing foreman for Giant Construction. Postal Service officials say the tankers did not contain chlorine dioxide but that the chemical would be mixed at the site.

July 2

Skin lesions in New York patients are spider bites, not anthrax
Health officials in Suffolk County, N.Y., announce at a news conference that they are "99 percent sure" the patients treated for brown recluse spider bites at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital do not have cutaneous anthrax. "I can't say it's 100 percent," says Dr. Patricia Dillon, the department's director of communicable diseases. "I'm never confident enough to say 100 percent. But there's no clinical evidence of anthrax, and testing to date [at the hospital] has not indicated any presence of anthrax." Officials at the Port Jefferson hospital further reaffirm their diagnoses of the recluse spider bites in five people treated there since May. Some of the cutaneous anthrax cases last fall initially were misdiagnosed as spider bites.

35 Africans may have eaten anthrax-contaminated meat
Maua Methodist Hospital in Meru North District, Kenya, admitted 35 people after eating meat that may have been contaminated with anthrax, according to a report by allAfrica.com. Most of the victims arrived at the hospital unconscious after the incident at Kani village in Antubetwe, Doleli Division. Authorities also arrested a public health technician who had reportedly inspected the beef and approved it as wholesome. Of the 110 people who consumed the suspected meat, 75 received treatment at the same hospital and were released. Local police chief Charles Ngere says the victims consumed the "poisonous" beef in their own homes after buying it from a local butchery.

July 1

Irradiated mail could be making Capitol Hill workers sick, report says
The irradiation of congressional mail could be making Capitol Hill workers sick, a pending report says. The irradiation system was set up after last fall's anthrax attacks. The Office of Compliance, which is responsible for congressional workplace safety, says its inquiry into more than 200 complaints "concluded that handling irradiated mail for substantial periods" might cause or contribute to health problems reported by congressional employees. The findings are the first to suggest that irradiation could be harmful. The report recommends monitoring of workers, further studies on long-term exposure to irradiated mail, and some protective steps. In setting up the irradiation system, the Postal Service was guided by assurances from the CDC and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that irradiation is safe, says Kristin Krathwohl, a Postal Service spokeswoman.

Judge denies petition for more cleaning of Manhattan mail center
A federal judge throws out a lawsuit seeking more cleaning of Manhattan's Morgan Processing and Distribution Center, which was contaminated last October with anthrax-tainted mail. The postal workers union and the federal government have argued for months over how to handle anthrax contamination at the New York City plant. Union leaders sued to close the entire building, but Judge John Keenan says necessary precautions were taken. The Morgan facility has 5,500 employees and handles 12.5 million pieces of mail a day.

Gerberding to be named CDC director, official says
Dr. Julie Gerberding, a scientist involved with the anthrax investigation, will be named the first female director of the CDC, according to an administration official speaking on condition of anonymity. Gerberding, 46, is currently the CDC's acting deputy director for science. An infectious disease specialist, she joined the CDC in 1998 and subsequently developed one of the first programs to give health workers stuck with HIV-tainted needles medication to prevent infection. Public health organizations lobbied hard for Gerberding's appointment, largely because of her anthrax experience. She also "gained a lot of credibility" in Washington during the anthrax crisis, says Dr. Gail Cassell of Eli Lilly & Co., a bioterrorism advisor to the government.

CDC weakened by friction with Bush administration, newspaper report says
A Washington Post report quotes current and former CDC officials as saying the CDC has been weakened and demoralized by tensions with Bush administration officials in Washington. Low morale is causing concern among public health experts around the country that the problems will hamper the CDC at a critical time when the agency should be leading the nation's effort to deal with bioterrorism and other health threats. The tensions stem from a variety of factors, including the aftermath of widespread criticism of federal health officials' handling of last fall's anthrax attacks, the absence of a CDC director since March, Bush administration efforts to change approaches to difficult issues such as sex education and HIV prevention, and a campaign to impose more control over the CDC from Washington, health experts say. Further, uncertainty exists over how the emphasis on bioterrorism preparedness will affect the funding of public health programs.

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