November 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.

Nov 30

Lawmakers worried about protective gear for troops
Lawmakers are concerned that the Pentagon cannot provide US troops with the newest protective gear against chemical and biological warfare, according to a Washington Post report. Their fears have been reinforced by the General Accounting Office, which recently reported "continuing concerns" about equipment, training, and research. The latest problem, according to Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., chairman of the Government Reform Committee's national security subcommittee, involves gas masks with improper gaskets and the need for inspections to ensure that they function properly. Shays further expresses concern about the Defense Department's inability to account for some 250,000 defective suits. Raymond J. Decker, the GAO's director of defense capabilities and management, says that new, highly protective suits are in relatively short supply.

Nov 29

Canada's smallpox vaccination plan questioned
Canada's plan to initially vaccinate only 500 healthcare workers against smallpox sparks criticism from US experts. "I don't understand how 500 vaccinations could be enough," says Dr. Ed Kaplan, a Yale University professor of public health who studies the issue extensively. "The plan-for-the-worst, hope-for-the-best strategy is much more sensible." Health Canada official Dr. Paul Gully disagrees with Kaplan, saying Canada is choosing a strategy based on analysis of evidence and arguments from experts all over the world. The approach is based on weighing the low risk of an attack against the high rate of side effects of the vaccine, says Gully. Should an outbreak occur in Canada, health officials plan to use the ring immunization strategy, which involves vaccinating only those people who may have had contact with known cases.

Yugoslavia will report on past secret arms deals with Iraq
Yugoslavia is investigating its past secret arms deals with Iraq and will submit a summary of that investigation to UN weapons inspectors, according to Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic. The Yugoslav government, with supervision from the United States and its allies, has launched the investigation of the illegal weapons trade in hopes of helping UN inspectors, according to the Associated Press. Yugoslavia had to deal with years of UN and other international sanctions during the regime of former President Slobodan Milosevic, who had close ties with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and allegedly encouraged illegal arms deals with Iraq, Libya, and Liberia. The Yugoslav government has disclosed that state arms dealer Yugoimport disregarded a UN ban on weapons trade with Baghdad by refurbishing MiG jet engines and providing other military services to Iraq.

Nov 28

Canada to buy enough smallpox vaccine for whole population
Canada, concerned about becoming an Al Qaida terror target, is making plans to purchase enough smallpox vaccine to inoculate all Canadians, but health ministry officials say it could take 10 months to get the 10 million needed doses. Canada currently has enough vaccine to inoculate 1.5 million people, and 10 million doses, when diluted, would be enough for the entire population, says Health Canada spokeswoman Tara Madigan. The contract is likely to go to Ontario-based Aventis Pasteur Ltd, part of French pharmaceutical company Aventis. Based on prices paid by the United States, the vaccine could cost Ottawa some $40 million Canadian ($25 million US). The health ministry is also considering immediately vaccinating 500 high-risk personnel, including health care professionals.

Unnamed Iraqi official says Iraq would use chemical weapons if attacked
An unnamed senior Iraqi official has told a London-based Arabic newspaper that Iraq used chemical weapons during the war with Iran and would use them again if attacked. "When the regime was under intense attack in the Fao (Peninsula) and began to be under threat, it did not hesitate to use all the weapons of mass destruction in its possession," the official said in an interview with the newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi. "Do not expect us to stand idly by in the face of any aggression that seeks to destroy and banish us not only from the regime but also from life." The paper would not reveal its source, though the official also provided details of Iraqi military preparations.

CDC wants hospital workers to get smallpox shots within 30 days after announcement
Federal health officials have ordered the states and the District of Columbia to plan on vaccinating 500,000 hospital workers nationwide within 30 days of an announcement expected next week, according to a Washington Post report. The directive from the CDC is causing concern among state public health officials, who feel it will present logistical and public health problems. Most had anticipated immunizing hospital workers in phases over a 60-day period, allowing them to track potentially severe side effects. CDC spokesman Curtis Allen says the unexpected directive is not linked to an increased threat of smallpox, yet it does reveal the urgency of a massive public health campaign to vaccinate potentially millions of US residents. "We are struggling with how to logistically phase that in and do it within the 30 days the new guidance provides. It is going to be difficult," says Donald E. Williamson, Alabama's state health officer and chairman of a vaccination task force.

Nov 27

Iraq inspections may shape future of weapons-control efforts
Arms-control experts say the current UN weapons inspections in Iraq could foretell the future of international efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to the Associated Press. If the inspections succeed, credit will go to the international agreements banning such weapons and the institutions policing the bans. Failure could invite other countries to follow Iraq's lead. "Iraq will be a turning point," says Joseph Cirincione, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Nonproliferation Project. "What happens in Iraq will have a tremendous impact on the future of the nonproliferation regimes and the individual choices that dozens of nations will make." David Kay, a former chief of UN nuclear weapons inspections in Iraq, expresses discouragement about the future. "I'm afraid the lesson is that if you're a determined proliferator and willing to take the consequences, which for the most part are economic, you will eventually succeed," he says.

Iraq may be hiding bioweapons in trucks, officials fear
Civilian experts and government officials fear that Iraq could be hiding biological weapons in trucks or recreational vehicles, making them difficult to find and posing a serious threat in the event of war, according to ABC News. Experts also worry that these mobile weapons labs could be ready at a moment's notice. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently warned in an address to the National Press Club that evidence supports the possibility of such mobile production, and Britain's Joint Intelligence Committee has said that some Iraqi chemical and biological weapons could be ready for deployment within 45 minutes. It would take only an order from President Saddam Hussein, or from his youngest son Qusay, head of the regime's security service, the British report says.

Nov 26

US seeks more limits on Iraqi imports
The US hopes to thwart what it views as Saddam Hussein's effort to import war-related equipment by adding new items to a list of goods that Iraq cannot import without specific United Nations approval, according to an Associated Press report. The items would include communications equipment, nerve gas antidotes, atropine (an antidote for nerve agents) and atropine injectors, jammers, radio intercepts, and global positioning equipment, according to John Negroponte, US ambassador to the UN. The Pentagon also expects to add the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, used to combat anthrax, to the list. Negroponte says the additions are intended to ensure that the UN oil-for-food program, which enables Iraq to use oil revenues to purchase humanitarian goods, "is not exploited or utilized in any way by the government of Iraq to import items for military purposes."

Nov 25

Safety problems, including effectiveness of 'escape' hoods, identified in Capitol complex
A new assessment by the Congressional Office of Compliance says the Capitol complex still has serious safety problems that could put workers, the public, and lawmakers at risk in the event of another terrorist emergency. The report follows inspections that took place from April to July and cites "significant safety and health hazards," including blocked or locked fire doors and incomplete emergency response plans. The report also raises concerns about the 25,000 "escape" hoods bought to protect workers and visitors should they experience a chemical or biological attack. The compliance office says the hoods do not meet the standards of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and might provide only limited protection.

Corrupt Yugoslavs may have aided Hussein's weapons program
A watchdog group claims that corrupt Yugoslav military and political leaders have supported Saddam Hussein's defense program, including his development of weapons of mass destruction. The International Crisis Group, consisting of retired US and other diplomats, warns that Iraq could use the weapons should the United States initiate a war. "Chemical and biological weapons and possibly their manufacturing technology and equipment also appear to have been sold," the group states in a report. The report, based on Yugoslav government documents and interviews with military officials, charges that Yugoslavia has built a biological weapons plant in Iraq that can produce sarin gas, signed $120 million in contracts to build war fortifications for Saddam, provided naval technicians to revamp Iraqi ships and electronic systems, and produced antiaircraft artillery shells and other equipment for Iraq.

Regulation of 'select agent' transport needs improvement
A General Accounting Office audit indicates that a law intended to track dangerous pathogens transported among US laboratories is causing problems that pose an "urgent and potentially serious public health threat." According to the report, the law itself has created part of the problem by requiring labs that transfer hazardous biological materials, known as "select agents," to register with the CDC. But if a laboratory had these agents before 1997, when the law took effect, registration with the CDC was not required. Though Congress has addressed this by requiring all labs that possess select agents to register with the CDC, the report says the CDC has done a poor job of enforcing the 1997 law by failing to conduct adequate inspections of registered labs and neglecting to keep track of material being transferred among labs. Inaccurate databases have also contributed to the problem. CDC spokesman David Daigle says the agency is taking the identified concerns seriously and is already working to fix the problems.

Nov 24

Governor wants smallpox vaccine released to states
South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow criticizes the Bush Administration, saying the government must make its smallpox vaccine stockpile available to the general public. At a meeting of Republican governors, Janklow presses Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson to explain why the federal government has not sent at least part of its smallpox vaccine stockpile to the states so that inoculations can begin in advance of potential terrorist attacks. Thompson insists the vaccine is available only in the event of an attack and that much of it is still awaiting federal approval for use. The earliest delivery to the states would take place in December 2003, he says.

Leading emergency managers want new national alert system
A report from a group of leading emergency managers called the Partnership for Public Warning recommends developing a national warning system to alert the public to emergencies such as terrorist attacks. The panel says the government's current emergency warning systems fall short and the Department of Homeland Security should put a new integrated system in place. The group further advises that the color-coded terrorism alert system initiated in March causes widespread public confusion and that the current hodgepodge of emergency warning systems "do not reach most of the people at risk." The panel includes representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FBI, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the American Red Cross. "We believe that the new Department of Homeland Security should take responsibility for leading development of a national all-hazard public warning architecture," the groups says. "The need for such a system is considered extremely compelling."

Nov 22

No one knows if healthcare workers will agree to get smallpox shots
If President Bush recommends that key healthcare personnel be vaccinated against smallpox, about 6,000 Connecticut hospital workers may be asked or ordered to get the shots, but nobody knows whether they will agree to do so. "There's never been a situation like this before," Dr. A. Jon Smally, medical director of Hartford Hospital's emergency department, tells the Hartford Courant. Some healthcare workers say a bioterrorist event is so unlikely that it makes no sense to get a vaccination that could cause illness or death. "My hope is that the health care world gets the vaccine," says Dr. Robert Fuller, clinical chief of emergency medicine at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. "It would be a bad example set for the public if the first wave of clinicians offered the vaccine decided not to take it."

Rhode Island could vaccinate 1,200 workers against smallpox within weeks
Rhode Island could vaccinate 1,200 key medical and public safety workers against smallpox by Christmas if the federal government calls for such action, according to an Associated Press report. Rhode Island's bioterrorism response plan, due by Dec 1, also calls for a 100-bed hospital dedicated to treating smallpox victims and for vaccination clinics in all cities and towns, allowing everyone in the state to be inoculated within 10 days after a possible bioterrorism attack.

Nov 21

Israelis report no serious side effects in nearly 15,000 smallpox vaccinations
While US officials weigh the problems surrounding vaccinating the public against smallpox, the Israeli government has nearly finished vaccinating 15,000 health workers, police officers, and others who could be called on in the event of a smallpox outbreak, according to a CNN report. "The authorities have tremendous interest in what's going on, in what our experiences are," says Dr. Boaz Lev, director of the Israeli Health Ministry. The process has gone well, with no serious side effects, according to the ministry. The news bolsters the case for vaccinating US healthcare workers and the general population as soon as possible. "Serious complications and deaths are going to be extremely rare and as we've seen in the case of Israel, at the present time, it sounds like zero," says Dr. Bill Bickness of the Boston University School of Public Health.

Capitol Police officer convicted in anthrax hoax
A federal jury convicts US Capitol Police officer James Pickett of a felony related to an anthrax hoax he staged last year. Pickett, a 12-year police veteran, was accused of preparing a desktop display of sugar substitute and writing a note saying it was anthrax. His conviction by a US District Court jury includes one count of making false statements. The jury acquits him of a second charge, obstructing Capitol Police officers in the course of their duty. Pickett, who has been on paid leave since being charged last year, faces a sentence that could range from probation to five years in prison. US District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson will sentence him Feb 11.

Defense research agency hopes to eliminate threat of anthrax
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is encouraging efforts to find new medicines that will reduce or even eliminate the threat of anthrax and other dangerous biological agents, scientists and government officials say. Five DARPA-supported projects have the potential "to take anthrax off the table as a weapon because we can treat it and prevent it," says John Carney, manager for DARPA's Unconventional Pathogen Countermeasures program, which oversees the initiatives. The program's purpose is to develop medicines to protect soldiers, though officials say the US population could face the same pathogens. Agency officials have told Congress that they hope to submit several investigational new drug applications to the Food and Drug Administration within 2 years, according to Carney. The agency is also weighing whether to try to develop a single antibiotic to fight several pathogens.

Nov 20

Biological attack could do huge damage to US agriculture
US agriculture remains extremely vulnerable to a biological attack on that could cause huge damage, according to scientists attending a Las Vegas conference on biological warfare. Tom McGinn, North Carolina's assistant state veterinarian, makes this point with a computer model demonstrating what would happen if foot-and-mouth disease were deliberately and simultaneously released at five sites across the country. The exercise, created at the request of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, shows that within 2 weeks the disease would spread to 44 states and cause the destruction of 48.5 million animals. "Agricultural threats are the easiest to use at the moment," says Barry Bloom, a public health expert who recently participated in a government scientific panel that reviewed the country's defenses against biological terrorism. "There is no need to weaponize the agents of attack and a single point introduction could lead to a major epidemic."

Letter with white powder triggers alarm in New Zealand
Two officials of the Auckland, New Zealand, District Health Board are taking medication to prevent anthrax infection after receiving an envelope containing white powder. The brown envelope mailed from the United States caused the evacuation of 25 people from an office block at Green Lane Hospital while experts tried to determine the identity of the powder. Wayne Brown, chairman of the health board, said he rarely opens the mail, but he recognized the address and proceeded to rip apart the difficult-to-open envelope, sending a puff of powder toward Ian Bell, a board secretary. The two men were treated with decontamination showers.

CDC will face daunting task in communicating about smallpox shots
The CDC, waiting for President Bush to decide whether millions of Americans will receive smallpox vaccinations, faces an enormous task in explaining the new policy, educating the public, and supervising a difficult vaccination campaign, according to a report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The biggest difficulty the agency faces is communicating clearly and rapidly. "This is a difficult time for the CDC," says Dr. William L. Roper, head of the agency from 1990 to 1993 and currently dean of the University of North Carolina's school of public health. "The job that [it] has in a post-9/11, post-anthrax world is a monumental task." The agency has emerged with new responsibilities and a role in top levels of national security planning and bioterrorism preparations.

Nov 19

Senate approves Department of Homeland Security
The Senate approves creation of the Department of Homeland Security, initiating the biggest government transformation in 50 years. The bill has already been approved by the House and should be on the president's desk before month's end. But it will take years before the department fully assumes all its functions. The new department will have a workforce of nearly 170,000 employees around the world and will be led by a new cabinet secretary likely to be Homeland Security Advisor Tom Ridge. Facing the challenge of convincing workers to discard their old loyalties and cooperate to prevent and respond to potential terrorist attacks, Ridge says, "We're going to look for advice and counsel from a lot of folks." Not since the Truman administration reshaped the nation's military to fight the Cold War in 1947 has the US government been altered so dramatically around a single purpose.

Managing public panic needs to be part of bioterrorism preparedness
The public panic that would follow a biological attack is exactly what terrorists want, say mental health experts who warn the government to make better plans to handle the probable psychological crisis caused by such an attack. "Terrorism only wins if you respond to it the way the terrorist wants you to," says Dr. Robert DeMartino, director of the Program on Trauma and Terrorism at the Department of Health and Human Services. "The power is in your hands." Speaking at the BioSecurity 2002 conference in Las Vegas, DeMartino says that for every person who got physically ill from a bioterrorist attack, some 50 to 100 would become so distraught they would not be able to function normally. He says that mental health issues have not been fully incorporated into the bioterrorism planning of federal, state, and local authorities. A traumatized public could also overwhelm hospital emergency rooms without a system to reassure people and help those who are frightened.

Current focus on new homeland security department may short existing preparedness programs
Congress and the White House are focusing their attention on a new Department of Homeland Security rather than funding many of the proposed department's functions such as trucking security, bioterrorism defense, and customs operations, leaving some programs short of cash. Congress's decision to fund the government at 2002 levels until Jan. 11 could mean that federal, state, and local agencies expecting large increases for emergency response, new equipment, and other needs will not see additional money until spring. While some federal agencies say they can function fine under the temporary funding measures, the stalemate will have serious consequences for others, say federal officials speaking on condition of anonymity. Elias A. Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, warns that if his agency does not receive requested funding increases soon, he will have to scale back bioterrorism research grants scheduled to be awarded in December and January.

Nov 18

Virginia unveils state communications system
A statewide communications system to facilitate the exchange of information during a bioterrorism attack is fully functioning, according to a report from the Virginia Health Department. The Health Alert Network circulates critical health information among hospital emergency rooms, state and local health officials, and law enforcement officials. The department has also created communications systems to alert other private healthcare providers with timely notifications and essential information. The department says it learned much about disseminating information while working with the recent West Nile virus and malaria outbreaks. The department has hired 20 epidemiologists and plans to have one in each of the state's 35 health districts by March of 2003. A method to rapidly detect a bioterrorism attack through a mandatory disease surveillance system has also been established.

Smallpox vaccine testing causes stir in Britain
Britain's health ministers, accused of risking lives by failing to organize clinical trials of a smallpox vaccine, admit that the country's vaccine stock will not be tested on humans. John Hutton, a health minister, says this is because of fears of endangering Britain's smallpox-free status; he further says that trials are not required for the recently purchased, unlicensed Lister strain of the vaccine. Instead, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control is checking the potency and quality of the newly obtained vaccine. Dr. Ian Gibson, a microbiologist who chairs the science committee, says doctors, nurses, and ambulance personnel about to be inoculated could refuse the vaccine if it had not been tested properly. "Every drug needs clinical trials," says Gibson. "For the government to claim that the vaccine cannot be tested because it does not exist in the population is complete rubbish."

Nov 17

Experts concerned that Iraq may have 'dusty' chemical weapons
Iraq recently imported about 25 metric tons of a powder essential for making "dusty" weapons, and experts fear that Iraqi scientists are using the powder to produce chemicals to penetrate military protective clothing, the New York Times reports. Though Iraq says the powder is going to a pharmaceutical company, a former weapons inspector says Saddam Hussein now uses that facility to develop chemical and biological weapons. Experts say they don't know if Iraq has dusty chemical weapons, but declassified US intelligence documents say the country produced and used a dusty form of the blister agent mustard in its war with Iran in the 1980s. A 1990 Defense Intelligence Agency assessment indicated that if Iraq used a powdered form of its lethal nerve agent, VX, it could kill US troops equipped with the newest protective gear. Pentagon officials had no comment on the permeability of the military suits or whether Iraq has weapons that could penetrate them.

Germany working on all-out smallpox vaccination plan, magazine says
Germany is preparing for a possible bioterrorist attack by stockpiling 100 million doses of smallpox vaccine, according to Focus, a news weekly. German researchers and doctors have spent recent months developing an emergency plan to facilitate a rapid response to an attack using the smallpox virus. All possible scenarios have been studied, an expert told the magazine. The plan calls for 500,000 firefighters and 800,000 healthcare personnel working in clinics to take the vaccine to the 82 million German residents. The vaccine stocks are spread throughout the country.

Nov 15

Presidential order shields smallpox vaccine makers from liability
The Associated Press reports that President Bush used an executive order after the Sep 11 attacks to protect smallpox vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits, officials say. Under the order, the Department of Health and Human Services can assume liability for companies it contracts with to fight terrorism. The HHS has already provided indemnity for Wyeth and Aventis Pasteur and is working on arrangements with a third contractor, Acambis, agency spokesman Bill Pierce says. The action will protect companies should someone sue for negligence because of harmful side effects from the vaccine. Other government agencies have long had the power to shield contractors from liability; for example, the Department of Defense, granted immunity to Bioport, manufacturer of the anthrax vaccine used by the military.

Study: Targeted smallpox vaccination rivals mass vaccination in effectiveness
An Emory University study published in Science shows that vaccinating only people in close contact with infected smallpox patients after a bioterrorist attack could work nearly as well as vaccinating the entire population. Using a mathematical model, researchers tested whether targeted vaccination or mass vaccination would work better in a smallpox attack on a community of 2,000 people. They concluded that targeted vaccination would save as many lives and reduce disease as effectively as inoculating the entire communityprovided that some in the population were already immune to smallpox. "Increasing the level of immunity in the population by vaccinating first responders would make a post-attack effort more effective," says Dr. M. Elizabeth Halloran, an author of the study. "If you ignore residual immunity, then mass vaccination does best after an attack."

NATO will step up effort to stamp out unconventional weapons
NATO is preparing to improve its ability to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to George Robertson, secretary-general of the alliance. Speaking at a meeting of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly in Istanbul, he says that the upcoming Prague summit will demonstrate an increased NATO commitment to bringing an end to nuclear and biological weapons. "At Prague, NATO will unveil a major package of measures to combat terrorism," he says. "We will make decisions to broaden our range of tools to cope with this threat. Developing vaccine stockpiles or mobile detection labs are not the stuff of headline news, but the strategic importance of these developments is beyond doubt," he adds.

British hospitals called ill-prepared for biological or chemical attack
The British National Audit Office warns that many hospitals and ambulance trusts in England are unprepared for a biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear attack. London is a major concern, as the city could be a prime target for a large-scale attack. The report finds that at least one in four major hospitals and one in three ambulance services are not well-prepared to deal with a chemical, biological, or radiological attack. Half do not have plans to treat victims of a nuclear incident and would be unable to guarantee the safety of staff treating patients affected by an attack. The report comes only days after Prime Minister Tony Blair informed Britons of their high risk for a terrorist attack. Sir Liam Donaldson, the government's chief medical officer, promises to immediately address the country's inadequate preparedness.

Nov 14

Acambis smallpox vaccine is safer than older vaccine in animal test
A smallpox vaccine undergoing animal testing by Cambridge, Mass.-based Acambis is less likely to cause encephalitis and other serious complications than earlier vaccines, according to company officials. "Our vaccine should be safer," says Thomas Monath, chief science officer for Acambis, which won government contracts to produce 209 million doses. The ACAM 1000 vaccine is similar to the existing Dryvax vaccine, except that the new vaccine is produced in a cell culture, not grown on the skin of calves. ACAM 1000 and Dryvax were injected into the brains of mice. Three of the six mice injected with Dryvax died, while all six mice injected with ACAM 1000 survived, Monath tells an audience at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Denver. The safety of the vaccine can't be known for sure without human testing, but with previous smallpox vaccines, "complications in humans closely mimicked complications in animals," Monath says.

US officials observe Czech troops training for biodefense
US military officials observe 250 Czech troops training in the Kuwaiti desert to respond to a potential bioterrorist attack from Iraq. Troops wearing protective suits take samples of soil, air, and liquid from the site of a mock biological weapons attack, while soldiers transport the wounded to a medical aid station for decontamination and first aid. Global positioning devices transmit details about the hazard site to a nearby command center, where computer software is used to predict how wind or other variables may spread the contaminants. During the past 50 years, the Czech army has become known as a world leader in responding to attacks with radioactive, chemical, and biological weapons. "While other European nations have been restructuring their armies and reducing their nuclear, biological, and chemical component, we have maintained this capability in case we ever need to be deployed," says Lt. Col. Ivo Musin of Prague.

Australia expects first shipment of smallpox vaccine soon
The Australian government is awaiting the arrival of 50,000 doses of smallpox vaccine, though the health experts say mass vaccination of Australia's population is not forthcoming. Australia's chief medical officer, Richard Smallwood, is considering whether to vaccinate the nation's front-line health and emergency workers before or after any possible threat of bioterrorism. Smallwood says the Bali bombings have not influenced the national security agencies' assessment that Australia is at "low risk" for a bioterrorist attack. He says the first shipment of smallpox vaccine is expected to arrive in Australia in the next two weeks, with an additional 50,000 doses expected early next year.

European officials warn that terrorist attack could come soon
Intelligence and law enforcement officials in Britain, Germany, and France are warning that another terrorist attack against European targets may be imminent. The warnings from various agencies, including Interpol, represent a level of concern not seen since immediately after the Sep 11 attacks. Fears of public panic are prompting some European politicians to play down the danger, but the release of a threatening tape-recorded message attributed to Osama bin Laden is compounding the sense of danger. "There is a very real concern," says a German official.

FBI warns of terrorist threat against hospitals in four cities
Washington area hospital administrators try to interpret an FBI warning of an uncorroborated terrorist threat against their institutions, while a White House spokesman says the advisory has "low credibility." The warning is directed at hospitals in the Washington, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco areas. Debbie Weierman, an FBI spokeswoman, says overseas intelligence sources tell the FBI that hospitals in the four cities "might be possible targets of terrorist actions." She emphasizes that the tips "were both unsubstantiated and uncorroborated." Others with knowledge of the warning say it came from Pakistan but offer no details. Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, says the threat had "low credibility," but the mixed messages demonstrate the difficulty officials have in determining how to deal with threat information.

Nov 13

Iraq agrees to weapons inspection
Baghdad accepts the United Nations Security Council resolution demanding that weapons inspectors return to Iraq, but denies the country has any weapons of mass destruction. Iraqi diplomat Muhammad al-Douri agrees to deliver a letter to the office of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, saying that President Saddam Hussein has agreed to cooperate with the UN. "The letter is saying that Iraq will deal with the Security Council Resolution 1441 despite its bad contents," al-Douri says. "We are prepared to receive the inspectors within the assigned timetable." He further states that his country is eager to see inspectors perform their duties in accordance with the international law. When asked by a reporter about these new developments, al-Douri says, "Iraq is clean, yes."

Physician group pushes for changes to of Homeland Security bill
The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons pushes congress to do away with the section of the new Homeland Security Bill that gives the HHS secretary unrestricted authority to declare an emergency that could include smallpox treatment, forced immunizations, and quarantines. One section of the proposed 480-page bill allows the Secretary of HHS the power to: "Declare an actual or POTENTIAL, bio-terrorist or other kind of incident  He can administer 'countermeasures' to a category of individuals or everyone  He can continually extend the declaration without Congress's consent." The bill further prevents a harmed individual from suing or taking any other civil remedy. "This section will give the Secretary unlimited power to define a real or potential threat, to take any measures he decides, and to do it for as long as he wants," says Kathryn Serkes, AAPS spokeswoman.

High-tech help for weapons inspection
The digital revolution adds a new technical edge to the work of UN weapons inspectors, experts say. Among the new developments are: commercial spy satellites that produce photos revealing details of factories, buildings, and arsenals; miniature sensors to monitor the air, water, and soil for signs of weapons; portable germ detectors that quickly check for anthrax, plague, and other biological agents; and radar systems that penetrate the ground to scan for tunnels and underground bunkers. The task of weapons inspection still relies primarily on human knowledge and experience, but "powerful new means of verification" are now coming into play, says Hans Blix, head of the UN inspection teams.

Cracked pipes delay Brentwood cleanup
Equipment problems postpone the full fumigation of Washington's quarantined Brentwood postal station. Several cracks have been discovered in the 7,000 feet of specially made piping inside the building, postal officials say. A total of 25,000 feet of pipe is currently installed within the plant, which has been closed since October 2001. The pipe provides the means of transporting chlorine dioxide gas and other materials into and out of the building during fumigation. Postal spokeswoman Kristin Krathwohl says they have not yet determined what caused the cracks but think it was a manufacturing flaw or was caused during delivery or on-site handling. The leaks appeared during a quality-control check.

Volunteers sought for smallpox vaccination research
Researchers are seeking 1,000 volunteers to help them examine how the smallpox vaccine responds in people born from the late 1920s through the early 1970s, government health officials say. Volunteers will receive either a dilution of the live-virus vaccine or a full-strength inoculation. The study is expected to be the largest in a series sponsored by the federal government in which participants received the freeze-dried vaccine known as Dryvax. Some of the Dryvax stocks are more than 40 years old. Dr. John Treanor, associate professor of medicine at the University of Rochester and the project's lead investigator, says people vaccinated in the past--even as long ago as the 1920s and 1930--are likely to still have residual immunity. Treanor also says preliminary discussions have begun on ways to deactivate vaccinia, the live virus used in the smallpox vaccine.

Bill places smallpox vaccination liability on federal government
The new Homeland Security bill awaiting approval by Congress protects healthcare facilities and workers who will be delivering smallpox vaccines from personal liability from lawsuits by people injured or killed by the vaccine. Instead, the federal government would defend any suit and pay any damages. Victims could get compensated for their injuries but not receive punitive damages. "Because of the risks associated with the smallpox vaccine, many health professionals may be unwilling to give the vaccine without some measure of liability protection," says Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., a physician knowledgeable in bioterrorism issues. "The threat of lawsuits mustn't be a barrier to protecting

Nov 12

Study: Anthrax exposure in Congress was wider but less deadly than suspected
Last year's anthrax-tainted letter sent to Congress exposed more people than initially thought, but the exposure wasn't enough to make them sick, according to a new study by the US Naval Medical Research Center. The study focused on 20 people who were outside the high-exposure zone when the letter was opened in Sen. Tom Daschle's office, according to a report by Knight Ridder Newspapers. Investigators found immune system responses in about a quarter of the 20 subjects, including some who were in other buildings. Previous tests showed that antibodies to anthrax had not developed in those people, but the new tests revealed that their white blood cells had changed to fight the bacteria, says Dr. Denise Doolan of the Naval Medical Research Center. The findings indicate that low levels of anthrax exposure may not be as dangerous as health officials thought. "Low levels don't cause disease, but low levels do induce immune response," says Dr. Daniel Freilich, head of blood substitutions at the research center. The study is reported at a Denver meeting of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Emergency medical responders trail firefighters, police in preparedness
Health officials say good progress has been made in preparing the country for a terrorist attack, but the nation's emergency medical response system lags behind other services. "You have essentially a patchwork quilt, some areas very well-organized, and in some areas God bless the volunteers, because they don't have anywhere near the resources they will need," says Richard Hunt, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at State University of New York at Syracuse, as quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Speaking at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting, Hunt and Georges C. Benjamin, director of the Maryland public health agency, compare emergency medical crews to one of three legs of a stool, saying they are less prepared than the other two legsfirefighters and police. "On a scale of one to 10, I give us an eight when compared to where we were, but only a six in terms of how well-prepared we are," says Mohammad Akhter, outgoing executive director of the association.

US presents evidence on Iraqi weapons programs to UN inspectors
US State Department and intelligence officials brief UN weapons inspectors on evidence the United States has gathered about Saddam Hussein's chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. The briefing offers the first major transfer of intelligence under the UN Security Council's new inspections program, a senior administration official says. The Security Council resolution calls for UN member countries to furnish the inspectors with information about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. In complying, the Bush administration is also notifying the inspectors that it will watch closely to see how the UN uses the intelligence in designing their inspection program and evaluating disclosures required of Iraq. France and Britain are also expected to supply intelligence they have accumulated on Iraq.

Nov 11

Conference on Biological Weapons Convention opens in Geneva
Talks on the Biological Weapons Convention reopen in Geneva, Switzerland, with the expectation of an effort to preserve an agreement on measures to curb the spread of biological weapons. Tibor Toth of Hungary, chairman of the BWC review conference, is expected to propose a plan of action for the next 3 years. However, faced with US opposition, he will not recommend further negotiations about a system for verifying compliance with the treaty, which bans biological weapons. Talks ended in disagreement a year ago after the US objected to a proposed verification protocol on grounds that it would compromise the secrets of US drug companies without yielding real benefits. Toth's plan calls for a meeting next year to encourage the adoption of national measures to criminalize breaches of the convention and to secure dangerous pathogens. For 2004, Toth proposes a meeting focused on improving the international ability to investigate and ameliorate the effects if biological weapons have been used and to improve international surveillance of disease outbreaks. The proposal calls for a 2005 meeting addressing scientists' codes of conduct.

Physicists hope to use tiny light sources to detect biological agents
Two Kansas State University physicists are working to develop a portable device to detect biological agents. Hongxing Jiang and Jingyu Lin are experts in designing light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, light sources as small as a human hair. Their work is supported by a $1.4 million, 4-year government grant to develop semiconductor ultraviolet light sources, which Jiang says are key elements in producing a detector. The research is based on the principle that any biological agent, when excited by ultraviolet light, emits fluorescent light with a unique color spectrum. The research is part of a four-year, $40 million program by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the central research and development organization for the Pentagon. DARPA says the initiative is in its early states and will probably take several years to produce a prototype.

Nov 10

Arab nations want representatives on UN weapons inspection teams
Arab governments support new UN weapons inspections in Iraq but request that Arab experts be added to the inspection teams. Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo also caution that the most recent UN resolution should not be interpreted as permission for the United States to strike Iraq. The collective support indicates that most Arab governments would like to see Saddam Hussein removed but fear the consequences of another war in the region.

Groups seek to set up single '211' assistance hotline in Washington area
A group of nonprofit organizations and government officials is trying to establish the telephone number 211 as a multi-jurisdictional hotline for information, referrals to social services, and medical assistance in the Washington, DC, region. Such an integrated system would replace many separate telephone referral services and strengthen the region's preparedness for a terrorist attack or a public health emergency such as an anthrax outbreak, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute. While many public and private agencies have supported regional 211 systems for years, and the Federal Communications Commission has set aside 211 for that purpose, most of the nation remains without the service. The Washington area offers particular challenges to coordinating the system because of its numerous area codes, thousands of nonprofit groups, and divergent governmental philosophies.

Nov 9

UN weapons inspectors will demand full list of Iraqi sites
UN weapons inspectors plan to begin their search for Iraq's unconventional weapons by demanding a comprehensive list of weapons sites from Saddam Hussein and comparing it with a list of more than 100 priority sites compiled by Western experts, Bush administration and UN officials say. The site list, prepared in recent months, has been narrowed down from 800 in the UN database and is derived from findings of previous weapons inspectors and recent intelligence information. Inspection team chief Hans Blix says that the first team of inspectors will number between 80 and 100. UN officials are expected to be in Iraq Nov 18, with the first inspectors arriving to begin their work about a week later.

Plans for new biodefense labs include two in Washington, DC, area
The National Institutes of Health is building at least two new biodefense laboratories in the Washington, DC, area, according to a Knight-Ridder Newspapers report. Though some residents near the proposed labs express concern, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says the risks to the community are small. "The whole purpose of the containment is to protect the facility as well as the community," he says. "There's very little if any risk." One lab planned for the NIH campus is a biosafety level 3 facility in Bethesda, Md. Another, a biosafety level 4 facility, will share space with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Md. Another level 4 laboratory will be built in Montana. About seven more new biodefense labs are planned, but their locations and safety levels have not been determined, says Fauci.

Nov 8

UN Security Council passes resolution requiring weapons inspections in Iraq
The UN Security Council unanimously endorses a new resolution intended to force Saddam Hussein to disarm or face "serious consequences." The surprising vote includes support from Syria and Russia. Iraq will review the decision before deciding whether to accept the plan, Iraq's UN ambassador tells the Associated Press. The broad support sends a strong message to Iraq that the long-divided Security Council expects full compliance with all UN resolutions. "The outcome of the current crisis is already determined," says President Bush. "The only question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how. His cooperation must be prompt and unconditional or he will face the severest consequences."

Bush pondering Rumsfeld advice to vaccinate troops against smallpox
President Bush has received Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's recommendation to vaccinate US troops against smallpox but has not yet accepted it, the Washington Post reports. White House officials say the Pentagon has not answered many of the president's questions. One White House official, speaking anonymously, says Bush is concerned not only about whether to vaccinate the troops, but also about how to do it. "You don't want to do it if you can't do it right," the official says. Whether to immunize US forces is part of a larger dilemma surrounding inoculation of health care workers and the general public. Bush's concern is similar to that surrounding his previous decision on the use of federal funds for stem cell research on human embryos, says another official. An aide to Rumsfeld describes him as strongly favoring the inoculation program, considering it critical to ensuring the protection of US forces.

Report questions Hans Blix's handling of information on Iraqi anthrax
A Washington Times report says US intelligence officials have warned UN weapons inspectors that Iraq is hiding 7,000 liters (about 1,800 gallons) of anthrax. But chief inspector Hans Blix failed to inform the UN Security Council of this, according to the newspaper's sources. The recent intelligence appraisal of the anthrax is based on sensitive information, including facts provided by Iraqi defectors, officials say. Failure to inform the council raises questions about whether Blix will report accurately on potential Iraqi obstruction of weapons inspections, the report says. The intelligence was reported to the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission, known as Unmovic, in recent months. Blix could not be reached for comment, but he said in a recent television interview that he respects US and British intelligence reports but cannot report information to the Security Council because the intelligence agencies will not disclose their sources.

Nov 7

Diplomats discuss next steps in enforcing Biological Weapons Convention
A group of mostly rich nations generally supports a plan for greater international cooperation to ban biological weapons, but the United States remains unconvinced of the plan's merit, say diplomats who attended a meeting of the group. The group, including the European Union, the US, Canada, Australia, Argentina, and South Korea, is meeting in Geneva ahead of next week's conference of signatory states to the Biological Weapons Convention. The United States contends that some treaty signers, including Iran and Iraq, are trying to develop biological weapons in defiance of the international ban. It claims further discussion only diverts attention from the core issue of compliance. Hoping to keep countries talking about how best to face the perceived threat, the convention's chairman offers a five-point plan to be debated by treaty members at the Geneva conference. The plan does not include any proposal for verification procedures. The last meeting of the 142 treaty signers collapsed in December 2001 after Washington demanded a halt to efforts to strengthen the treaty with verification procedures. The five-point plan recommends annual meetings on such topics as bolstering national laws supporting the convention's ban on biological or toxic weapons and how to react in cases of accidental release.

Nov 6

UN allowed Iraq to buy silicon powder over US objections, report says
The United Nations allowed Iraq to buy colloidal silicon dioxide under the oil-for-food program in spite of US objections, according to a Washington Times report. Iraqis ordered the chemical in August 2001, but US intelligence officials have expressed concern that Iraq will use the substance in chemical or biological weapons. UN spokesman Hasmik Egin says the chemical was shipped to Iraq last month. Colloidal silicon dioxide, a fine powder used to make commercial products such as glass or electronic-circuit boards, can also be used for military purposes. Intelligence officials say it is a key ingredient in "dusty" chemical or biological weapons that can penetrate protective suits, equipment, and facilities. Chemical weapons specialists say colloidal silicon dioxide, also known as silica sol, consists of tiny particles largely unaffected by gravity.

Nov 5

Four countries, and perhaps more, may have stores of smallpox virus
The Bush administration is troubled by the likelihood that several countries retain the smallpox virus in violation of international regulations, says State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. A recent disclosure by a US official suggests that Iraq, North Korea, Russia, and France probably possess hidden supplies of the virus. Evidence recovered in Afghanistan suggests that Osama bin Laden has probably attempted to procure samples of smallpox for weaponization as well. Boucher notes that World Health Organization resolutions specify that smallpox virus stocks must be confined to either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States or a Russian laboratory at Koltsovo, Siberia. Over the years, reports have suggested that Libya, Syria, and Iran also have smallpox samples.

Thief apprehended at Russian facility housing lethal viruses
Russian authorities in Kazakhstan arrest a man entering a former biological weapons research facility where lethal viruses remain in storage, according to an official. The facility's deputy director, Alim Aikimkbayev, tells a news conference that the man entered the Scientific Center of Quarantine and Zoonotic Infections intending to steal test tubes but was apprehended before he could get past a second layer of security. The center is located in Almaty, Kazakhstan's former capital, and once played a role in the Soviet biological weapons industry, running a testing ground for anthrax and other agents on an island in the Aral Sea. Today the center conducts studies of viruses and research to counteract biological weapons. Alim says the facility's security has recently been improved with financial assistance from the US.

Nov 4

Proposed study of smallpox vaccination in children draws fire
The study to vaccinate 40 children against smallpox is drawing objections from some experts. Dr. Paul A. Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, says the benefits of testing the vaccine do not outweigh the risks. He says that testing children is ethical only if a case of smallpox occurs. The FDA, proposing to conduct the test, will take public comment on the plan through the end of this month, say federal health officials. Tommy G. Thompson, secretary of health and human services, and Dr. Mark B McClellan, commissioner of food and drugs, will decide whether to approve the study. "If we had an attack and we had to use the vaccine in children, you would see a lot of eyebrow-raising if we didn't know the effects," says Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institutes of Health department proposing the study.

Nov 3

Syndromic surveillance system could provide early detection of bioterrorism
Epidemiologists using a new disease tracking approach are watching for changes in orange juice sales, school attendance, and the number of times people sneeze on surveillance videos. The system, called syndromic surveillance, identifies sudden spikes in everyday aches, pains, and coughs indicating early signs of a biological attack. It looks for increases in cluster "syndromes" rather than particular disease diagnoses. If it provides early warning of a bioterrorist attack, syndromic surveillance could avert massive casualties from biological agents such as anthrax, plague, and smallpox. Until recently, some researchers doubted that anything so apparently trivial as cough syrup sales could indicate a significant jump in illness. But researchers have shown that with the annual flu season, a wealth of indicators show public health officials that people are getting sick. Variations of this tracking approach already exist in New York, Baltimore, Seattle, and western Pennsylvania.

Late US physician may have delivered bioweapons to South Africa and others
California doctor Larry C. Ford, who committed suicide after being accused of murdering his colleague, once delivered deadly pathogens to apartheid South Africa's secret chemical and biological weapons program, according to a CBS "60 Minutes" report. Ford met with scientists from South Africa's Project Coast in the 1980s to talk about chemical and biological warfare, says Wouter Basson, former head of the project. Ford also delivered a bag filled with cholera, typhoid, botulism, anthrax, and bubonic plague germs to a South African military doctor during a meeting at the house of the South African trade attache in California, former FBI informant Peter Fitzpatrick tells "60 Minutes." The US government thought Basson might be trying to sell his knowledge of biological and chemical weapons during several trips to Libya in the 1990s, and US intelligence documents accuse him of attempting to connect with Iran and Iraq, the program reports.

Mailed anthrax spores may not have been difficult to produce
The anthrax powder mailed last fall could have been prepared for a few thousand dollars using tabletop equipment, say two scientists close to the FBI's investigation. The consensus among scientists today is that no additives were present in the anthrax to make it float more easily in the air and that the anthrax probably came by way of a relatively simple process. "There's really nothing all that special about it," says one of the scientists, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There are many ways to do it." The powder in the letters addressed to Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., and Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., was made of virtually pure anthrax spores, but one of the scientists tells the Baltimore Sun that such purity can be achieved using relatively simple methods such as repeatedly spinning the anthrax mixture in a centrifuge and washing out nonspore materials.

US and UK to promote use of nonlethal biological weapons
United States and United Kingdom defense officials are making plans to win over skeptics and promote the use of nerve gases and biological weapons that don't kill, according to a Financial Times report. A detailed strategy has been designed at the London summit attended by Ministry of Defense officials and their US counterparts, including three generals. The two countries agree to take an "active role" in planning and promoting nonlethal weapons. They also agree to cooperate on research and development, the article says.

Nov 2

FDA grants license for repackaged smallpox vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration has granted a license for Dryvax, the mainstay of the government's 30-year-old stockpile of smallpox vaccine. Dryvax was licensed in the 1970s, but manufacturer Wyeth needed supplemental approval for new bifurcated needles and diluent, the liquid material used to reconstitute freeze-dried vaccine. The Washington Post quotes Jerome M. Hauer, assistant secretary for public health preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services, as saying that most of the first 1.7 million doses will go to the Department of Defense. The remaining 13.7 million doses could now be used in case of a smallpox attack or to vaccinate emergency responders, Hauer says. Securing the FDA license makes administering Dryvax vaccine easier, says Dartmouth University's John F. Modlin, chairman of the government's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Unlicensed vaccines can be used only under "investigational new drug" regulations dealing with informed consent and patient monitoring, he says.

Officials say Florida is only state ready to handle supplies from national stockpile
Federal officials say that Florida is the only state fully prepared to receive and distribute medicine and vaccines in the event of a bioterrorist attack. Most regions must still solve the challenge of dedicating 500 hospital beds and large numbers of isolation rooms for potentially contagious victims of biological warfare. Updates to state bioterrorism preparation plans are due, though much work still needs to be done, particularly in handling the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, according to federal health officials. An upcoming Dec 1 deadline calls for states to have plans for vaccinating their entire populations in the event of an attack. Currently, plans have been filed by only 20 of the 62 states, large cities, and territories that are receiving bioterrorism money. Many have serious gaps, health officials say

Nov 1

HHS awards grants for local public health emergency volunteers
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson boosts support of community-based Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) units by awarding 42 grants totaling $2 million. The money will be used to help volunteers prepare for and respond to potential public health emergencies. The units' responsibilities will include emergency response, logistical planning, record keeping, assisting in public health and awareness campaigns, and public communication. Local communities, in conjunction with established emergency response and public health systems, will operate the units. The MRC initiative, led by the Office of the Surgeon General, will provide an organizational framework, training, and locally planned procedures and processes.

Despite negative report, Hawaii doing well in preparedness, state official says
Contradicting an Associated Press report listing Hawaii as one of two states least prepared for a bioterrorism attack, Bart Aronoff, manager of the state's bioterrorism-preparedness program, says Hawaii ranks in the middle in readiness. The article said Hawaii and Wisconsin have made "little or no progress," but Aronoff says it was "based on information that's extremely outdated." Recently a team from the CDC's National Pharmaceutical Stockpile program visited Hawaii. "They were very pleased with the progress we've made and said that we are "in the middle ranks of states" in readiness, says Aronoff. Since May, the state has filled 29 of 35 positions on its bioterrorism preparedness staff, secured warehouse space for storage, and planned the breakdown and distribution of supplies from the national stockpile. The state's hospitals are working on a contingency plan for providing 500 beds, and construction will soon begin on a high-security lab, Aronoff says.

Cuba insists it has no bioweapons research program
Cuba challenges the Bush administration to back up its charges that the country has a biological warfare research program. The challenge comes in response to remarks by US Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Otto Reich, who recently repeated earlier American allegations that Cuba at least had a limited research and development program for biological weapons. "This is a bare-faced lie," Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque says at a news conference. "I challenge Mr. Reich to present the smallest bit of proof," he adds, claiming that Reich's remarks are calculated to help win him votes in next week's elections among Cuban exiles based in Florida.

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