National Centre for Biosecurity

Biosecurity News - Issue 33

30 October 2009

Program News
Vacancies, Calls for Abstracts, and Conferences
Special Coverage: H1N1 Influenza A
News Articles

HIV
Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases

Biological Weapons
Biosecurity Policy and Ethics
Global Health Governance and Disease Control

Program News

Reminders:

The National Centre for Biosecurity, in collaboration with The John Curtin School of Medical Research and The National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, ANU College of Medicine, Biology and Environment will hold a free full day symposium addressing the theme ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases: The Global Perspective’. Topics to be addressed include responses to the current H1N1 pandemic, the interface between HIV and tuberculosis, control of flaviviruses and other tropical diseases, the cost of biosecurity interventions and the role of uncertainty in disease control policy. More information
Date: 16 November 2009
Program: 8:30am to 5:00pm (Symposium – RSVP Required)
5:00pm to 6:00pm (Public Lecture – No RSVP Required)

Although there is no registration fee, if attending the Symposium please RSVP to Jon Herington, Executive Officer at the National Centre for Biosecurity, The Australian National University, by 6 November 2009: Jonathan.Herington@anu.edu.au
The National Centre for Biosecurity will hold the 3rd Annual Biosecurity Symposium on 1 – 2 February 2010 and has called for proposals for presentations addressing the theme ‘Global Health Security’. Registration informtion will be available soon and the deadline for abstracts is 31 October 2009. More information

Kind regards,

Alexis

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Vacancies, Calls for Abstracts, and Conferences

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) is advertising for the position of Programme Leader for its newly established Programme on Global Health and Security. The closing date for applications is 15 November 2009. More information

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Reminder: Global Health Governance has issued a call for submissions for an upcoming special issue ‘Tackling pandemics as a governance challenge’. Please submit abstracts to guest editor Jeremy Youde by 6 November 2009. More information

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Previous Announcements

The University of Sydney’s Centre for Values, Ethics and Law in Medicine and the Unit for History and Philosophy of Science are hosting a one-day workshop on biopolitics, biosecurity and warfare. The workshop, ‘Securitising Life’, will be held 11 November 2009 from 10.00 – 18.15 in the Auditorium of the Medical Foundation Building. For more information, or to register, please email Ms Lindy Gaze.
Global Biosecurity 2010: safeguarding agriculture and the environment in Brisbane, Australia. Abstracts: 31 July 2009. Conference: 28 February – 3 March 2010. More information
The International Society for Infectious Diseases is organising the 14th International Congress on Infectious Diseases (ICID) in Miami, Florida, USA, on 9 – 12 March 2010. The deadline for abstracts is 1 November 2009. More information
The Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) International Symposium and Workshop is taking place from 12 – 14 April 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. The theme for the Symposium and Workshop is Integrating Science and Management and the deadline for abstracts is 9 November 2009. More information
The 2010 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases will be held 11 – 14 July 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. More information
US Department of State’s Biosecurity Engagement Program provides funding for travel to biosecurity-related conferences. More information

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Special Coverage - H1N1

WHO

Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 - update 71 (23 October 2009)
Weekly update (virological surveillance data) (23 October 2009)

Epidemiology, Disease Progression and Impact

‘Modelling mitigation strategies for pandemic (H1N1) 2009’
CMAJ
13 October 2009

‘Factbox: new flu still raises questions among experts’
Reuters
16 October 2009

‘H1N1's links to pneumonia appear clearer’
The Washington Post
17 October 2009

‘Pandemic H1N1 influenza lessons from the southern hemisphere’
Eurosurveillance
22 October 2009

‘Back where virus started, new scrutiny of pig farming’
The Washington Post
25 October 2009

‘Pandemic flu may protect against bird flu’
Emerging Health Threats Forum
26 October 2009
(Research referred to: ‘Prior infection with an H1N1 swine influenza virus partially protects pigsagainst a low pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus’, Vaccine, 30 October 2009)

Response

‘Down with the flu’
The Economist
16 October 2009

‘A pandemic's good side: collateral health benefits from the H1N1 scare’
Time
21 October 2009

‘Pandemic vaccine "will arrive too late for many," CDC concedes’
Science
23 October 2009

‘A nation battling flu, and short vaccine supplies’ (US)
The New York Times
25 October 2009

‘Obama's emergency step aimed to help implement disaster plans’
CIDRAP
26 October 2009

‘Acceptability of A/H1N1 vaccination during pandemic phase of influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong: population based cross sectional survey’
BMJ
27 October 2009

Commentary

‘The new plague’
The Gotham Skeptic (Blog)
19 October 2009

‘Do women need such big flu shots?’
The New York Times
27 October 2009

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News Articles

HIV

‘Not our problem’
The Lancet
19 October 2009

‘AIDS vaccine study reassures skeptics’
Science
20 October 2009
and
‘HIV vaccine trial under fire’
Nature
21 October 2009
(Research referred to: ‘Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to prevent HIV-1 infection in Thailand’, NEJM, 20 October 2009)

‘Rare 'outliers' drive search for cures to disease’
The Wall Street Journal
20 October 2009

‘Uganda food crisis undermining efforts to fight HIV/Aids’
The Guardian
21 October 2009

‘USA looks set to repeal HIV travel ban’
The Lancet
24 October 2009

‘Fighting HIV, a community at a time’
The New York Times
26 October 2009

‘Russia warned about HIV epidemic‘
BBC
28 October 2009

Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases

‘Dengue look-alike infects Hanoi’
Thanh Nien News
20 October 2009

‘Cholera breaks out in Zimbabwe again amid fears of an epidemic in summer rains’
Times Online
21 October 2009

‘Drug-resistant TB can be eliminated’
Emerging Health Threats Forum
21 October 2009

‘USAID launches Emerging Pandemic Threats program’
Reuters
21 October 2009

‘Smallpox—the death of a disease’ (Interview with the book’s author, D.A. Henderson)
Policy Innovations
28 October 2009

‘What a pest: why the black death still won't die’
Foreign Policy
November/December 2009

Biological Weapons

‘Prevention of biothreats: a look ahead’ (Information from conference held by the Centre for Biosecurity, University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre)
UPMC
6 October 2009

‘Darpa looks to upgrade bio-threat detectors’
Wired
19 October 2009

‘WMD Commission says US has failed to address bioterror threats’
Global Security Newswire
22 October 2009

‘Anthrax drug stirs concern’
The Wall Street Journal
27 October 2009