The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the U.S. Government's lead for efforts to respond to the Zika virus. The President is also seeking more than $1.8 billion in supplemental funding from Congress to address the virus and our governments response efforts.
The Joint SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) Funding and Sustainment Committee announced the launch of several new documents for public safety to utilize for addressing the challenges of securing and sustaining funding to build, improve, expand, and support the ongoing costs of public safety communications systems.
This workshop focuses on midsized and smaller agencies. Through briefings, case studies, and examination of attendee agencies, attendees gain insight into strategies for implementing procedural justice and reducing the effects of implicit bias. In addition, attendees learn to apply the Police-Community Partnership Checklist for assessment and planning.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently mapping existing research and development for Zika in order to prioritize medical products and approaches that should be fast-tracked into development. Most research that could be useful for Zika has been carried out on other flaviviruses, such as dengue and yellow fever.
Keeping warfighters safe from infectious diseases and chemical agents is a Defense Department effort that requires a range of capabilities, from global biosurveillance and quick response to medical countermeasures and interagency and international collaboration. At the Pentagon, the Chemical and Biological Defense Program is an early and critical part of the effort.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the finalization of new federal standards to reduce Salmonella and Campylobacter in ground chicken and turkey products, as well as in raw chicken breasts, legs, and wings. FSIS estimates that implementation of these standards will lead to an average of 50,000 prevented illnesses annually.
President Barack Obama, according to the authority vested in the president by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, gave an executive order to improve the nation's resilience to earthquakes. This executive order provides for a federal earthquake risk management standard.
The U.S. Forest Service released a new report, "Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis," which provides a national assessment of peer-reviewed scientific research on the drought impacts on U.S. forests and rangelands. This report will help the Forest Service better manage forests and grasslands impacted by climate change.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced the beginning of recruitment for its collaborative vaccine study for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Inovio and GeneOne Life Science Inc. are co-developing Inovio's MERS vaccine (GLS-5300) in partnership with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in Maryland, where the trial is being conducted.
Software that helps cybersecurity analysts prevent hacks and a microbial disinfecting system that kills with an activated salt spray are two of the latest innovations Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has successfully commercialized with the help of business partners.
