To ensure that U.S. health care providers and facilities are prepared to safely identify, isolate, transport, and treat patients with Ebola and other emerging threats, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched a National Ebola Training and Education Center, at Emory University, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Bellevue Hospital.
Cultured human lung cells infected with a benign version of anthrax spores have yielded insights into how anthrax grows and spreads in exposed people. The study, published in the Journal of Applied Microbiology, will help provide data for human health related to anthrax exposure and help officials better understand risks related to a potential anthrax attack.
The Committee on Homeland Security passed the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act (CIPA). This important legislation protects Americans from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), which threat experts consider one of the most serious risks to national security.
SRI International has been awarded a $12.2 million contract from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to continue development of a diagnostic test for absorbed doses of radiation following a radiological incident. A new, simple screening test is needed to rapidly triage large numbers of people.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is leading an effort to design a new warfighter uniform - with added protection against chemical warfare agents encountered in the field - and Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) scientists are using both standard and new methods to test fabrics that will be used in the suit.
BluePoint Alert announced BluePoint Medical, a new pull-station system designed to directly alert medical response teams when people are requiring emergency medical attention. BluePoint complements physical security systems and addresses the growing need to speed response times when an organization's most valuable asset - its people - are in harm's way.
The HHS emPOWER Map, an interactive online tool, was recently launched to aid community health agencies and emergency management officials in disaster preparedness as they plan ahead to meet the emergency needs of community residents who rely on electrically powered medical and assistive equipment to live independently at home.
Smiths Detection Inc. (SDI) announces it has received a$27.7 million follow-on production order from the Department of the Army for Chemical Biological Protective Shelters (CBPS). SDI's shelters are designed to military specifications, are highly resistant to chemical and biological threats, and can be used in natural disasters and other emergencies, such as a potential terrorist attack response.
When responding to the more than 1.2 million blazes reported annually, the nation's firefighters often lack critical information that could be vitally important in mounting the most effective and safest attack. That information gap could be erased with today's communication, computing, sensor and networking technologies according to a new Research Roadmap for Smart Fire Fighting.
Ansell announces that a four-year framework agreement has been established between the UK Crown Commercial Service (CCS) and Ansell for the purchase of TRELLCHEM VPS CV-ET gastight suit. The framework agreement will be available to the UK emergency services and other public sector organizations.
