Evolv Technology today announced Evolv Edge™, its people screening system that detects weapons and bombs, has achieved the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) SAFETY Act Designation. Following a rigorous application and due diligence process by DHS, the Evolv Edge is now a Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT).
Researchers have identified a compound that strongly inhibits botulinum neurotoxin, the most toxic compound known. That inhibiting compound, nitrophenyl psoralen (NPP), could be used as a treatment to reduce paralysis induced by botulism. Botulinum neurotoxin is considered a potential bioweapon because there is no U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved antidote.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of the drug Seizalam® (midazolam injection) as an anti-seizure medication, protects Americans from a potentially deadly health effect of chemical weapons. Having this drug, developed by Meridian Medical Technologies, available in multi-use vials makes drug administration easier in emergencies involving a large number of people exposed to chemicals that cause prolonged seizures.
First responders and educators now have a tool at their disposal to help ensure the safety of the nation’s schools, as well as the students and faculty within them. The Enhanced Dynamic Geo-Social Environment (EDGE), a virtual training platform, allows teachers, school staff, law enforcement officers, and others tasked with school security to create and practice response plans for a wide range of critical incidents.
The neurologic effects and treatment options for exposure to biologic and chemical agents are outlined in a newly published article by neurologists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine who collaborated on the article with military physicians. The authors describe how to recognize, diagnose, treat, and report exposures to anthrax, botulism, brucella, plague, smallpox, organophosphates, nerve agents, cyanide, or carfentanil.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza (flu) in patients 12 years of age and older who have been symptomatic for no more than 48 hours. Flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. When patients with the flu are treated within 48 hours of becoming sick, antiviral drugs can reduce symptoms and duration of the illness.
The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Next Generation First Responder Apex program partnered with the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to address capability gaps and develop the Assistant for Understanding Data through Reasoning, Extraction, and Synthesis (AUDREY). AUDREY is a state-of-the-art human-like reasoning system designed to assist first responders in synthesizing high-level data while at the scene of an emergency.
Among the many lessons learned during the 2017 Hurricane season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognized that addressing children’s mental and behavioral health needs is a major concern in hurricane-affected areas. CDC’s At Risk Task Force was established in 2017 to ensure identification and prioritization of the mental and physical health needs of at-risk populations, including children.
President Donald J. Trump signed the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 into law as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018. With the economic disruption and the cost of disasters on the rise nationwide, the Federal Emergency Management Agency worked closely with Congress over the past year as they considered, and ultimately passed, important reforms to federal disaster programs.
A new report from the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense recommends eight key steps that will increase the capability of the state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) public and private sectors to share with the federal government the burden of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from large-scale biological events.
