Scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases report that the influenza virus protein has an unexpected Achilles heel. The team discovered and characterized the structure of a naturally occurring human antibody that recognizes and disrupts a portion of the hemagglutinin protein that the virus uses to enter and infect cells. Vaccines designed to elicit antibodies against this target might provide long-lasting protection against any influenza strain.
The World Health Organization’s new Science Division launched an online resource to guide the development of new health products for which there are limited markets or incentives for research and development. The Health Product Profile Directory aims to promote research and development for products to combat neglected diseases and threats to global health, including antimicrobial resistance and diseases with pandemic potential.
The Defense Department is developing a secure 5G mobile telecommunication network strategy, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment said during a Pentagon news conference. A 5G network would be 100 times faster than current networks, would be more resilient and less susceptible to attacks, and would dramatically improve military communication and situational awareness.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Integration Center has released a Senior Leader Toolkit, a resource that both emergency management and senior leaders can use to understand their roles and responsibilities during incidents. The toolkit includes Elected Officials/Senior Executives Quick Reference Guide, a Department Head Quick Reference Guide, and a NIMS [National Incident Management System] Senior Leader Briefing Template.
After a hurricane, flood, or other disaster, responders, emergency healthcare professionals, and disaster relief service providers face the challenge of considering the specific vulnerabilities of people struggling to manage opioid use disorder treatment and recovery while meeting the increased needs of the community at large.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Law Program now offers a Public Health Emergency Law (PHEL) course, which prepares state, tribal, local, and territorial practitioners to make informed legal decisions related to emergency preparedness and response activities. PHEL consists of three competency-based units and covers legal issues to consider before, during, and after public health emergencies.
Acts of mass violence stress communities and can cause serious psychological stress. By planning for a no-notice mass casualty event, emergency managers and public health professionals and their partners will be better equipped to support their communities through the recovery and healing process.
For security practitioners, it could seem impossible to catch everything that happens in a wide, crowded space. Stadiums and other large, public venues require near-perfect surveillance systems to do so. New technology developed by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) offers a novel 360-degree, single-vantage-point surveillance capability. https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2019/04/30/snapshot-st-immersive-imaging-system-winner-rd-100-award
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) SIGMA program, which began in 2014, has demonstrated a city-scale capability for detecting radiological and nuclear threats that is now being operationally deployed. DARPA is building off this work with the SIGMA+ initiative that is focused on providing city- to region-scale detection capabilities across the full chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive threat space.
A team of scientists including researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory has studied a catalyst that decomposes nerve agents, eliminating their harmful and lethal effects. The research was published 19 April 2019, in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
