New Anthrax Therapeutic Treatment for Stockpile      

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will purchase 20,000 treatment courses of ABthrax, an anthrax therapeutic treatment from Human

 Genome Sciences (Rockville, MD) under the Project BioShield program.  ABthrax is a human monoclonal antibody to Bacillus anthracis protective antigen.

The Department of Homeland Security has determined that anthrax poses a threat to the U.S. population and the interagency Weapons of Mass Destruction Medical Countermeasures Subcommittee has recommended that anthrax therapeutics be acquired to improve the nation's biodefense preparedness and response capabilities and protect civilians from a potentially lethal exposure to anthrax spores.

U.S. Biodefense Spending to Increase

According to a recent report from the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, the United States has spent or distributed more than $36 billion for biodefense since 2001, and expected to increase to $44 billion in fiscal 2007.  In the next fiscal year Bush Administration will  spend $8 billion for defenses against biological weapon, a hike of $120 million from spending approved by Congress for fiscal 2006  The majority of funding—more than $26 billion through fiscal 2007—has been directed toward development of countermeasures against pathogens and protective gear. Another $3 billion has probably been aimed at upgrading medical monitoring and environmental detection of weaponized agents, with $7.5 billion designated for preparing state and local agencies and hospitals for an attack.

Public  Health Preparedness Plans for Avian influenza

A recently published report in the Annals of Internal Medicine examines the risk potentials for a mutant Influenza A virus (H5N!) and serious avian influenza pandemic.   Of the 124 reported cases through May 2006, nearly all were acquired by direct contact with poultry.  Going by the 1918-1919 avian influenza public health pandemic the mutant virus traversed the world in three months resulting in an estimated 50 million deaths.  Are we prepared for this a repeat pandemic of this proportion?  The answer is a clear no, in most part due to lack of effective medical countermeasures, limited medical surge capacity and healthcare infrastructure to diagnose, treat and monitor patients in such volume. 

As of May 2006,  more than 140 million potentially exposed domesticated birds were culled in 153 countries to limit spread of avian flu.  The worst pandemic in recorded medical history was Spanish flu (H1N1) in 1918 and 1919. The last pandemic was Hong Kong flu (H3N2) 37 years ago in 1968 and 1969.

The H5N1 influenza virus could acquire property by mutational adaptation of the avian strain, as with the Spanish influenza, or by reassortment through dual infection with human and avian strains as occurred in 1957 (Asian influenza) and 1968 (Hong Kong influenza).