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BIOTERRORISM AND BIOWEAPONS SPECIAL REPORT
Latest news
Bioterrorism: The Risks
Biodefence
Smallpox
Anthrax Attacks In The Us
Bioweapons Treaty
LATEST
Virus synthesised in a fortnight
The fast-track method will boost the bid to create artificial life, as well as biomedical research - but bioterrorists could gain too
14 Nov 03
Anthrax scare shuts US post office
The possible discovery of anthrax spores at a naval postal facility closes 11 offices - detailed tests are now being conducted
7 Nov 03
US crackdown on bioterror is backfiring
Destroyed samples and abandoned research are leaving the world more vulnerable to natural disease outbreaks and deliberate attacks
5 Nov 03
US develops lethal new viruses
An extremely deadly form of mousepox is created by a government-funded scientist - critics say the work is risky and unecessary
29 Oct 03
BIOTERRORISM: THE RISKS
West Nile cases doubled in 2003 US outbreak
Better monitoring of human cases of the potentially deadly infection is one explanation, but it is clear the virus is now endemic
29 Oct 03
West NileVirus's milder cousin gives vaccine hope
Immunisation with the harmless Kunjin virus could protect people against its deadlier relation, suggests a new study in mice
12 Aug 03
West Nile Virus set for fresh rampage across the US
As cases triple in a week, officials warn that 2002's record-breaking epidemic of the deadly virus may well be surpassed this season
8 Aug 03
Fast-acting Ebola vaccine offers hope
The single-shot jab protects monkeys from the daily disease within a month - far faster and simpler than the current approach
6 Aug 03
Traces of West Nile Virus found in UK birds
The first ever survey reveals widespread antibodies to the potentially deadly virus, but the risk to people is low
22 Jul 03
Deadly horse disease rampages across US East coast
The virus can jump to humans and may be coming to a 10-year peak after a hike in cases on the East Coast
11 Jul 03
Police search for missing terror toxin
British police are searching for a batch of ricin, the highly poisonous plant toxin, following the discovery of traces in a London flat
8 Jan 03
Scrutiny of Iraq's weapon declaration begins
The 12,000 page report will be closely examined for omissions, but checking any could put Iraqi scientists under great pressure
9 Dec 02
London 'gas attack plan' highlights fears
An alleged plot to release poisonous gas on the city's underground trains focuses attention on fears of a terrorist attack
18 Nov 02
Desert warriors
Is Iraq turning camelpox into a biological weapon?
20 Apr 02
Open to attack
Natural or manmade, infectious diseases showed they still have us at their mercy
22 Dec 01
Anthrax outbreak to be simulated at UK post room
The experiment is aimed at revealing how deadly biological weapons can spread so widely through the postal system
6 Nov 01
Know your enemy
Are bioweapons really a threat? Yes, says Debora MacKenzie, because they aren't hard to make
27 Oct 01
Comment: Give it to us straight
Freak coincidence, the work of a disgruntled former employee or terrorists dabbling in biological weapons as a foretaste of things to come?
13 Oct 01
Bubonic plague genome is "unusually fluid"
The Black death bacterium, now a potential biological weapon, readily rearranges its genes and picks up new ones
3 Oct 01
Airborne biological weapon attacks are serious concern
Fears of terrorist plans involving crop-dusting aeroplanes must be taken seriously, say experts, because such an attack would be extremely effective
24 Sep 01
Governments struggle to second guess terrorists' next move
Assessing the relative risks of low-tech and chemical or biological terrorist attacks has become both more urgent and more complex
20 Sep 01
Terror trial run
Tokyo narrowly escaped a devastating anthrax attack
1 Sep 01
Prepare for the worst
Is the US wimpish over biological weapons? Would the world understand a more aggressive stance? Ken Alibek thinks so
14 Jul 01
Lethal legacy
China is still plagued by diseases from Japan's biological weapons
3 Feb 01
Disaster in the making
An engineered mouse virus leaves us one step away from the ultimate bioweapon
13 Jan 01
Run, radish, run
Terrorists intent on creating chaos needn't risk hitting cities directly. Bioweapons that attack crops could do just as much damage, warns Debora MacKenzie
18 Dec 99
Inside out
Review of "Biohazard" by Ken Alibek with Stephen Handelman, Hutchinson, 17.99, ISBN 0091800854
29 May 99
Needle warfare
Review of "The Ultimate Terrorists" and "Saddam's Secrets: The Hunt for Iraq's Hidden Weapons"
3 Apr 99
A terrifying power
The world's first simple artificial life form could be constructed in the next few years. But the team leading the way have stopped work for the moment, fearing that their discovery might lead to the creation of the ultimate bioweapon
30 Jan 99
Naked into battle
Preparations for war in the Gulf have highlighted a major hole in the West's defences
28 Feb 98
All fall down
One hundred kilograms of anthrax spores could wipe out an entire city in one go. It's only a matter of time before bioterrorists strike
11 May 96
BIODEFENCE
Gene tests could scupper bioterrorists
New technology may soon allow exposure to mystery biological weapons to be identified in a few hours
18 Mar 03
Vaccine developed for lethal ricin
A stash of the bean toxin was found stashed in a cave in Afghanistan - now a human vaccine could soon be available
12 Sep 02
US scientists propose counter-terrorism measures
A National Science Foundation report outlines urgently needed research - and proposes a new public health corps
26 Jun 02
Surplus skin used for bioweapons research
Patients undergoing reductive surgery in the west of England are being asked to donate surplus tissue to Porton Down
7 Jun 02
Cough syrup sales might reveal anthrax outbreak
Many diseases that appeal to bioterrorists start out feeling like flu - could drugs sales provide early warning of an attack?
15 Apr 02
Anthrax screensaver finds promising new drugs
The project has hit paydirt in just four weeks - but not all participants are happy
19 Feb 02
Ozone tested as anti-anthrax weapon
Ozone could be used to kill anthrax spores in mail safely and cheaply, says a US company
28 Jan 02
Screensaver searches for anthrax treatment
A new distributed computing project means PCs can help search for molecules that block the anthrax toxin
22 Jan 02
Hospital internet system could spot bioterrorist attack
A computerised early warning system may soon be monitoring US hospitals - raising the alarm quickly could reduce the spread of infections
17 Dec 01
Trust the people
It's lack of information that feeds panic after a terror attack
15 Dec 01
Don't panic, that runny nose isn't anthrax
As the flu season arrives, doctors in the US fear emergency rooms will be besieged by people with flu-like symptoms who think they've got anthrax
10 Nov 01
Ready for anything
Warn the immune system an attack is coming and it can protect us from bioweapons
10 Nov 01
Bioterror catches hospitals napping
Most hospitals in the US are ill-prepared for even a limited biological attack, two surveys have revealed
27 Oct 01
Vital moments
An antidote to anthrax's killer toxin could buy time and save lives
27 Oct 01
Out of the blue
Another attack could come at any time, anywhere. Is there a way to protect ourselves?
27 Oct 01
Anthrax antibiotics stockpiled around the world
The US plans to multiply stocks by six times, but concerns surface over raising antibiotic resistance in common bacteria
15 Oct 01
Intelligence analysis software could predict attacks
A program that can spot suspicious patterns of behaviour in vast quantities of data may help prevent terrorist attacks
2 Oct 01
Gas mask panic buying is an "over-reaction"
The variable quality of masks and the likely lack of warning of a biological terrorist attack means protection is doubtful
25 Sep 01
A tiny artificial muscle could detect lethal biowarfare agents
A team of Australian researchers is using the molecules that make muscles contract to develop a small chip-based bioweapons detector
1 Sep 01
Stop that virus
"Nanodecoys" could filter out biological weapons in gas masks
26 Aug 00
Cold burn takes sting out of bioweapons
A new "cold flame" technique burns off surface contaminants with highly reactive atomic oxygen
27 Mar 99
Cholera collared...
Glowing beads could help us avoid deadly diseasess
28 Nov 98
Bioarmageddon
Sooner or later there is going to be a biological attack on a major city. Are we prepared to deal with it? Not a chance, says Debora MacKenzie
19 Sep 98
Nowhere to hide
America is waking up to the threat of bioterrorism, but is there any real defence?
21 Mar 98
Strike at will
The more we prepare for bioterrorist attacks, the worse it all seems
21 Mar 98
US bioterror alert prompts tighter rules
Would-be bioterrorists in the US should find it harder to obtain deadly infectious agents under regulations released last week
22 Jun 96
SMALLPOX
US smallpox vaccination plan grinds to a halt
Only a tenth of the planned half a million healthcare workers have accepted the immunisation
22 Aug 03
Smallpox immunity may last a lifetime
The protection offered by vaccination may last much longer than thought - good news if terrrorists ever release the bug
8 Aug 03
Monkeypox is latest disease to reach America
More than 37 people may have caught the virus from pet prairie dogs. If wild rodents have been infected, the disease could become endemic, in the same way that West Nile fever has
14 Jun 03
Smallpox jab may be used for monkeypox
The US outbreak rises to 50 suspected cases - the smallpox vaccine is now being considered as a protective measure
11 Jun 03
US 'too busy' to spot a smallpox outbreak
The rush to vaccinate people against smallpox means US public health authorities are too busy to watch for an actual outbreak
27 Feb 03
Smallpox vaccine likely to kill Americans
The precaution against bioterrorism will be costly - the contagious vaccine will sicken and almost certainly kill a few of the million people due to receive it
18 Dec 02
US blueprint for smallpox mass-vaccination
Detailed guidelines for vaccinating all 288 million citizens within five days of an outbreak are being dispatched to every state
23 Sep 02
New smallpox drug stops virus in its tracks
A new pill may be vital if bioterrorists attempt to wipe out populations with pox
23 Mar 02
Stay of execution
Why one of the world's deadliest killers has won another reprieve
26 Jan 02
Comment: One good reason to let smallpox live
It's now a fair bet that we will never see the total extinction of the smallpox virus
26 Jan 02
WHO votes for smallpox reprieve
The 32 nations who govern the World Health Organisation have voted to put off destroying the last official stocks of smallpox virus
17 Jan 02
Smallpox release could trigger widespread epidemic
Low immunity means an epidemic of smallpox could sweep rapidly through the world if the virus ever got out
12 Dec 01
Ready or not
Have we got what it takes to beat a smallpox attack?
3 Nov 01
US starts high-speed smallpox vaccine programme
The US government asks drug companies to produce and speed-test new vaccines, compressing years of trials into months
25 Oct 01
Smallpox attack
The US already has enough smallpox vaccine to defeatmost bioterrorist attacks with this virus
29 Jul 00
Comment: Long live smallpox
Destroying the last official cultures of the virus could backfire
1 May 99
ANTHRAX ATTACKS IN THE US
Harmless anthrax relatives conceal deadly weapons
Analysis of the bacteria reveals all have a similar cache of pathogenic genes but that some do not use them - for now
30 Apr 03
Bioterrorist fears prompt journal paper censorship
The revelation comes as the editors of leading journals call on scientists to take ethical responsibility for their research
17 Feb 03
Recipes for bioterror: censoring science
Can we stop potentially deadly biotech research getting into the wrong hands? Scientists do not even agree on the need for censorship, let alone the means
18 Jan 03
Dipstick gives rapid plague diagnosis
The "remarkable" new test takes 15 minutes, not weeks, and will be a powerful tool in preventing major outbreaks
17 Jan 03
Spore detector 'could spot anthrax attack'
The device continuously samples the air and quickly sounds an alarm if the bacterial spore count suddenly increases
24 Oct 02
Bioweapon expert denies anthrax involvement
A US scientist makes a categoric public denial of any connection with the fatal US anthrax letter attacks
12 Aug 02
Anthrax attack bug "identical" to army strain
The first detailed DNA sequences are revealed, allowing New Scientist to deduce the likely source
9 May 02
Get on the case
Why is the FBI ignoring vital clues in the hunt for the anthrax attacker?
2 Mar 02
The insider
After months of investigation, it now looks certain that America's anthrax attacks came from within.The implications are terrifying
9 Feb 02
Home truths
Did the anthrax attacker get their supplies from a military lab?
22 Dec 01
Anthrax vaccination offered to exposed US workers
Officials fear inhaled spores may linger in people's lungs - but the vaccine has never been tested for post-exposure protection
19 Dec 01
Wind may explain mystery anthrax cases
Two people who died in the US anthrax attacks with no known connection to the contaminated letters lived downwind of a key post office
14 Dec 01
Anthrax hunt homes in on research labs
Investigators in the US are analysing samples of anthrax stocks held by research labs in a bid to identify the source of the US bioterrorist attacks
8 Dec 01
Fifth US anthrax death raises ominous possibilities
The death of an elderly woman in Connecticut suggests spores may have travelled widely on contaminated post
22 Nov 01
Whodunnit?
A loner with a gridge is behind the anthrax attacks, says the FBI
17 Nov 01
A shot in the dark
Can the anthrax vaccine help protect workers at risk?
3 Nov 01
Biocidal gas could kill anthrax in infected buildings
Chlorine dioxide could be safely used to fumigate a US Senate office building, says the US Environmental Protection Agency
30 Oct 01
Anthrax preparation indicates home-grown origin
The anthrax killing people by post in the US seems to have been prepared using the secret US "weaponisation" recipe
29 Oct 01
Trail of terror
Who sent the anthrax letters and are there more on the way?
27 Oct 01
Electron beams could be used to irradiate post
Anthrax is found at a sorting office serving the White House - but postal irradiation could quickly destroy spores
24 Oct 01
Anatomy of terror
How a few letters sparked a nationwide panic
20 Oct 01
Comment: Psycho killer
If a little anthrax strikes terror, think what smallpox could do
20 Oct 01
Bioweapons alerts may cause lasting psychological harm
US authorities could be causing long-lasting psychological damage by over-reacting to anthrax scares, say medical researchers
19 Oct 01
Anthrax in Florida and New York "the same strain"
The anthrax sent to media offices in New York and Florida was the same strain - but, contrary to reports, it may not have been technically challenging to produce
18 Oct 01
Cases of US anthrax infection rocket
29 people test positive to anthrax exposure in Washington, raising fears of more full-blown cases of disease
17 Oct 01
Confirmed anthrax infections rise to 12
At least three US offices have now received anthrax in the mail, with 12 people contaminated - hundreds of hoaxes are also occurring
15 Oct 01
Anthrax case at TV station in New York
A fourth case is revealed after an employee opened a suspect letter, the first outside the Florida magazine office previously affected
12 Oct 01
Anthrax in Florida attack is North American
The bacteria could have been acquired from a sick animal, a biological supply company or even a US veterinary school
11 Oct 01
Florida cases likely to be first ever anthrax attack
The death of a man on Friday now appears the result of the first deliberate and fatal anthrax attack - further victims are under observation
9 Oct 01
Labs work overtime to find anthrax source
Frantic laboratory work is underway in the US, as scientists try to find out how a man developed a rare form of anthrax
5 Oct 01
BIOWEAPONS TREATY
Biological weapons treaty in disarray
A last-minute demand from the US, unacceptable to other governments, leaves a meeting of treaty members with no agreement
10 Dec 01
Crunch time for biological weapons treaty
Deadlock is looming between the 144 countries that belong to the Biological Weapons Convention - could this meeting be their last?
5 Dec 01
Try again, Mr President
Bush's ill-conceived bioweapons proposals won't win any friends
10 Nov 01
Comment: Inspect and survive
Americans face the demoralising possibility that the anthrax attacks are the work of home-grown fanatics who've never been near am Iraqi or Taliban terrorist training camp
3 Nov 01
US makes new proposals on bioweapons treaty
President Bush presents his ideas for the international biological weapons protocol that the US unilaterally rejected in July
2 Nov 01
US rejects bioweapons agreement
After six years of negotiation, the US has rejected an agreement aimed at enforcing the treaty banning biological weapons
25 Jul 01
Unleash the bugs of war
The US looks set to scupper talks on enforcing the bioweapons treaty
12 May 01
Germs for peace
Bioweapons treaty is the best hope for a global eye on dangerous infections
8 Apr 00
Deadly secrets
Random inspections of factories are essential in the global fight against biological weapons. So why won't the US allow them?
28 Feb 98
Firm but fair
We can't compromise, we must get tough on bioweapons
28 Feb 98
Anthrax FAQ
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