The Department of Homeland Security is dismantling a next-generation biological attack warning system in New York City subways because of technical problems, U.S. officials said.
Robert Hooks, a deputy assistant secretary, said the department no longer believes it is necessary to expand the pilot program, as he told Congress in July, because of resource and technology limits. Hooks said a long-planned alternative sensor system, set for initial deployment late next year, also will not be available nationwide until 2012, to allow for more testing.
The deactivation of the pilot program in late March marks a setback in U.S. efforts to detect biological weapons, and its disclosure comes as the Obama administration is unveiling new security priorities as part of its 2010 budget today.
The federal government installed air samplers in more than 30 U.S. cities in 2003 to detect the release of potential bioweapons such as anthrax spores, plague bacteria and smallpox viruses. The BioWatch program, which cost about $500 million, was meant to speed up the response before disease could spread.
via U.S. Halts Pilot Program in New York to Detect Biological Attacks – washingtonpost.com.
As Obama administration officials look to thwart a swine flu pandemic, the influx of political and public attention coming to disease tracking could help energize the administrations health information technology priorities, several experts say.
The Bush administration responded to anthrax attacks and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome SARS outbreaks in 2001 and 2002 with a rush of funding for public health disease-tracking, detection and surveillance IT systems. Public health agencies also got money for communications and logistics systems. But once the immediate threats passed, development slowed.
Now, with swine flu making headlines worldwide and the White House seeking $1.5 billion in supplemental funds to fight it, some health policy experts are recommending fusing public health IT goals with the broader electronic health record agenda.
via Swine flu response elevates health IT — Federal Computer Week.
When it comes to swine flu, the Feds are maintaining full online alert.
As news about the epidemic has burned up all corners of the Web, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services have been using Twitter and YouTube, among other sites, to disseminate information.
Three agency heads — HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Richard Besser of the CDC and Janet Napolitano of the Department of Homeland Security — will conduct a live question-and-answer online session at 1 p.m. today. The hour-long “town hall” will be streamed on CDC.gov and HHS.gov, and questions can be e-mailed to hhsstudio@hhs.gov. A moderator will choose from the questions submitted; staffers at HHS said they will track such social networking sites as Twitter to monitor public response.
via Government Officials Take to the Web to Address Swine Flu Fears – washingtonpost.com.