Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi (shown earlier this month) denied yesterday that Iran is attempting to develop nuclear weapons (AFP photo/Joseph Barrak). Iran Admits Failure to Report Nuclear Technology Iran has acknowledged that it failed to report its possession of a design for an advanced uranium enrichment centrifuge, the New York Times reported today. The concession follows reports yesterday that International Atomic Energy Agency officials had discovered the design as part of their investigation into Iran’s nuclear program and the international smuggling network that provided equipment and technology to Tehran, Tripoli and Pyongyang (see GSN, Feb. 12; Sanger/Broad, New York Times, Feb. 13)...Full Story

U.S. Officials Say All State Plans In, National Assessment Due in Months By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — In what would be a major acceleration of a process experts call crucial to improving U.S. terrorism and WMD response, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told members of Congress yesterday that his department will produce a national assessment of the terrorist threat within three months (see GSN, Jan. 30)...Full Story

False Iraqi WMD Hopes Hinder Intelligence Reform, Kay Says Former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq David Kay said yesterday that lingering hopes within the Bush administration over finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq could hinder efforts to improve the U.S. intelligence-gathering process (see GSN, Feb. 12)...Full Story

	Friday, February 13, 2004

U.S. Officials Say All State Plans In, National Assessment Due in Months By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — In what would be a major acceleration of a process experts call crucial to improving U.S. terrorism and WMD response, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told members of Congress yesterday that his department will produce a national assessment of the terrorist threat within three months (see GSN, Jan. 30). Homeland Security Department officials had previously indicated that the assessment, which the department is required to conduct under the 2002 law that created it, would take three to five years. As states and cities vie for control of post-Sept. 11, 2001, federal dollars for emergency responders, the national assessment is expected to allow the department’s Office for Domestic Preparedness to distribute its grants in a more targeted way. The current formula for the office’s major grant program is based on a combination of per-state minimums and population differences. A central part of the national assessment process, the consolidation by the Office for Domestic Preparedness of statewide homeland security strategies and assessments, is progressing quickly, the head of the office said today at a state emergency management directors’ meeting. Director Suzanne Mencer said all states have submitted their plans and that the office is reviewing them quickly, with “very few rejected outright.” Chris Rizzuto of the office added that of 56 plans from U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia, 30 have already been either fully or conditionally approved. Data Validation Could be Completed Within Months Last month, Mencer’s office extended indefinitely the deadline for a crucial component of the assessment process, state verification of raw data provided by localities. The verification, meant to streamline spending, could be a considerable task, according to state officials who have complained of receiving what amount to “wish lists” from local jurisdictions. Representative Chris Shays (R-Conn.) alluded to the problem at yesterday’s hearing, prompting Ridge to reply, “We need to pare the wish lists down to needs.” In an interview today, though, Rizzuto said state plans being approved by the office do not consist of “wish lists.” “I think ‘wish list’ is a very strong term. This is not a wish list,” Rizzuto said. At a meeting slated to take place March 1-2 here, Office for Domestic Preparedness and state officials are to discuss the data validation process, which Rizzuto called “an option” for the states. “It would be useful for us,” he said in an interview today. John Cohen, president of the Homeland Security Leadership Alliance’s board of advisers, called it crucial that validation be conducted systematically. Cohen, who advises state and local governments on homeland security concerns, said state and local officials see a need for consistency in assessments around the country. “They recognize that it would be a somewhat flawed approach to have some people validate the information and not have others validate the information, because then, what you get is an inaccurate national picture,” Cohen said. Mencer told state officials today that her office is “in the process of forming a group, a task force, to look at how to validate the information in these strategies.” Rizzuto said states will probably be given about two months after the March 1-2 meeting to conduct the verification. It remains unclear whether the verification delay will slow the national threat assessment process itself. The assessment is being conducted not by Mencer’s office, but by the department’s Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate. Cohen said that if next month’s data validation meeting is used to help make threat and vulnerability assessments more consistent around the country, the Homeland Security Department could make good on Ridge’s prediction of a national threat assessment within months. Cohen called it important that state and local information be a primary driver of the national assessment. “I’m not really sure how ― if we don’t have a consistent methodology that’s used to collect and document threat, vulnerability and risk ― we can effectively determine, within our country, which communities are most at risk,” Cohen said. “Any threat and vulnerability assessment that does not incorporate data from state and local governments would be fatally flawed,” he said. Meanwhile, Rizzuto said, the office is hoping within a month to begin paying out grants, which in fiscal 2004 will not be contingent on the verification step or on any national threat assessment. “I think we’ve all kind of realized,” said Cohen, “that 2004 is a transition year. … What they should be doing is using 2004 as the year that they introduce and create this level of consistency.” Ridge Cites “Logjam” in Grant Distribution As the Office for Domestic Preparedness strives to dole out its grants in a more targeted manner, the funds in question are dwindling, and much money that has already been allocated is apparently failing to reach first responders. The Bush administration last week submitted a fiscal 2005 budget proposal that would cut the office’s funding by about $600 million, to $3.6 billion, despite predictions last year by Ridge that the office’s budget would grow over the short term to more than $7 million annually. In discussing the cut, both Ridge and House Select Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) have said billions of dollars already allocated remain unspent. Mencer today cited two primary factors slowing distribution of the funds. The involvement of some state legislatures’ appropriations committees, she said, is slowing the process in certain states. In others states, she said, “It’s not set up very well to get the money out, because all of the people aren’t at the table.” “We’re ready to distribute every penny,” Ridge told the House committee yesterday. “The logjam, I believe, is there’s no single distribution mechanism between states and the local communities. … It varies from state to state, [but] the federal government is ready to cut the checks,” Ridge said. Mencer said equipment purchases have up to now been the priority for grant spending but training and exercises are now becoming more important.  “I see it kind of like a pendulum here,” Mencer said. She said that until now, state and local governments have been asking, “How many toys can we possibly buy?” Back to top

False Iraqi WMD Hopes Hinder Intelligence Reform, Kay Says Former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq David Kay said yesterday that lingering hopes within the Bush administration over finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq could hinder efforts to improve the U.S. intelligence-gathering process (see GSN, Feb. 12). Kay has said a number of times that there is no evidence that Iraq possessed stockpiles of biological or chemical weapons, nor was there evidence of active large-scale programs to produce those or nuclear weapons. U.S. President George W. Bush and other senior administration officials, however, have continued to say that such weapons could someday be found someday. “They could be hidden, they could have been transported to another country,” Bush said of alleged Iraqi weapons of mass destruction during an interview last week with NBC’s Meet the Press. In an interview with the Associated Press yesterday, Kay said that such hopes hurt needed efforts to reform U.S. intelligence. “My only serious regret about the continued holding on to the hope that eventually we’ll find it is that it eventually allows you to avoid the hard steps necessary to reform the process,” he said. Kay also acknowledged that political concerns may be behind the Bush administration’s continued hopes. “I suspect if I had their jobs I’d probably, to keep my sanity, be an eternal optimist about some things,” he said (Associated Press/USA Today, Feb. 13). Intelligence Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence voted unanimously yesterday to expand its inquiry into prewar intelligence on Iraq to examining whether Bush administration officials exaggerated the intelligence to improve the case for war, according to the Washington Post. The decision to expand the committee’s inquiry “illustrates the commitment of all members to a thorough review, to learning the necessary lessons from our experience with Iraq, and to ensuring that our armed forces and policy-makers benefit from the best and most reliable intelligence that can be collected,” committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said in a statement (Dana Priest, Washington Post, Feb. 13). “We will address the question of whether intelligence was exaggerated or misused by reviewing statements by senior policy-makers to determine if those statements were substantiated by the intelligence,” said Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), the top Democrat on the intelligence panel. The new areas of investigation include whether Bush administration officials pressured intelligence analysts to shape their reports to fit policy objectives; the role of the U.S. Defense Department’s Office of Special Plans, which was set up to investigate possible links between prewar Iraq and al-Qaeda; and the use of intelligence provided by the Iraqi National Congress opposition group, according to a committee statement. The committee will also examine “whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq” by administration figures were “substantiated by intelligence information.” A senior committee aide said the panel has not determined how it would decide whether administration officials’ claims exaggerated the available intelligence. The committee, though, has collected claims and statements going back to the Clinton administration and the relevant intelligence reports, the aide said, adding, “All that has to be done now is the comparison” (Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15). Yesterday’s vote rejected one line of inquiry sought by Democrats — the ability for the committee to use its subpoena power to examine whether Bush administration officials used information still undisclosed when making their claims on Iraq, according to the Washington Post. “It’s progress, but there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have a full inquiry,” Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said (Priest, Washington Post). Bush yesterday named the final two members of a nine-member commission that will investigate prewar intelligence on Iraq. The new members are Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Charles Vest and former Assistant Defense Secretary Henry Rowen (Associated Press/Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13). Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) criticized the commission yesterday, saying it would not have the resources needed to adequately carry out its work. “Americans deserve an explanation … but this commission seems designed more to shield the administration from accountability than to perform a true service,” he said. White House spokesman Jim Morrell rebuffed Corzine’s criticism, though, saying the commission “will have the independence and the resources to do its job” (Chris Mondics, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 13). Back to top       U.S. Plans Syrian Sanctions By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States is considering how heavily to sanction Syria, as called for in a law created last year that requires Syria to suffer economic penalties if it fails to end its alleged WMD activities and official support for terrorism, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 15, 2003). In December, President George W. Bush signed into law the Syria Accountability Act, which imposes a ban on U.S. exports of military and dual-use items to Syria and requires the president to impose at least two more sanctions from a list of six specified in the law. The six additional sanctions include a ban on U.S. exports to Syria, a downgrading of U.S. diplomatic representation there and a freeze on Syrian assets.  The sanctions cannot be lifted until four conditions stated in the law are met, including an end to Syrian development of biological and chemical weapons and medium- and long-range ballistic missiles and an end to state support for terrorist groups. The law does give Bush the authority, however, to waive both sets of sanctions for national security reasons. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing yesterday, Powell said the administration is considering which of the additional sanctions to impose on Syria. “We’re examining now what sanctions of the act we want to use,” he said. During a House International Relations Committee earlier this week, Powell said the administration would make its decision on implementing the Syria Accountability Act “in the near future.” The Syrian Embassy in Washington has dedicated an entire page of its official Web site specifically to oppose the Syria Accountability Act, saying in a posted statement that the law damages U.S.-Syrian relations and Syria’s cooperation in the war on terrorism. At yesterday’s Senate hearing, Powell said there are still signs that Syria continues to provide support for terrorist groups, noting that the Damascus offices of several groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah remain open. “Syria has not done what we demanded of it with respect to the closing permanently of those offices and getting those individuals out of Damascus,” he said. Powell also refused to address reports that Syrian aircraft sent to Iran on humanitarian missions following a massive earthquake there late last year returned carrying weapons for terrorist groups. Back to top       U.S. Congressional Delegation to Meet With Qadhafi Today A delegation of lawmakers from the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is expected to meet today in Libya with leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi and other senior officials, a senior committee member said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 11). The purpose of the visit by the six-member delegation is to assess the accuracy of earlier intelligence on Libyan WMD efforts, said Representative Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee. “We now have a way to compare what we thought we knew with what we will learn on the ground,” she said (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, Feb. 13). Meanwhile, U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said yesterday that the United States and Libya have discussed measures to remove sanctions against Tripoli. “The precise way in which the various applicable U.S. restrictions on dealings with Libya will be removed is a subject we’ve been considering internally. We’ve discussed it with the Libyans and I think you’ll see it unfolding,” he said. Bolton, though, refused to say when the sanctions would be lifted. “The responsibility is really now with the government of Libya to carry through on the commitments they made,” he said. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday praised Libya for agreeing to dismantle its WMD programs, but said Tripoli needed to stop causing “trouble” in Africa before a full relationship with the United States could be reached. “Libya, over the years, has shifted its attention and focus to different parts of Africa. When it sort of fails in one part of Africa, it sort of pops up elsewhere, fomenting difficulty. We have made sure that what we discussed is their activities in Africa, which must cease to be destabilizing, cease to fund despotic regimes and cease to cause trouble,” Powell said during a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing (Daily Star, Feb. 13). In addition, Hong Kong announced today the formal end to trade and flight sanctions against Libya. Trade between Hong Kong and Libya resumed in 1999 after Hong Kong passed a law to suspend U.N. sanctions imposed against Libya (Agence France-Presse/Business Day, Feb. 13). Back to top       Liberia Joins Initiative to Interdict WMD Cargo The U.S. State Department announced today that the United States and Liberia have signed an agreement to help facilitate the Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-led international effort to interdict shipments of WMD-related cargo (see GSN, Feb. 2).  The agreement, signed Wednesday, provides authority on a bilateral basis to board naval vessels suspected of carrying WMD-related cargo, the State Department said. The agreement is modeled on those used in counternarcotics efforts. “Liberia has the world’s second largest ship registry and this agreement sends a strong signal to proliferators that the United States and Liberia will not allow the use of their vessels for the transport or transfer of items of proliferation concern,” the State Department said in a press statement (U.S. State Department release, Feb. 13). Back to top

Iran Admits Failure to Report Nuclear Technology Iran has acknowledged that it failed to report its possession of a design for an advanced uranium enrichment centrifuge, the New York Times reported today. The concession follows reports yesterday that International Atomic Energy Agency officials had discovered the design as part of their investigation into Iran’s nuclear program and the international smuggling network that provided equipment and technology to Tehran, Tripoli and Pyongyang (see GSN, Feb. 12; Sanger/Broad, New York Times, Feb. 13). Iranian officials admitted having the documents only after IAEA officials presented them with “unassailable” evidence, according to the Washington Post. The designs are for a P-2 gas centrifuge, a design that operates with much greater efficiency than an earlier version which Iran admitted last year to installing at a previously secret uranium enrichment facility. IAEA officials have unearthed no evidence that Iran has actually built any P-2 centrifuges, according to the Post. “This is not an indication of a significant new capability, but it is something that will cause people to question Iran’s good faith,” said a Europe-based diplomat. Late last year, Tehran publicly admitted to conducting secret nuclear activities for nearly two decades, although Iranian officials have insisted that they were seeking to acquire technology for peaceful purposes only.  Following an October meeting with European Union officials, Iran agreed to suspend its enrichment operations and to disclose the full extent of its nuclear activities (see GSN, Oct. 21, 2003; Joby Warrick, Washington Post, Feb. 13). In discussions with IAEA officials about the recent discoveries, Iran denied that it had tried to deceive the agency, the Times reported, and some Western experts familiar with the issue said Iran could be telling the truth (Sanger/Broad, New York Times). The revelation drew criticism from U.S. officials, however, who reaffirmed the U.S. assessment that Iran is trying to acquire nuclear weapons. “There is no doubt in our mind that Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapons program,” Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said yesterday. “They have not been fully forthcoming,” he added (Warrick, Washington Post). “This is another act of Iranian deception,” said Undersecretary of State John Bolton, attending a Berlin security conference yesterday. “It does not lead to any feeling of security that Iran is carrying through on its commitment to suspend enrichment activity,” he said (Benoit/Khalaf, Financial Times, Feb. 13). Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, however, denied that Iran has weapon ambitions. “Basically, we do not think that a nuclear weapon is going to bring us more security,” he said yesterday. “It is not part of our doctrine,” he added (Sanger/Broad, New York Times). The new disclosures are certain to be a hot topic at the next meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors, scheduled to begin early next month. That timeline “gives the Iranians three weeks to come up with some accounting for their behavior,” said Gregg Sullivan, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau. “There’s time for some diplomacy there,” he said. So far, the agency board has elected not to refer Iran’s nuclear situation to the U.N. Security Council, but that option will again be under consideration, Sullivan said (see GSN, Nov. 26, 2003). “I can’t say we’re going to charge in and go to the Security Council, but that’s always a possibility if the behavior of the Iranians isn’t demonstrating respect for the IAEA’s authority,” he said (Efron/Frantz, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 13). Russian Spent-Fuel Agreement Meanwhile, Iran and Russia were edging closer to signing a nuclear fuel supply agreement for the power reactor Russia is building in Iran at Bushehr. The agreement would require to Iran to return the fuel to Russia after its useful life in the reactor expires (see GSN, Dec. 15, 2003). “I think in about two weeks all outstanding issues will be settled, that is, by the end of February,” said Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev, who added that he hoped to sign the agreement during a scheduled visit to Tehran in late March. “The United States has criticized us and will continue to criticize us,” he said. “They say Iran seeks nuclear weapons under the cover of our peaceful technology transfer. But we keep telling them they’ve got that wrong. We think we abide by all international laws,” Rumyantsev added (Reuters/Moscow Times, Feb. 13). Back to top       Countries, Companies Deny Roles in International Nuclear Black Market Countries and companies identified as having been involved in an October incident involving the shipment of nuclear equipment to Libya have begun issuing denials of any involvement, according to reports today (see GSN, Feb. 12). In a nuclear nonproliferation speech this week, U.S. President George W. Bush identified Sri Lankan B.S.A. Tahir as a key middleman in the international nuclear network. Tahir has been accused of using his computer company, based in the United Arab Emirates, to order uranium enrichment centrifuge components from a Malaysian company — centrifuges that were later intercepted en route to Libya. While Malaysian police are investigating Tahir, there are currently no plans to arrest him, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said yesterday. “He is on his feet and free to move around,” Abdullah said. Abdullah also accused Bush of exaggerating Malaysia’s role in the nuclear proliferation network. “There is no such thing as Malaysia’s involvement,” Abdullah said. “We are not involved in any way.  I don’t know where Bush is getting his evidence from,” he added (Rohan Sullivan, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 12). In his speech, Bush identified SMB Computer as the company used by Tahir in the United Arab Emirates as a front for proliferation. The company’s owner, Seyed Ibrahim Bukhary, though, has denied that his company engaged in nuclear proliferation, saying it was only involved in legal computer sales. Bukhary, who is Tahir’s younger brother, also said his brother had no ownership in the company and was not involved in its management (Raymond Bonner, New York Times, Feb. 13). Meanwhile, British and French intelligence agents seized computers in June from the home of a British businessman suspected of being another important middleman in the international nuclear network, the London Guardian reported today.  Authorities suspect the involvement of Peter Griffin and his son Paul in the international nuclear black market because of the role played by their United Arab Emirates-based company Gulf Technical Industries in the intercepted shipment of centrifuge components to Libya, according to the Guardian. Paul Griffin has denied any involvement in nuclear proliferation activities and said investigators should focus more on Malaysia’s role in the incident (London Guardian, Feb. 13). Back to top       U.S. Senate Committee Nears Approval of Additional Protocol By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Foreign Relations Committee is set to approve soon a resolution ratifying the Additional Protocol to the U.S. nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 12). “In the coming weeks the Foreign Relations Committee intends to report the resolution of ratification of the IAEA Additional Protocol to the Senate. This protocol will strengthen the international community’s ability to detect illegal weapons programs,” Lugar said during a committee hearing. The Additional Protocol, if ratified, will give the IAEA the authority to conduct some supplementary activity in the United States. U.S. officials have said that while the protocol would require the United States to provide significantly more information on U.S. nuclear activities to the IAEA, it was unlikely that the agency would often exercise its inspection authority to visit U.S. facilities, according to reports. A Lugar spokesman said today that “we are not aware of any opposition” to the protocol either within the Foreign Relations Committee, or the full Senate. During a committee hearing held late last month on the issue, a number of Bush administration officials testified in support of the measure. “The Additional Protocol gives the IAEA the tools it needs to discover undisclosed programs at the early stage. … If we’re going to get the benefits inherent to the Additional Protocol, the United States is going to have to lead the way,” said Linton Brooks, head of the Energy Department’s National Nuclear Security Administration. During a major nuclear nonproliferation speech Wednesday, President George W. Bush spoke out in favor of the protocol, calling for the Senate to approve it as soon as possible. “We must ensure that the IAEA has all the tools it needs to fulfill its essential mandate,” Bush said. “Nations that are serious about fighting proliferation will approve and implement the Additional Protocol. I’ve submitted the Additional Protocol to the Senate. I urge the Senate to consent immediately to its ratification,” he added. During yesterday’s Senate hearing, however, Lugar suggested that there were some within the Bush administration opposed to the protocol, and called on Secretary of State Colin Powell to help overcome such opposition. “There has been, from some source that will remain nameless in the administration, questions and objections raised. So I ask that you inform the president that we are eager. And perhaps he can inform the rest of his administration to work with us, because we really would like to move on with this rapidly,” Lugar told Powell during the hearing. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Richard Lugar serves on the board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative.  NTI is the sole sponsor of Global Security Newswire, which is published independently by National Journal Group.] Back to top       Pakistani Authorities Investigate Role of Local Businessman in Nuclear Black Market Pakistani authorities have detained a local businessman over allegations he acted as a middleman in the international black market confessed to by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, Feb. 12). Authorities have detained Aizaz Jafri, a former Islamabad banker who officials have said has acted as a frontman for a number of businesses established by Khan. Pakistani officials said they believe Jafri helped to finance transactions between Khan and the larger illicit nuclear network. Some analysts have said Jafri may have also helped Khan to launder the money he received from his nuclear transfers into legitimate businesses in Pakistan (Solomon/Hussain, Wall Street Journal, Feb. 13). Meanwhile, some Pakistani lawmakers viewed U.S. President George W. Bush’s speech earlier this week on nuclear nonproliferation as tacit support for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s pledge to prevent further nuclear transfers, the Financial Times reported today. In his speech, Bush agreed with Pakistan’s official claim that Khan acted alone and transferred nuclear technology for financial reasons. Bush also did not censure Pakistan for allowing the transfers to go on for so long undetected, the Times reported. “This clearly confirms that Washington has accepted Pakistan’s assurances that it has closed down all outlets for future proliferation,” said Pakistani lawmaker Mushahid Husain. Another Pakistani politician said the timing of the nuclear transfer scandal benefited Pakistan. “The gods are on our side,” the politician said. “If this scandal had blown up at another time, or [if] it had resulted in Libya and Iran going nuclear then Washington’s response could have been much much tougher,” the politician said (Bokhari/Luce, Financial Times, Feb. 13). Back to top       FBI Investigates South African Connection to Larger Illicit Nuclear Network An FBI team is in South Africa investigating the possible connections between former Israeli Army officer Asher Karni and a larger international nuclear network, South African police said yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 13). U.S. authorities arrested Karni in Denver last month on charges that he illicitly transferred nuclear-related components from the United States to Pakistan through his South African-based company (News24.com, Feb. 12). Back to top

U.S. Continues to Lack Disease Response Capabilities, GAO Finds U.S. states and cities have improved their ability to responds to public health emergencies, such as bioterrorist attacks, but significant gaps in readiness remain, a congressional researcher testified yesterday (see GSN, April 8, 2003). “No state is fully prepared to respond to a major public health threat,” Janet Heinrich, the General Accounting Office’s top health care analyst, said in prepared testimony. Nor has any single “aspect of preparedness … been fully addressed by all of the states,” she said. Heinrich praised the progress states have made, but highlight several areas requiring improvement, including: *         Disease surveillance. “The nation’s ability to detect and report a disease outbreak is not uniformly strong across all states,” she said; *         Laboratory capacity. “Only about half of the states reported that they have at least one public health laboratory within the state that has the appropriate instrumentation and appropriately trained staff to conduct certain tests for rapidly detecting and correctly identifying biological agents,” Heinrich said; and *         Communication. The ability of public health officials, health care providers and emergency management agencies to communicate “remains a challenge,” she said (GAO release, Feb. 12). Back to top       U.S. Describes Cases of Smallpox Vaccine Virus Transfers The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday disclosed details of two instances in which armed services members recently vaccinated against smallpox accidentally infected others with the vaccine’s virus, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today (see GSN, Dec. 3, 2003). The cases involved U.S. military personnel who received the smallpox vaccine last year. Since December 2002, more than 575,000 personnel have been inoculated, according to the CDC, and 30 unvaccinated people have developed illnesses after contact with vaccinated personnel. All have recovered, according to the Journal-Constitution. In the cases disclosed yesterday, one involved an armed services member who passed the virus to his wife who then passed it to their breast-feeding baby. Everyone recovered without treatment. The wife had been careful to avoid contact with her husband’s vaccination site, but the virus may have been transferred on towels or bedsheets, the CDC said. It was the first known instance of the virus passing through two generations. In the other case, a recently vaccinated service member passed the virus to a wrestling partner at a military gym, and third service member was infected after wrestling with the second. The bandage protecting the vaccination site on the vaccinee had come off during the wrestling bout. Again, all three recovered (M.A.J. McKenna, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Feb. 13). Back to top

U.S. Workers Exposed to Sarin Are Unharmed, Army Says The two workers exposed to trace amounts of sarin last week at the Anniston, Ala., chemical weapons incinerator were unharmed by the toxic nerve agent, U.S. Army officials said Tuesday (see GSN, Feb. 12). The workers were exposed to the nerve agent during an operation last week to remove crystallized sarin from the incinerator, said project manager Bob Love. The two workers got sarin on their gloved hands while wearing protective gear, and instead of immediately decontaminating their hands, continued to work and spread the sarin over their suits, he said.  While both workers underwent a decontamination shower afterward while wearing their suits, with one worker showering three times, when they left the shower the air around their suits measured at 165 and 185 times the level of sarin needed to set off alarms, according to the Birmingham News. Additional workers in protective gear then cut the workers out of their suits, officials said.  The two workers were taken to a clinic, where one of them registered sarin at a level about twice that needed to set off an alarm, but less than that listed as hazardous under federal standards, the News reported. The second worker only showed trace levels of sarin on his body. Both workers were given blood tests that did not find dangerous levels of sarin, the Army said (Katherine Bouma, Birmingham News, Feb. 11).    Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

© Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.