US to build 2 more maximum security infectious disease labs
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the US Department of Health is pushing ahead with plans to build at least five maximum security laboratories to study deadly diseases like Ebola, anthrax and smallpox. Five of these “level 4” labs already exist in the US. The government feels that the labs are essential in the war on terror. “To know that we can do this research and not do it would be irresponsible,” says Rona Hirschberg, of the National Institutes of Health.
A lab in Boston has drawn fierce opposition from community activists — and even from 150 scientists, including two Nobel laureates from Harvard. They query whether housing dangerous pathogens in an urban setting is safe. “There’s no way of having a system that’s 100% foolproof,” said Penn Loh, executive director of Alternatives for Community and Environment in Roxbury, an inner city, mainly black, Boston neighbourhood near the site. “Should something occur, you don’t want it to happen in a densely populated area.”
- Prescribe morning-after pills to young teenagers, say US pediatric group - November 30, 2012
- Bahrain sentences protest docs to prison - November 28, 2012
- Terry Pratchett assisted suicide documentary wins International Emmy - November 27, 2012
More Stories
Could newborns solve the kidney shortage crisis?
Kidneys from newborn babies could be a “game-changing” solution to organ shortage crisis, according to an American study. According to...
Chinese sperm bank pushes the boundaries in its marketing
With a birth rate of 1.09 and a declining population, there is a sense of urgency in China about reversing...
Chinese scientists grow humanized kidneys in pigs
Chinese scientists have successfully created chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred into surrogate pig...
People born from donor gametes in UK will be able to doorknock their dad
As of October 1, 18-year-olds in the United Kingdom conceived with donor gametes will be able to find out who...
British teen dies after doctors refuse her request for experimental treatment
ST, the 19-year-old woman at the centre of a dispute about mental competence and healthcare in Britain, has died of...
Dodging a bullet: how a report recommending ‘chestfeeding’ and inclusive pronouns almost became the norm in British maternity wards
A transgender maternity report commissioned by public health authorities in the UK last year made headlines by recommending the use...