COVID-19 and CBRNE: Effects of the pandemic in the field of CBRNE.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected our lives in all aspects, including key fields such as social interaction and economic supply chains. The field of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive substances (CBRNE) was already directly affected by the pandemic in that the COVID-19 virus is, in a sense, a biological agent. This paper elaborates on how the field of CBRNE has changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It does so by drawing on the results of an interview study with CBRNE practitioners (Fire Brigades, Law Enforcement Agencies, etc.) conducted as part of the European Union project PReparedness against CBRNE threats through cOmmon Approaches between security praCTItioners and the VulnerablE civil society, as well as findings from research literature on links between CBRNE and COVID-19. This paper highlights four areas where the influence of the pandemic on the CBRNE field has been evident. The four areas are as follows: preparedness for CBRNE incidents and likelihood of future CBRNE incidents (with a focus on terrorist attacks), CBRNE training and education, increased awareness of CBRNE-related behaviors and measures among the general public, and greater awareness of the needs of vulnerable groups (older people, etc.).

Mr. Thorp goes to Washington.

On 2 April, I received an email that changed the course of the next 2 weeks. The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, chaired by United States Congressman Brad Wenstrup, invited me to testify along with my counterparts at Nature and The Lancet. The purpose of the public hearing (Academic Malpractice: Examining the Relationship Between Scientific Journals, the Government, and Peer Review) was to determine whether government officials, specifically former National Institutes of Health leaders Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci, steered journals to publish papers suppressing the idea that COVID-19 may have arisen from a lab accident in Wuhan, China. I was not subpoenaed to appear but made the decision to testify voluntarily. My counterparts, who are based in the United Kingdom, decided not to attend.

[The advantages of the fire department nurse in managing a CBRN event]. / Les atouts de l'infirmier de sapeurs-pompiers dans la gestion d'un événement NRBC.

Nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical hazards are caused by agents of very different origins. They can be blatant or insidious, difficult to detect, accidental or intentional. In all cases, in addition to treating victims, the aim is to avoid contamination of hospital services. Faced with these risks, which are often seen as unlikely or too complex, the firefighter nurse represents an asset for his or her establishment, in terms of both crisis anticipation and management.

Threat Net: A Metagenomic Surveillance Network for Biothreat Detection and Early Warning.

Early detection of novel pathogens can prevent or substantially mitigate biological incidents, including pandemics. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of symptomatic clinical samples may enable detection early enough to contain outbreaks, limit international spread, and expedite countermeasure development. In this article, we propose a clinical mNGS architecture we call "Threat Net," which focuses on the hospital emergency department as a high-yield surveillance location. We develop a susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (SEIR) simulation model to estimate the effectiveness of Threat Net in detecting novel respiratory pathogen outbreaks. Our analysis serves to quantify the value of routine clinical mNGS for respiratory pandemic detection by estimating the cost and epidemiological effectiveness at differing degrees of hospital coverage across the United States. We estimate that a biological threat detection network such as Threat Net could be deployed across hospitals covering 30% of the population in the United States. Threat Net would cost between $400 million and $800 million annually and have a 95% chance of detecting a novel respiratory pathogen with traits of SARS-CoV-2 after 10 emergency department presentations and 79 infections across the United States. Our analyses suggest that implementing Threat Net could help prevent or substantially mitigate the spread of a respiratory pandemic pathogen in the United States.

Blind spots in biodefense.

In October, the Biden administration released its National Biodefense Strategy (NBS-22), the first update since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Although the document notes that one of the lessons of the pandemic is that threats originating anywhere are threats everywhere, it frames threats as largely external to the United States. NBS-22 focuses primarily on bioterrorism and laboratory accidents, neglecting threats posed by routine practices of animal use and production inside the United States. NBS-22 references zoonotic disease but assures readers that no new legal authorities or institutional innovations are needed. Although the US is not alone in failing to confront these risks, its failure to comprehensively address them echoes across the globe.

Desenvolvimento de competências para evacuação aeromédica em emergências e desastres: protocolo de revisão de escopo / Skill development for aeromedical evacuation in emergencies and disasters: a scoping review protocol

OBJETIVO: mapear a produção técnico-científica sobre as competências necessárias para o desenvolvimento de evacuações aeromédicas em situações de emergências e desastres envolvendo agentes químicos, biológicos, radiológicos e nucleares. MÉTODO: protocolo de revisão de escopo. A elaboração deste protocolo foi baseada nas recomendações do Instituto Joanna Briggs, atendendo às recomendações do Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Este protocolo orientará o processo de identificação de fontes de informação, extração de dados e análise de resultados, a partir da necessidade de dar suporte à análise das ações de capacitação de equipes de saúde frente às demandas clínicas e gerenciais a serem criteriosamente observadas em tais situações.

OBJECTIVE: to map the technical-scientific production on the skills necessary for aeromedical evacuation in emergency and disaster situations involving chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents. METHOD: scoping review protocol. The elaboration of this protocol was based on the Joanna Briggs Institute's recommendations, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). This protocol will guide the identification of the sources of information, data extraction, and the analysis of the results based on the need to support the analysis of training actions for health teams facing clinical and managerial demands that must be carefully considered in such situations.

Desenvolvimento de vídeo educativo para educação da equipe de enfermagem sobre a norma regulamentadora - 32 riscos biológicos / Development of an educational video to educate the nursing team about regulatory norm 32 - biological risks

Os profissionais da equipe de enfermagem são os profissionais da saúde mais expostos a Acidente de Trabalho com exposição a Material Biológico (ATMB) no ambiente hospitalar. O tipo mais frequente é relacionado aos materiais perfurocortantes, seguidos da contaminação por contato da pele e da mucosa com sangue, fluidos e/ou secreções. Os ATMB representam um problema de saúde pública mundial, tanto pela frequência com que ocorrem, quanto pela gravidade da repercussão na saúde dos profissionais. A Norma Regulamentadora 32 preconiza diretrizes básicas para a implementação de medidas de proteção à segurança e à saúde dos trabalhadores dos serviços de saúde, porém estudos evidenciam baixa ou parcial adesão a essas diretrizes. Objetivo: Desenvolver e avaliar vídeo educativo para instruir a equipe de enfermagem sobre a NR 32 - Riscos biológicos Método: Trata-se de um estudo metodológico, de construção e validação de um vídeo educativo. Para a construção do vídeo foi utilizado o Design Instrucional Contextualizado que é composto por cinco etapas: análise, design, desenvolvimento, implementação e avaliação. Na etapa de Análise foi realizado o levantamento dos dados das Comunicações de Acidente de Trabalho (CAT) dos profissionais da enfermagem na instituição em que o estudo foi desenvolvido, no design foi elaborado o roteiro do vídeo, definido o formato de animação, na etapa de desenvolvimento ocorreu a elaboração propriamente do vídeo tendo como referencial a Teoria Cognitiva da Aprendizagem Multimídia (TCAM) de Richard Mayer (2009). Na fase da Implementação, o vídeo foi disponibilizado na plataforma do Google Drive para que o material fosse avaliado. Na etapa de avaliação, deu-se a validação do conteúdo do vídeo, primeiramente, por juízes especialistas na área de saúde ocupacional e de profissionais de saúde e, posteriormente, pelo público-alvo. Resultados: No período analisado, os técnicos de enfermagem foram os profissionais que mais registraram ATMB, média de 64%, porém foi observado aumento de 80% dos registros das CATs com o profissional enfermeiro quando comparado o período anterior à pandemia (2019) e durante a pandemia (2020). Dos acidentes, 80% foram do tipo percutâneos, 17% envolvendo mucosas e 3% cutâneos. Foi considerado aceitável para validação de conteúdo o valor de Índice de Validação de Conteúdo (IVC) mínimo de 80%. Dessa forma, o vídeo foi considerado válido pelos juízes especialistas com IVC geral de 91% e pelo público-alvo IVC geral de 100%. Conclusões: O vídeo educativo elaborado "NR 32 a sua segurança em primeiro lugar" demonstrou-se válido tanto pelos juízes quanto pelo público-alvo, com potencial para contribuir com ações educativas em contexto hospitalar, podendo integrar programas de promoção da saúde do trabalhador e incentivar a adesão da equipe de enfermagem às recomendações e diretrizes da NR 32

Nursing team professionals are the health professionals most exposed to Occupational Accidents with exposure to Biological Material (ATMB) in the hospital environment. The most frequent type is related to sharps, followed by contamination by contact of the skin and mucosa with blood, fluids and/or secretions. ATMBs represent a global public health problem, both because of the frequency with which they occur and the severity of the repercussions on the health of professionals. The Regulatory Norm 32 recommends basic guidelines for the implementation of measures to protect the safety and health of health service workers, but studies show low or partial adherence to these guidelines. Objective: To develop and evaluate an educational video to instruct the nursing team on NR 32 - Biological Risks Method: This is a methodological study, for the construction and validation of an educational video. Contextualized Instructional Design was used, which is composed of five stages: analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation. In the Analysis stage, data from the Work Accident Reports (CATs) of nursing professionals at the institution where the study was developed were collected, the video script was designed in the design, the animation format, the actual video was elaborated using the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (TCAM) by Richard Mayer (2009) as a reference. In the Implementation phase, the video was made available on the Google Drive platform so that the material could be evaluated first. The evaluation stage involved the validation of the video content, firstly, by expert judges in the field of occupational health and health professionals, and later by the target audience. Results: An 80% increase in CAT records with nurses was observed when comparing the period before the pandemic (2019) and during the pandemic (2020). Of the accidents analyzed, 80% were percutaneous, 17% involved mucosal and 3% cutaneous. A minimum Content Validation Index (CVI) value of 80% was considered acceptable for content validation. Thus, the video was considered valid by the expert judges with an overall CVI of 91% and by the target audience with a general CVI of 100%. Conclusions: The educational video "NR 32 your safety in the first place" proved to be valid both by the judges and by the target audience, with the potential to contribute to educational actions in a hospital context, being able to integrate programs to promote the health of the worker and encourage the adherence of the nursing team to the recommendations and guidelines of NR 32

Public Perceptions of the "Remove, Remove, Remove" Information Campaign Before and During a Hazardous Materials Incident: A Survey.

In the event of an incident involving the release of hazardous material (eg, chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agents), key actions can be taken to reduce harm and protect the people involved. The quicker actions can be taken, the less harm will occur. Guidance is, therefore, needed to help nonspecialist members of the public to act rapidly before emergency responders arrive. The "Remove, Remove, Remove" campaign includes critical information for anyone who is at or near the immediate scene of a hazardous material release. Using a representative sample of 1,000 members of the UK population, this study examined the impact of the information campaign on knowledge and perceptions both before and during the immediate response to an incident. Findings showed that perceptions of the information were positive, with respondents stating that the information was useful and that the recommended actions would be effective. Respondents also stated they would be willing and able to perform the actions during a real incident. Additionally, the respondents' knowledge and confidence in taking protective actions increased significantly after receiving the campaign information, and they overwhelmingly agreed that they would want to receive this information if it were available before an incident. The findings of the survey support the use of the "Remove, Remove, Remove" information before and during hazardous materials incidents.

The Strategic National Stockpile: identification, support, and acquisition of medical countermeasures for CBRN incidents.

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) serves as a repository of materiel, including medical countermeasures (MCMs), that would be used to support the national health security response to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) incident, either natural or terrorism-related. To support and advance the SNS, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) manages targeted investigatory research portfolios, such as Countermeasures Against Chemical Terrorism (CounterACT) for chemical agents, that coordinate projects covering basic research, drug discovery, and preclinical studies. Project BioShield, managed by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA), guides and supports academia and industry with potential MCMs through the Food & Drug Administration's approval process and ultimately supports the acquisition of successful products into the SNS. Public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the ever-increasing number of MCMs in the SNS present logistical and financial challenges to its maintenance. While MCMs for biological agents have been readily adopted, those for chemical agents have required sustained investments. This paper reviews the methods by which MCMs are identified and supported for inclusion in the SNS, the current status of MCMs for CBRN threats, and challenges with SNS maintenance as well as identifies persistent obstacles for MCM development and acquisition, particularly for ones focused on chemical weapons.

Combat Application Tourniquet fares well in a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear dress state.

INTRODUCTION: There is a need for a military tourniquet to control catastrophic haemorrhage in a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) threat environment. No published data exist as to the efficacy of tourniquets while wearing British military CBRN individual protective equipment (IPE). METHODS: 12 volunteers from the counter CBRN instructors' course allowed testing on 24 legs. A Combat Application Tourniquet (C-A-T) was applied to all volunteers at the level of the midthigh. 12 legs were tested while wearing CBRN IPE (both operator and simulated casualty), and the control group of 12 legs was tested while wearing conventional combat dress state (both operator and simulated casualty). The order of leg laterality and dress state were sequenced according to a prerandomised system. Efficacy was measured via use of an ultrasound probe at the popliteal artery. Tourniquets were considered effective if arterial flow was completely occluded on ultrasound imaging. Data were collected on time to successful application, failure of tourniquets and pain scores as rated by the visual analogue scale (1-10). RESULTS: There were no failures of tourniquet application in the CBRN group, and two failures (17%) in the control group. Failures were pain threshold exceeded (n=1) and tourniquet internal strap failure (n=1). The mean application time for the CBRN group was 28.5 s (SD 11.7) and 23.7 s (SD 9.8) for the conventional combat group. There was no statistically significant difference (p=0.27). The median CBRN pain score was 2.0 (IQR 2.0-3.5). The median control pain score was 4.0 (IQR 3-6). This was a statistically significant difference (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: C-A-Ts applied to simulated casualties in CBRN IPE at the midthigh are at least as efficacious as those applied to the midthigh in a conventional combat dress state. The pain experienced was less in CBRN IPE than when in a conventional combat dress state.

Exposição a materiais biológicos: acidentes de trabalho entre os profissionais de saúde do estado de Pernambuco / Exposure to biological materials: work accidents among health professionals in the state of Pernambuco / Exposición a materiales biológicos: accidentes laborales entre profesionales de la salud en el estado de Pernambuco

Justificativa e Objetivos: Os impactos resultantes dos acidentes ocupacionais provocam riscos evitáveis à saúde dos trabalhadores. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste estudo foi descrever os acidentes de trabalho por exposição a materiais biológicos que ocorrem entre profissionais da área de saúde. Métodos: Trata-se de estudo epidemiológico, transversal e descritivo, com análise de distribuição bivariada dos dados secundários acerca da caracterização pessoal, das características do acidente e do desfecho, fornecidos pelo Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação do estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, no período de 2014 a 2016. A população foi composta por todos os casos de acidente de trabalho envolvendo profissionais dos serviços de saúde. A análise foi realizada mediante estatística descritiva e teste qui-quadrado para comparar as proporções percentuais de cada grupo de variável, assim como por teste qui-quadrado para independência, por meio do software Statistical Package for Social Science. Resultados: Entre as4.260 notificações, o perfil prevalente da amostra analisada foi o de profissionais do sexo feminino (83,53%),com nível de formação técnica (62,21%),cuja via preponderante de exposição aos acidentes foi a percutânea(75,0%) e o principal agente causal a agulha com lúmen (56,1%).Em relação ao desfecho dos casos, 61,3% foram fechados sem registro da informação. Quanto às distribuições bivariadas, as exposições por via percutânea e pele íntegra apresentaram pior desfecho (soroconversão), 22 e 10 casos, respectivamente. Conclusão: A partir dos resultados obtidos, evidenciam-se falhas no processo de notificação e acompanhamento dos acidentes de trabalho em Pernambuco, além de valores elevados e semelhantes de casos em todos os anos pesquisados, indicando a necessidade de aprimorar as estratégias que envolvem prevenção de acidentes e vigilância contínua nos serviços de saúde.(AU)

Justification and Objectives: The impacts of work accidents cause avoidable risks to workers' health. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe accidents caused by the exposure to biological materials that occur among health professionals. Methods: This is an epidemiological, cross-sectional and descriptive study, with bivariate distribution analysis of secondary data on personal characterization, accident characteristics and outcome, provided by the Information System for Notifiable Diseases of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, from 2014 to 2016. The population consisted of all cases of work accidents involving health service professionals. The analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test to compare the percentage proportions of each variable group, chi-square test was also used for independence, using the software Statistical Package for Social Science. Results: Among the 4,260 notifications, the prevalent profile of the analyzed sample was female professionals (83.53%), with technical training level (62.21%), whose predominant route of exposure to accidents was percutaneous (75.0%) and the main causal agent was the lumen needle (56.1%). Regarding the outcome of the cases, 61.3% were closed without registering the information. Regarding bivariate distributions, percutaneous exposures and intact skin presented the worst outcome (seroconversion), 22 and 10 cases, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the flaws in the process of notification and monitoring of work accidents in Pernambuco are clear. The high and stable number of cases in all surveyed years indicates the need to improve strategies that involve accident prevention and continuous surveillance in health services.(AU)

Justificación y objetivos: Los impactos derivados de los accidentes laborales provocan riesgos evitables para la salud de los trabajadores. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir los accidentes laborales con exposición a materiales biológicos entre los profesionales de la salud. Métodos: Se trata de un estudio epidemiológico, transversal, descriptivo con análisis de distribución bivariada de datos secundarios sobre caracterización personal, características del accidente y el desenlace, proporcionado por el Sistema de Información de Enfermedades Notificables del estado de Pernambuco, Brasil, en el período de 2014 a 2016. La población estuvo compuesta por todos los casos de accidentes laborales que involucraron a profesionales de los servicios de salud. El análisis se realizó utilizando estadística descriptiva y la prueba de Chi-cuadrado para comparar las proporciones porcentuales de cada grupo de variables, así como las pruebas de Chi-cuadrado para la independencia utilizando el software StatisticalPackagefor Social Science. Resultados: De las 4.260 notificaciones, el perfil prevalente de la muestra analizada fue el de mujeres profesionales (83,53%), con nivel de formacióntécnica (62,21%), en las que la vía de exposición a accidentes prevalente fue la percutánea (75,0%), y el agente causal lumen aguja (56,1%).En relación al desenlace de los casos, el 61,3% se cerraron sin registrar la información. En cuanto a las distribuciones bivariadas, las exposiciones percutáneas y la piel intacta presentaron peor evolución (seroconversión), con 22 y 10 casos, respectivamente. Conclusión: Con base en los resultados obtenidos, se evidencian fallas en el proceso de notificación y seguimiento de accidentes laborales en Pernambuco, además de altos valores y similares casos en todos los años encuestados, lo que indica la necesidad de mejorar las estrategias de prevención de accidentes y vigilancia continua en los servicios de salud.(AU)

[Interpretation for the group standards in the handling of accidental leak coronavirus disease 2019 sample].

Biosafety is an important guarantee of the new coronavirus laboratory test. The accident treatment of sample overflow and sprinkle is a necessary part of the emergency plan for testing activities. Beijing Preventive Medicine Association coordinated biosafety experts of COVID-19 laboratories from Beijing CDC, to write up "The standard for handling of accidents of corona virus disease 2019 sample (T/BPMA 0005-2020)" . The group standard was based on the guidelines of China and WHO, and combined with the practical experience of COVID-19 epidemic and the principle of "scientific, normative, applicable and feasible" . Through all kinds of risk Assessment, it included the spillover of samples caused by the packing of COVID-19 (highly pathogenic) samples, the overflow and sprinkle in the laboratory during the detection operation, and the spillage accident occurred during the transfer of samples in the same building. The standard could guide and standardize the handling methods of accidental overflow and sprinkle that may occur in the SARS-CoV-2 testing laboratories in the city.

Natural selection versus creation: a review on the origin of SARS-COV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 has created a global disaster by infecting millions of people and causing thousands of deaths across hundreds of countries. Currently, the infection is in its exponential phase in several countries and there is no sign of immediate relief from this deadly virus. At the same time, some "conspiracy theories" have arisen on the origin of this virus due to the lack of a "definite origin". To understand if this controversy is also reflected in scientific publications, here, we reviewed the key articles published at initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic (January 01, 2020 to April 30, 2020) related to the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2 and the articles opposing the "conspiracy theories". We also provide an overview on the current knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 Spike as well as the Coronavirus research domain. Furthermore, a few important points related to the "conspiracy theories" such as "laboratory engineering" or "bioweapon" aspects of SARS-CoV-2 are also reviewed. In this article, we have only considered the peer-reviewed publications that are indexed in PubMed and other official publications, and we have directly quoted the authors' statements from their respective articles to avoid any controversy.