Author Archives: Emily Holbrook

About Emily Holbrook

Emily Holbrook is a former editor of the Risk Management Monitor and Risk Management magazine. You can read more of her writing at EmilyHolbrook.com.
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Modern Plague Hits China

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China is moving swiftly to quarantine an area that has seen three men die of pneumonic plague, the bacteria of which, Yersinia pestis, is the same bacteria that caused the bubonic plague.

Chinese officials have quarantined the town of Ziketan, home to 10,000 people in the northwest province of Qinghai. Police have also set up checkpoints around the area in question while medics work to disinfect the entire town.

About 10 other people inside the town have so far contracted the disease, according to state media. No-one is being allowed leave the area, and the authorities are trying to track down people who had contact with the men who died.

Health officials say there’s no need for letting fear rule in this case since modern medicine is well equipped to handle the breakout — mostly due to the fact that health officials have a lot more knowledge handling this type of infectious disease as they do other, newly-formed ones, such as H1N1 or Avian Flu.

Will will follow this breaking news story closely — be sure to check back for updates.

Bermuda Now on OECD White List

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cov_julyaug09In the July issue of Captive Review it was announced that Bermuda has been upgraded from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) “grey list” for International Tax Standards, to its “white list.”

The change follows a series of tax information exchange agreements (TIEAS). But Bermuda received even more welcome news, as the publication stated:

Bermuda has also been approved as signatory to a new cooperation agreement with the International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS).

Be sure to check Risk Management magazine’s July/August issue (due online later this afternoon) for its 5th annual “Captive Domicile Review,” which highlights 25 of the world’s top captive domiciles.

Disaster Satellites Take Flight

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And disaster imaging is what it’s all about.

Today, a Russian rocket will launch two British-built imaging satellites into orbit. Their purpose? To obtain pictures of areas struck by natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. These images are used by goverments and relief workers to aid information retrieval and recovery efforts.

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The satellites will hitch a ride into orbit on a converted Soviet-era SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile and join other “Disaster Monitoring Constellations,” including:

  • AlSat-1 (Algeria-owned, launched 2002)
  • NigeriaSat-1 (Nigeria-owned, launched 2003)
  • UK-DMC (UK-0wned, launched 2003)
  • BilSat-1 (Turkey-owned, launched 2006 but no longer in operation)
  • Deimos-1 (Spain-owned, launched 2009)
  • UK-DMC2 (UK-owned, launched 2009)

When they fly over their home territories, the satellites acquire a range of data for domestic use — everything from urban planning to monitoring locust swarms. But when the platforms fly across the rest of the globe, they gather imagery which is pooled and sold on to commercial users.

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Every so often, however, a major disaster will strike some part of the globe and the DMC constellation will be tasked with gathering emergency pictures as fast as possible.

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Recent catastrophes that the satellites covered were the Australian brushfires in February, the Burmese cyclone in May 2008 and, of course, the Asian tsunami of 2004.

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H1N1 Still Poses Threat

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Though H1N1 may not be grabbing as many news headlines as it did just a month ago, the virus is still spreading — continuing to pose a serious threat worldwide.

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In an interview with Reuters news, the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat stated:

“We are continuing to see transmission here in the United States in places like summer camps, some military academies and similar settings where people from different parts of the country come together. This is very unusual to have this much transmission of influenza during the (summer) and I think it’s a testament to how susceptible people are to this virus.

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“

Passengers flying with the virus are a catalyst for infections in other areas of the world. British Airways has directed its check-in staff to be on the lookout for passengers who show symptoms of the virus. If a passenger is suspected of showing symptoms, British Airways staff  have a 24-hour medical number on hand so the individual may be checked out. The airline says the initiative is part of an effort to limit the spread of H1N1.

Global health officials also reported Friday that the virus is now also spreading to older age groups. This is interesting to note since the virus, when it was first introduced, was known for affecting mostly older children and young adults.

A vaccination against H1N1 is in the works — the WHO claims it may be available in just weeks.

“Manufacturers are expected to have vaccines for use around September. A number of companies are working on the pandemic vaccine production and have different timelines,” WHO said.

Human trials for the vaccine will begin in early August, according to the National Institutes of Health.

There is a sense of urgency about finding a vaccine since autumn could possibly be a time of resurgence for the deadly disease.

To spur the effort, the National Insitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will be directing research and conducting a series of trials, which will occur at the following research centers:

  • Baylor College of Medicine, Houston
  • Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
  • Emory University, Atlanta
  • Group Health Cooperative, Seattle
  • Saint Louis University, St. Louis
  • University of Iowa, Iowa City
  • University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore
  • Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

With 44,000 reported cases and 302 deaths in the U.S. alone, a vaccine is indeed needed — and fast.