Critical Releases in Homeland Security: May 6, 2009

This webpage published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a resource for relevant data on the subject of H1N1 Flu. "Novel influenza A (H1N1) is a new flu virus of swine origin that was first detected in April, 2009. The virus is infecting people and is spreading from person-to-person, sparking a growing outbreak of illness in the United States. An increasing number of cases are being reported internationally as well. It's thought that novel influenza A (H1N1) flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread; mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick with the virus. It's uncertain at this time how severe this novel H1N1 outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this novel H1N1 virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks. Novel influenza A (H1N1) activity is now being detected through CDC's routine influenza surveillance systems and reported weekly in FluView. CDC tracks U.S. influenza activity through multiple systems across five categories."

"This report details the progress made by the Department over the last year to protect our nation and allies from current and emerging threats posed by weapons of mass destruction (WMD). It also reviews current programs that provide Warfighters with the most superior chemical and biological (CB) defense training, equipment, and preparedness to ultimately achieve our CBDP vision of ensuring DoD operations are unconstrained by chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) effects. Additionally, this year's report marks the second year of the transformation of the ARC to a more streamlined format. Information regarding quantities, characteristics, and capabilities of fielded CB defense equipment are available in the 2008 Research, Development, and Acquisition (RDA) Plan. Congress, other federal agencies, academia, international partners, and the private sector all partner with the DoD CBDP to fulfill its mission to provide CBRN defense capabilities in support of the National Military Strategies. This mission is supported by our immediate goal to provide integrated, coordinated, and sustainable WMD solutions to the Warfighter; and our longer-term goal of advancing our defense capabilities to build readiness for current and future WMD challenges. We have structured our mission to be forward-thinking, responsive to Warfighter and national security needs, and streamlined with authority and accountability vested in specific executives."

This report is the 2008 annual report on terrorist incidents published by the National Counterterrorism Center of the United States of America. "Consistent with its statutory mission to serve as the United States (US) government's knowledge bank on international terrorism, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is providing the Department of State with required statistical information to assist in the satisfaction of its reporting requirements under Section 2656f of title 22 of the US Code (USC). The statistical information included in this Annex to the 2008 Country Reports on Terrorism is drawn from the data that NCTC maintains on the www.nctc.gov website. [...] To record and update attack records, NCTC continues to post information in the Worldwide Incidents Tracking System (WITS), the repository for the US government's authoritative database on terror attacks, which was unveiled in 2005. A data management system with a more comprehensive dataset than those used in years prior to 2004, WITS is accessible on the NCTC website at www.nctc.gov, offering the public an open and transparent view of the NCTC data. NCTC will ensure that the data posted to the website is updated as often as necessary by regularly posting information about new or prior attacks. Tracking and analyzing terrorist incidents can help us understand some important characteristics about terrorism, including the geographic distribution of attacks and information about the perpetrators, their victims, and other details. Year-to-year changes in the gross number of attacks across the globe, however, may tell us little about the international community's effectiveness either for preventing these incidents, or for reducing the capacity of terrorists to advance their agenda through violence against the innocent."