- Hello, Jeff - This one will really make you chuckle.
Unreal. The State Department of Agriculture has 'lost track' of hundreds
of viruses and microbes imported to Hawaii for research purposes over a
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- 5 decade period because of a breakdown in the agency's
paperwork system. This leaves me saying "...yeah, right."
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- This is unbelievable. Who needs terrorists? Where the
hell is 'Homeland Security' and all of the tax dollars we spend? All we
need do is to upgrade even more labs to BSL 4 and wait and see what gets
loose.
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- I would almost say that people should take the next flight
out but where can one go? Who knows where these pathogens have ended up.
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- Another shameful disgrace.
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- Patty
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- Paperwork On Risky Viruses Mislaid
- By Sean Hao
- Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
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- 11-17-7
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- The state Department of Agriculture lost track of hundreds
of viruses and microbes imported to Hawaii for research purposes over a
five-decade period because of a breakdown in the agency's paperwork system.
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- The bulk of the import applications were filed by University
of Hawai'i researchers who failed to report on the inventory and location
of viruses and other microbes imported under 356 state permits dating back
nearly 50 years, the agriculture department said.
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- UH and other researchers typically are required to regularly
report on the status of restricted microorganisms imported under state
permits. However, this spring the state Department of Agriculture discovered
that UH researchers were not submitting required paperwork on numerous
imported bugs including dengue and West Nile viruses.
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- The reports allow public health officials to inventory
and locate which viruses, bacteria and other risky microbes are present
in Hawai'i laboratories at any particular time. However, UH's permit paperwork
problems, which have since been resolved, did not result in added risk
to Hawai'i residents, university and agriculture department officials said.
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- The paperwork problem was discovered by state officials
in mid-March following an Advertiser request for data on microorganism
imports. The discovery of major reporting failures prompted the state to
prohibit UH from seeking new or renewed import permits for a five-month
period starting March 30. That moratorium was lifted Aug. 27 after the
university filed required paperwork for 356 import permits dating to the
1960s.
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- State and university officials shared the blame for the
clerical problem, which in turn was attributed to outdated, manual permit
filing systems and a lack of resources and familiarity with state regulations.
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- "The entire system was at fault on both sides,"
said agriculture department plant quarantine branch manager Carol Okada.
"There are computers. We need to get off of this paper filing. And
that's what we're doing now."
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- A new computerized permit system, new reporting requirements
and increased inspections should ensure compliance in the future, she said.
In addition, UH said it will better educate researchers on state regulations
governing microorganism imports and add two new job positions to help monitor
UH compliance in the future.
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- The discovery of the permit problems follows a recent
ramp-up in virus imports as UH attempts to specialize in infectious disease
detection and drug discovery. The university now has 177 microorganism
import permits covering avian flu, dengue fever, West Nile virus, SARS
and several encephalitis-causing viruses, the Department of Agriculture
said. That increase in research activity has raised concerns about risks
to the health of Hawai'i residents and the state's $12 billion tourism
trade should an accidental release occur.
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- The microorganisms are part of an increase in biotechnology
research efforts that promise public health benefits and the diversification
of Hawai'i's tourism-based economy.
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- UH and other state officials contend there's little risk
to the public of exposure to these viruses because access to the bugs is
tightly controlled. However, the recent microorganism import reporting
problems show that accountability over some of this research is lacking,
said Maui physician Lorrin Pang, who has served as a World Health Organization
consultant.
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- The permit paperwork problem could have impacted public
safety, Pang said. For example, if there was a local case of anthrax poisoning,
health officials would benefit from knowledge on whether anthrax was present
at UH laboratories, he said.
- "If you're going to bring anthrax in, I'd would
like to know something about it because if we have reports of anthrax,
I can say it's from you, or it's from naturally occurring stuff,"
Pang said. "You've got to have the paperwork. This is public safety."
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- The university said it is not currently conducting research
on anthrax. However, UH has acknowledged importing several potential bioterrorism
agents, including Japanese B, Eastern equine and Venezuelan equine encephalitis.
There are no current plans to conduct research on those viruses, which
are being kept to aid in disease detection, UH said.
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- The university's permit problems were traced to several
issues including a lack of familiarization with state import regulations
among researchers, said Jim Gaines, UH interim vice president for research.
State reporting requirements are more stringent than federal rules. In
other cases, researchers mistakenly thought the reports were not required
because the microorganism permits were not used, Gaines said.
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- "Researchers that were new to the state were familiar
with the federal regs but not familiar with the Hawai'i regs," he
said. "That led to some confusion. We hope we have that cleared up
now." "We put a lot of effort in once this was brought
to our attention."
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- In many cases, required paperwork was not filed because
researchers that imported restricted microorganisms were no longer around.
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- "Some of the (permits) went back to the early '60s
- they were close to 50 years old and there were faculty members that were
deceased (and) faculty members that were no longer with the university,"
Gaines said.
- Computerized permitting systems installed this summer
along with other new requirements are expected to ensure compliance with
microorganism import reporting requirements in the future. However, data
on hundreds of microorganism import permits dating back to the 1960s remain
sketchy.
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- For example, the agriculture department is still unable
to produce a list of restricted microorganisms that can be imported into
Hawai'i under previously granted permits. The department also could not
produce a complete list of microorganism permits that were found not in
compliance with reporting requirements.
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- Permit data "is all (on) paper," the Department
of Agriculture's Okada said. "It's all in these folders all over creation.
Because it was done that way, there's no good way for us to do an audit
of what was done and how much was not done."
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- Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.
- http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Nov/18/bz/hawaii711180337.html
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- Patricia A. Doyle DVM, PhD
- Bus Admin, Tropical Agricultural Economics
- Univ of West Indies
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- Please visit my "Emerging Diseases" message
board at:
- http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/index.php
- Also my new website:
- http://drpdoyle.tripod.com/
- Zhan le Devlesa tai sastimasa
- Go with God and in Good Health
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