The Cyberactivist

I went to PETA's site this morning to read about their rescue stories and noticed in the sidebar a bit about the fact that lab animals were abandoned to die in the labs. What wasn't mentioned was far more disturbing.

I originally found this from MSNBC's Will, the clicker, in a little post that said nothing more than Infectious Disease Research in and Around New Orleans — Talk about movie plots!

Well, curiosity got the better of me, and thank goodness it did. As many people as possible should know about this, and I join the writer of the blog entry I found this story on in encouraging reporters to find out more about this.

Read on to find out what is so very, very disturbing and what is one more reason why we should not be doing this kind of work on lab animals, especially not in flood-prone areas (or any other area, for that matter).

Here is the summary that opens the post:

Summary: At the very least, there are two Level-3 biolabs in New Orleans and a cluster of three in nearby Covington. They have been working with anthrax, mousepox, HIV, plague, etc. There are surely other labs in the city.

Give you the willys? Chill go up your spine? It did me! Read on for more:

As far as I can tell, no one has yet mentioned the biological research labs located in and around NOLA. For example, in nearby Covington, Tulane University runs the Tulane National Primate Research Center, a cluster of Level-3 biological labs containing around 5,000 monkeys, most of which are housed in outdoor cages. According to an article in Tulane University Magazine, "The primary areas of focus today at the Tulane National Primate Research Center are infectious diseases, including biodefense related work, gene therapy, reproductive biology and neuroscience. The Tulane primate center is playing a key role in the federal strategic plan for biodefense research." (his emphasis, not mine)

According to the Sunshine Project, which digs up grant proposals and other primary documents from the US biowarfare effort, "Tulane scientists are working with anthrax, plague, and other biological weapons agents." [read more]

And how much of this kind of research was going on within New Orleans itself? Apparently quite a bit.

-- Louisiana State University's Medical School has a Level-3 biolab in the Clinical Sciences Research Building located at 533 Bolivar Street. According to grant applications, LSU's facility was the site of research involving anthrax and genetically-engineered mousepox. And that's just what we know about.

-- The State of Louisiana has a Level-3 biolab in New Orleans. [see this PDF document]

-- It seems highly likely that an institution the size of Tulane has biolabs in New Orleans itself, not just Covington.

-- Then there's the University of New Orleans, Loyola University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and others. I don't know whether they've been engaged in bioresearch or have high-level biolabs, but it'd be worth finding out.

-- And let's not forget the New Orleans Medical Complex, which contains over 40 blocks of hospitals and biomedical research facilities. According to this website, it's been severely flooded.

So with all the known and probable Level-3 biolabs in and around New Orleans, what's happened to the infected animals? Are they free and roaming? Are they dead, with their diseased bodies floating in the flood waters? And what about the cultures and vials of the diseases? Are they still secure? Are they being stolen? Were they washed away, now forming part of the toxic soup that coats the city?

And take a look at this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a "Select Agents Program" for any facility that handles highly dangerous germs, including Ebola, Marburg, ricin, avian flu, and anthrax. At the top of their website is the following notice:
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Announcement for Entities Impacted by Hurricane Katrina

Entities that are registered with the Select Agent Program who have been impacted by Hurricane Katrina may contact the CDC Select Agent Program for guidance on actions that should be taken to transfer Select Agents to another registered entity or report the theft, loss, or release of select agents that might have occurred due to storm damage. The CDC Select Agent Program will expedite any special requests from registered entities as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Contact the Program via email at lrsat@cdc.gov, phone at 404-498-2255, fax at 404-498-2265, or call your designated CDC representative. (again, his emphasis, not mine)
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You can see it here.

Edward Hammond of the Sunshine Project helped greatly with this post, and if reporters would like some more background on this, they should contact him here.

Just a bit worried? You think this might be another reason not to experiment on animals, especially with deadly toxins?! Me too.

Spread the word. We need people investigating this. Glad I don't have to worry about it, at least for now. Or do I? Inquiring minds want to know. Badly!

Am I the only person now thinking about Stephen King's, The Stand???????????