PEJ News - C. L. Cook - "About" two weeks ago, authorities now admit, three mice infected with the Bubonic Plague went missing from a New Jersey "bioterrorism" lab.
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Plague Mice Loosed
C. L. Cook
PEJ News
September 15, 2005
September 15, 2005
The Public Health Research Institute, which is on the campus of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey say their lost charges are probably dead by now. But they add, the possiblilty the mice were stolen has not been ruled out. The FBI conducted more than two dozen interviews with employees of the lab, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention too has sent investigators to the campus.
The University is not commenting at this time on the investigation.
The PHRI is a prime example of the accelerated corporatization and militarization of America's campuses since George W. Bush's 'War on Terrorism' was launched in 2001. The labs are contracted, through the University, to bioterrorism research for the federal government.
The mice in question were subjects of vaccination experiments. Though there are still cases of Bubonic, the great Plague that ravished Europe four centuries ago, they are few and are usually treated effectively with standard antibiotics. But, left unchecked, it can mutate into a powerfully contagious pneumatic disease.
Investigators didn't have to travel far in reaction to this incident: federal authorities were already reviewing the University's finances, multi-million dollar "no-bid" contracts and suspect political donations.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada. He also serves as a contributing editor to PEJ News. You can check out the GR Blog here.
Annotations
Hunt on for Bubonic Plague-mice
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1771597,00.html
Mice Infected with Plague Missing
http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--missingmice0915sep15,0,6676814.story?coll=ny-region-apnewjersey
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http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=3446531
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