[Federal Register: June 9, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 111)]
[Notices]
[Page 32358]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jn04-79]
[[Page 32358]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[Program Announcement 04097]
Role of the Environment in the Transmission of SARS Co-v; Notice
of Intent To Fund Single Eligibility Award
A. Purpose
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the
intent to fund fiscal year (FY) 2004 funds for a cooperative agreement
program to address several outstanding questions regarding the role of
the environment in SARS transmission and to provide important
information about pathogen transmission in isolation facilities,
appropriate cleaning procedures, and appropriate procedures for
donning/removal of personal protective equipment. The Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance number for this program is 93.283.
B. Eligible Applicant
Assistance will be provided only to the University of North
Carolina.
Experience of UNC Staff
It is in the best interest of CDC to utilize the expertise of Drs.
Sobsey, Weber and Rutala from the University of North Carolina, who
have combined, over 80 years of experience in microbial inactivation
studies using a wide range of microorganisms, including a wide range of
viruses.
The UNC BSL3 laboratory is shared with Dr. Ralph Baric, who has
spent the last twenty years studying how coronaviruses are transmitted
among species. Dr. Baric currently has research support form the
National Institutes of Health for a variety of research projects
involving SARS. Thus, UNC has the unique opportunity to collaborate
with Dr. Baric, one of the world's experts in coronaviruses.
Lastly, UNC has a cadre of researchers that are well trained in
microbial inactivation studies and have published several hundred
papers on this subject.
Urgency of the Need to Address the SARS Co-v Research
Questions
The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) produced
an international health emergency in the late winter and into early
spring in 2003. By early July there were an estimated 8,439 probable
cases and 812 deaths from severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
identified from 30 countries (URL: http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/). A
newly described coronavirus SARS-CoV was implicated. SARS outbreaks
were reported in China (Beijing, Guandong, and Hong Kong), Vietnam
(Hanoi), Singapore, Taiwan, and Canada (Toronto). During the outbreak
SARS-CoV was being transmitted both in the community and in the
healthcare facilities.
Immediate Availability of BSL3 Laboratory
The University of North Carolina BSL3 laboratory is now available
to conduct the research. This will enable a timely response to research
questions regarding how long infectious virus can persist on common
hospital environmental surfaces, wastewater, etc., or the role of
personal protective equipment for protecting health-care workers. While
other institutions may have BSL3 capability, the facilities are usually
restricted to use with a limited number of infectious agents. For
example, a facility conducting work on Mycobacterium tuberculosis would
not use the same BSL3 facility for working with coronaviruses, since
disinfection schemes would be different, and the necessity for cell
culture materials and unique pieces of equipment would likely require
remodeling. A facility such as that at UNC that is already equipped to
work with coronoaviruses saves considerable expense in retooling a BSL3
to work with this virus.
C. Funding
Approximately $500,000 is available in FY 2004 to fund this award.
It is expected that the award will begin on or before July, 2004, and
will be made for a 18 month budget period within a project period of up
to 18 months. Funding estimates may change.
D. Where To Obtain Additional Information
For general comments or questions about this announcement, contact:
Technical Information Management, CDC Procurement and Grants Office,
2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone: 770-488-2700.
For technical questions about this program, contact: Matthew
Arduino, Dr.P.H., Extramural Project Officer, Division of Healthcare
Quality Promotion, Epidemiology and Laboratory Branch, NCID, 1600
Clifton Road, NE. Building 17, Room 4211 C-16, Telephone: (404) 639-
2318, E-mail: MAarduino@cdc.gov.
Dated: June 3, 2004.
William P. Nichols,
Acting Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
[FR Doc. 04-13003 Filed 6-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P