Some Statistics About the US Biodefense Program and Public Health

NIAID Competitive Awards, Change Over 3 Years
Three Year Sums, adjusted to constant 2005 USD
using the NIH Biomedical Research and Development Price Index
Source: CRISPER (http://www.cbwtransparency.org/crisper), 4 March 05
Disease(s)
FY 1999-2001
FY 2002-2004
Change
Priority BW Bacteria Agents (anthrax, glanders, melioidosis, brucella, plague) $7,450,634 $185,399,724
+2388%
Priority BW Virus Agents (Ebola, Marburg, Lassa, Smallpox) $5,941,136 $119,856,911
+1917%
Influenza $43,001,408 $94,331,807
+119%
HIV $534,668,521 $426,047,982
-20%
Tuberculosis $166,890,306 $134,189,062
-20%
Hepatitis $139,438,806 $59,063,452
-58%
Malaria $92,207,407 $54,401,748
-41%
Chlamydia $36,395,364 $22,185,593
-39%
Lyme Disease $13,556,147 $13,335,231
-2%
Gonnorhea $23,126,416 $12,282,975
-53%
Candida albicans $20,801,528 $10,249,011
-51%
Sleeping Sickness (trypanosomiasis) $9,957,335 $9,748,964
-2%
Chagas Disease $8,672,725 $6,494,681
-25%
Ehrlichiosis $5,632,436 $2,931,906
-48%
Whooping Cough (pertussis) $4,014,340 $2,877,179
-28%
Legionnaire's Disease (legionella) $5,397,997 $2,416,099
-55%
NIH Study Groups
FY 1999-2001
 FY 2002-2004
Change
Basic Bacterial Microbiology (BM + MBC) $199,327,009 $145,109,803
-27%
Basic Viral Microbiology (VR + EVR) $111,704,182 $105,539,614
-6%

Change in NIAID Biological Weapons Agent Funding
Grants referencing 6 agents, grouped chronologically.

Pathogen
NIAID Grants 1972-1995
NIAID Grants 1996-2000
NIAID Grants 2001-2005 YTD
Change
'96-'00 vs.
'01-'05 YTD
NIAID Grants
2005 YTD
2005 YTD (only) vs. Five Year Period '96-'00
Anthrax
5
7
243
3471%
76
10.9x
Brucellosis
0
0
6
∞
1
∞
Glanders
0
1
10
1000%
3
3.0x
Plague
39
22
129
586%
31
1.4x
Melioidosis
0
0
16
∞
3
∞
Tularemia
7
3
93
3100%
19
6.3x
TOTAL
51
33
497
1506%
133
4x (403%)

The NIAID Newbies: How Expert are They?
One Measure of Pathogen-Handling Experience

Pathogen
Total Number of Principal Investigators
2001-2005 YTD
Number of those PIs that received NIAID funding for agent before 2001
Percentage never before funded by NIAID for agent
Anthrax
219
6
97.3% (213)
Brucellosis
6
0
100% (6)
Glanders
10
1
90% (9)
Plague
107
6
94.4% (101)
Melioidosis
16
0
100% (16)
Tularemia
81
2
98% (79)
TOTAL
439
15
96.6% (424)

Side-by-Side Comparison:
NIAID's Biodefense Program vs. Infectious Disease Public Health Problems

NIAID Priority
Total Reported US Cases (2003)
Tularemia
129
Brucellosis
104
Plague
1
Anthrax
0
Melioidosis†
None indicated, CDC estimates zero to five US cases per year.
Glanders†

None indicated, CDC reports no US cases since the 1940s, except lab-acquired.

Source: CDC MMWR Weekly 53(30);687 (5 Aug 2004). Notice to Readers: Final 2003 Reports of Notifiable Diseases
† A keyword search of MMWR revealed no US reports of these diseases in 2003.

Public Health Problem
Total Reported US Cases (2003)
Gonorrhea
335,104
AIDS
44,232

Syphilis

34,270
Lyme Disease
21,273
Acute Viral Hepatitis A/B/C
16,281
Tuberculosis
14,883
Whooping Cough
11,647
Drug-Resistant Streptococcus
2,356
Legionnaire's Disease
2,232
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
2,077

 

Disease
Likelihood of a person in the United States being diagnosed, 2003:
Gonorrhea
1:859
AIDS
1:6,511

Syphilis (all)

1:8,403
Lyme Disease
1:13,537
Acute Viral Hepatitis A/B/C
1:17,688
Tuberculosis
1:19,349
-----
-
Tularemia
1:2,232,357
Brucellosis
1:2,768,981
Plague
1:287,974,000
Anthrax, Glanders, Melioidosis
0 (no cases reported)
-----
-
Likelihood of diagnosis of infection with any of the 6 NIAID priority bioweapons agents (i.e. combined):
1:1,230,658
Likelihood for the 6 non-bioweapons infectious diseases listed above, combined:
1:617
Likelihood of diagnosis with one of the 6 public health diseases vs. NIAID priority bioweapons agents:
2000 times more likely. (1995.6x)
-----
-
Total number of reported US infections with anthrax, glanders, tularemia, brucellosis, melioidosis, and plague in 2003:
234
Children born with syphilis in the US, 2003:
413