Cuba biotechnology is a direct threat to the US . . .

[BaliBabyDoc]

due to cheaper more effective vaccine against HiB

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban researchers have developed the first synthetic vaccine against a bacteria that causes pneumonia and meningitis, a breakthrough aimed at lowering the cost of immunizing children in poorer countries.

"But what could be more precious for society than to have healthy two-month-old babies," he said.

Havana has invested millions of dollars in the industry since the 1980s, achieving major successes such as the discovery of a recombinant vaccine for meningitis B, which has been used in Latin American countries and was licensed to GlaxoSmithKline for sale in Europe and possibly the United States. It has also developed a hepatitis B vaccine that is exported to more than 30 countries.

Haemophilus influenzae type B is the main cause of almost half of the infections in children under five in the world and kills 500,000 children a year, mostly in developing countries, according to UNICEF (news - web sites).

 

[kage69]

Sorry, I'm hungover from a 2 day long party - how is this a threat to the US?

 

[tnitsuj]

Thier was an administration official I can't remember who testified before congress that Cuba was a threat to the US due to it's biotech research program that was cranking out weapons to be used/sold to terrorists. This was right before Jimmy Carter went to Cuba.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

I'm being naughty . . . granted this vaccine will likely be licensed internationally. HiB was a tremendous advance in the United States, which has saved millions of American children from morbidity and mortality. Cuba should get mad kudos for creating this vaccine that may eventually help BILLIONS of children . . . not to mention the potential applications of the technology. It's a shame US vaccine manufacturers will not get a piece of the pie.

 

[sandorski]

Cuba, from what I hear, has quite the Medical Research program. I'm sure it could be termed "Dual Use", but I think "innocent until proven guilty" would be a wise choice in determining it as a threat. Hell, most High School Chem Labs are potentially "Dual Use".

 

[Jhhnn]

Medical research as a foreign-exchange earner is a no-brainer for the Cubans. They have a highly educated workforce and very little in the way of natural resources beyond sugar farming and tourism. They get to use what they have, brainpower. The investment/return ratio can be huge.

They're only threatening the profits of American and European drug companies, and damn, they're probably doing stem cell research too, the Godless Commie bastards...

Any country possessing hundred year old chemical production technology can develop a variety of chemical agents, and any country possessing fifty year old biotech can create bioweapons. That pretty much includes a whole shitload of countries.

BTW, any country capable of producing organo-phosphate insecticides can produce extremely potent nerve agents, as well... The extreme toxicity of some of these compounds were discovered quite by accident, iirc, fatal accident, that is...

So, yeh, the Cubans are a threat, along with everybody else...