Officials to give update on U.S. bird flu plans
Posted on Sun, Mar. 19, 2006
MARGARET TALEV McClatchy News Service
WASHINGTON - Springtime is here and, with it, fevered chirping about bird flu.
On Monday, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and outgoing Interior Secretary Gale Norton are to present a joint update on national preparedness, covering bird testing, poultry industry protections, anti-smuggling measures, vaccine development and the status of state and local emergency planning.
Leavitt also is in the midst of a multi-city tour, answering questions about the virus' spread globally and telling Americans how to respond should it reach U.S. shores.
He is asking people not to panic -- even if it should reach birds here, that doesn't mean people are at risk -- but to start stockpiling enough nonperishable food, water, flashlights, batteries and medicine to last a couple of weeks, just in case.[[[I thought the pandemic will last 12-18 months!!]]]
A confluence of science and politics are at work: • The change of seasons each year, from winter to spring, sends wild birds from Asia and the continental United States north to Alaska, where they commingle while they nest and molt.
• The H5N1 avian flu virus has remained resilient as it makes its way around the globe, from Asia into Europe and Africa. It has been mutating.
• The annual appropriations process on Capitol Hill is gearing up. Each spring, federal officials and lobbyists representing various industries begin making their cases to have their priority programs funded by taxpayer dollars. Late last year, President Bush sought $7.1 billion for avian flu preparations. Congress at the time gave him about half, or $3.8 billion.
Test shows Egypt has bird flu death
CAIRO, Egypt -- Initial tests at a U.S. Navy lab show that a 35-year-old woman who died last week in Egypt had bird flu, officials said Saturday. If the results are confirmed, she would be the country's first known human death from the disease.In Israel, vets on Saturday slaughtered thousands of turkeys suspected of having H5N1, and Israel Channel Two TV reported it had been officially confirmed at one of four suspected locations.
Bird Flu Answers Q. Do I have to worry about catching bird flu, or is the threat of a pandemic overblown? There has yet to be a reported case of birds, animals or humans with the H5N1 virus in the United States. But the disease has been moving west, from Asia into Europe and Africa, touching at least 43 countries and killing millions of birds since 2003. It appears to be spreading via wild birds as well as poultry. Between this spring and autumn, migratory birds could bring the virus to the United States. In other countries, avian flu has killed some people and pets, but it isn't yet easily transmissible from person to person.
Q. If it hits the United States, how quickly will avian flu spread? That depends on: • How the virus mutates between now and then. • The controls in place in the poultry industry, the public health infrastructure, and airlines and other transit systems. • How quickly and effectively vaccines and treatments could be produced and distributed. • Whether uninfected people could sequester themselves from contagious people soon enough, if necessary. Millions of birds have died, but fewer than 200 human cases have been confirmed.
Q. How do I stay informed about avian flu, and what should I do to prepare? Visit these Web sites: • U.S. government has information at pandemicflu.gov, or call (800) 232-4636. • The World Health Organization's has information at who.int
McClatchy News Service
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