Police State : ‘bird flu’ : Feds prepare

2005-10-10

Richard Moore

If a flu breaks out, everyone will assume it has something to
do with bird flu. It might, or it might not. More likely, as
it would be more reliable in terms of timing, would be for the
Center for Disease 'Control'  to release some warmed over
Spanish Flu toxins, which they've carefully preserved and have
recently been 'investigating'.

As for the 'vaccinations', I'd be wary. Who knows what they
might put in them.

Not to mention the 'quarantines'.

rkm

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http://wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=106&sid=535567

Feds Prepare for Super-Flu Disaster 
Updated: Sunday, Oct. 9, 2005 - 3:54 AM 

By LAURAN NEERGAARD 
AP Medical Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - A super-flu could kill up to 1.9 million
Americans, according to a draft of the government's plan to
fight a worldwide epidemic. Officials are rewriting that plan
to designate not just who cares for the sick but who will keep
the country running amid the chaos, said an influenza
specialist who is advising the government on those decisions.

"How do you provide food, water ... basic security for the
population?" asked Michael Osterholm of the University of
Minnesota, a government adviser who has a copy of the draft
plan and described it for The Associated Press.

"This is a much more comprehensive view than has previously
been detailed," he said in an interview Saturday.

The Bush administration has spent the last year updating its
plan for how to fight the next flu pandemic. While it is
impossible to say when one will strike, the fear is that the
bird flu in Asia could trigger one if it mutates to start
spreading easily among people.

A recent draft of the plan, first reported Saturday by The New
York Times, models what might happen based on the last
century's three pandemics.

In a best-case scenario, about 200,000 people might die.

But if the next pandemic resembles the birdlike 1918 Spanish
flu, as many as 1.9 million could die, Osterholm said.
Millions more would be ill, overwhelming hospitals.

"You plan for the worst-case scenario," he said. "If it's less
than that, thank God."

The government has on hand enough of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu
to treat 4.3 million people. Manufacturing of $100 million
worth of a bird flu vaccine just began.

The draft makes clear that tens of millions more doses of each
would be needed. That is far more than the world has the
capacity to manufacture quickly.

To finish that draft plan, federal health officials for
several weeks have been role-playing what would happen if a
super-flu struck now _ not next year, after more medicines and
vaccines have been stockpiled.

The strategy, Osterholm said, is, "Don't emphasize what you
can buy, emphasize what you can get your hands on. If it
happens tonight, how do you deal with order?"

For example, health workers would need to wear special masks,
known as N-95 masks, to prevent infection while treating
patients. Two U.S. companies produce 90 percent of the world's
supply and "we'll run out overnight," Osterholm said.

Also being considered is the possibility that Tamiflu will not
be powerful enough to treat someone already sick, but could
protect against illness if given beforehand. So who would get
the 4.3 million doses?

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt recently met
with Cabinet secretaries to get other federal agencies to
determine their role in stemming rioting at vaccine clinics;
when to close schools; how to keep gasoline, electricity, food
and water supplies running; and how to manage the economic
fallout.

State health officers also are being asked for input,
Osterholm said.

"The HHS plan is going to be the foundation of a larger
government-wide plan," said Leavitt's spokeswoman, Christina
Pearson. "Beyond health care, there are issues with banks and
schools, and that states and other place have to have their
own plans."

Democrats have criticized the administration for not having a
plan. Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, said in a statement
Saturday that time for action was short.

"Having a plan on paper does nothing to protect us," Harkin
said while urging the administration to work with Congress on
implementing protections against a pandemic. "Next month is
too late. The United States is woefully unprepared for this,
and we must get started immediately."

___ 

On the Net: 

Background on bird flu: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/ 

(Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not
be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 
-- 


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