Posted on 06/05/2006 5:33:44 PM PDT by Lady GOP
“We have no reason to know or to believe that a pandemic will occur, but we know it’s possible,” said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt during a news conference Monday about avian influenza preparation.
Although pandemics have a profound and devastating impact on the world, they are a biological fact of life, and the simple truth is they do happen, says Leavitt. It is vital that the U.S. be prepared, but, according to Leavitt, preparing for a pandemic doesn’t mean there is any certainty that there will be one.
People in the scientific community are concerned for a very good reason, says Leavitt. “The virus that we are currently watching, the H5N1 Virus, which is often referred to as the avian flu, is spreading across the world on the backs of wild birds,” said Leavitt. “It is in more than 50 countries now, and new countries are added constantly.”
There is the potential in limited situations for the virus to spread from birds to people and person to person Leavitt says. There, however, hasn’t been any sustained or efficient person to person transfer yet, according to Leavitt. He says though that this virus does show warning signs that require attention, especially the fact that this particular virus has the genetic and clinical manifestations of past pandemic viruses.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns explained that there are two different types of avian influenza. Low path influenza, according to Johanns, has been in the country for hundreds of years. It can be compared to a flu season for birds and isn’t typically fatal. Johanns says that high path avian influenza is the point of concern.
Johanns laid out the comprehensive plan that has been set up to deal with any potential cases of high path avian influenza in domestic birds. He says that key is to deal with it aggressively. The first step, according to Johanns, is to quarantine the infected flock. After this, tests for the virus would be done within a six mile radius of the flock. Next, the contaminated birds would be destroyed humanly with the owner being compensated. Johanns says that the final steps are to disinfect the area where the birds are housed and then, to retest the area in order to assure that the virus has been eradicated.
He also heavily emphasized one point about high path influenza. “It doesn’t signal the start of a human pandemic,” said Johanns. He went on to say that poultry is safe to eat. Even in the event that poultry would be infected with the virus, according to Johanns, the heat from cooking the poultry completely kills the virus.
Special Assistant to the President for Biodefense Dr. Rajeev Venkayya also discussed the implementation plan that has been set up by the government in the case of a human pandemic. He says that each day the government is more prepared for a pandemic than they were the day before. The implementation plan, according to Venkayya, is very detailed and comprehensive and consists of more than 300 actions and 220 pages. An important factor, however, is individual cooperation and preparation, says Venkayya.
“We’re not at a human pandemic now,” said Venkayya. “But we know, based on history, we must prepare.”
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“We’re not at a human pandemic now,” said Venkayya. “But we know, based on history, we must prepare.”
This is about the most significant statement of the entire article. It was very low key but some of you investigative journalists know what is really going on here. A quiet day on the topic but more to come. You can be sure of it.
BTW this is not a liberal or conservative issue. This is a global issue that we all may have to work together on.
No updates on death tolls today from WHO.
“We’re not at a human pandemic now,” said Venkayya. “But we know, based on history, we must prepare.”
I bought dried beans (again) today.
A lot more going on behind the scenes than these people are saying, worldwide.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China needs to improve its efforts to control bird flu, a leading Chinese expert on the disease said, adding to voices anxious about the country's preparedness.
The scientist Liu Xiufan told a conference of prominent Chinese engineers and scientists on Monday that the government should review the effectiveness of measures to control bird flu, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
"We should do our best to reduce the risk of a human pandemic influenza breaking out and make necessary preparations before such a risk becomes a reality," Liu, a veterinary expert at Yangzhou University in eastern China, was quoted as saying.
China has reported almost 40 outbreaks of bird flu in poultry across a dozen provinces over the past year, and 12 people are known to have died there of bird flu and six have survived.
Several international authorities have said they are worried that China and other developing countries are unable to effectively track outbreaks of the H5N1 avian flu virus.
Liu said China needed to control bird flu at its avian source to hold down the risk of transmission to humans.
Xinhua cited him as saying the H5N1 strain showed "increased virulence" among ducks and "currently available vaccines are not effective for protecting poultry."
The H5N1 strain of bird flu has been largely confined to birds, but it has infected and killed some humans, and a flurry of human cases in Indonesia has raised fears about rising risks of human-to-human transmission, which could trigger a widespread outbreak among people.
Late in May, the avian influenza coordinator of the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), Christianne Bruschke, said China, Indonesia and countries in Africa may be underreporting outbreaks of bird flu among birds, because of poor diagnostic facilities and unwillingness of farmers to report.
Earlier that month, China sacked five local officials who ignored reports of suspected bird flu outbreaks in January.
Pinging....Thanks, Lady GOP!
Thank you for the ping. I agree, this is a low key statement, without minimizing the potential problem.
My main concern right now is Indonesia:
1. Natural disasters
2. Extreme poverty
3. Poor medical care
4. Foreign medical and other aid workers traveling in and out of the country
5. Endemic avian influenza
6. Some human-to-human transmission
7. Volatile virus constantly mutating
Sounds like good reason for our government to be concerned.
If and when the virus manages to unlock the human infection key, the world population will be at risk of serious disease with (so far) a VERY high mortality rate.
Being raised the way I was, a deep pantry and good supplies in case of need only makes sense. I think Arkansas is recommending 2 months food and water, stored. Definitely cheaper to do that if you know how to cook "from scratch."
So, the government does its job, states do their emergency planning, and me--I don't plan on being rescued (and wouldn't want to be) so I'll just stay stocked up.
Prayers up!
How long do dried beans stay OKAY? I've had 25 lbs since 2000.....
Thanks. I don't know about anyone else, but somehow this statement just strikes me as funny:
"We have no reason to know or to believe that a pandemic will occur..."
If so, why bother with any of the rest of statements, plans, and so on? Obviously no one KNOWS, but there is a believable possibility. What are they really saying, I wonder.
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