Bush Outlines $7.1B Flu-Fighting Strategy

AP ^ | 11/1/05 | LAURAN NEERGAARD

[redgolum]

It is serious. Some of us have been following it for a while now, and if this little bug makes a successful jump to human to human transmission....

Well, worst case, it would be like Stephen King's The Stand.

[SueRae]

That was helpful, thank you.

[upchuck]

Something is missing from the article.. I've read all through it but I can't find the spending offsets to pay fo this....

I wonder where they are.

Clearly, you don't understand how this is done...

President Bush on phone:

Hello? US Mint? Oh, good. This is the President. I need you to run off $7,100,000,000 in currency ASAP. Can you get that done by close of business today? You can? Great! Thanks, bye

See how easy that is?

[Gabz]

In the meantime, a decent civil defense strategy is a perfectly reasonable action to respond to a small but significant strategic threat.

When it comes to a threat of avian influenza,this region has an extremely reliable defense stategy - I've seen it in action and it is a truly amazing cooperative effort between the public and private sectors in 3 states. Granted the effort is primarily to protect the economic interests of those involved, but it also does protect the public health.

[gondramB]

That would have been funnier if it wasn't so close to the truth.... :(

[dljordan]

"I read somewhere yesterday that Donald Rumsfeld owned a large block of stock in the company that makes Tamiflu. I know this is not responsible posting, but just came in to check my email real quick and have to run back to work. Maybe someone can verify....bye."

Rumsfeld is the ex-CEO of a vaccine company. I think you can figure the rest out for yourself.

[blam]

"Such drugs cannot prevent people from catching the flu, but they can reduce the severity of the illness when taken within 48 hours of getting sick, he said."

If there's a flu 'outbreak' you won't be able to see a doctor for months, if then. You'll have to stand in a line (waiting for the government) along with everyone else who has the flu. Good Luck.

You'd better be able to take care of yourself if you plan to survive.

[in hoc signo vinces]

We all have are own assertions, sometimes it's hard to tell which one is more of a joke than the other, but I tend to believe that some traction on dealing with illegal immigration is being made and that Bush is not looking to open the borders as part of a massive government spending project to endear the dems...that seems a bit irrational.

[Gabz]

It is serious. Some of us have been following it for a while now, and if this little bug makes a successful jump to human to human transmission....

Well, worst case, it would be like Stephen King's The Stand.

You've got that correct.

But as I have been trying to emphasize on this thread, even if it doesn't make the jump to human to human transmission is will cause a devastating blow to the poultry industry and thus all of our wallets.

[blam]

"... and completely ignores the biggest problem the US has, illegal aliens and protecting our border."

Not to worry, the pandemic will correct that.

[blam]

Has anyone heard what is the outcome of the request of GWB to congress to advise him about the us of the US military to impose quarantines?

[blam]

"However,scientists are concerned that it will in time mutate to a point where you will be able to catch it from an infected person."

It's not a matter of if it's a matter of when.

[sarasota]

Anybody know how Chiron's stock is performing?

[discostu]

There's some potential danger to the poultry section of the economy. But that's not where the hysteria is focused, all the hysteria is obsessed with a possible (though at this point not probable) mutation that leads to rampant human-to-human transmission. With no serious evidence of a true threat to humans all this vaccine crap is hysteria, pure and simple.

[sarasota]

Just answered my own question: on appx. 9/1 Chiron's stock rose from 35 to 44.

[discostu]

Of course there's very little evidence that SARS primary means of transmission was airborne, the evidence suggest fecal transmission, which is part of why it beat on the medical industry in Canada so hard (medical professionals are always in higher risk of fecal transmitted diseases, just look at hep-C where the primary risk groups are homosexuals, intravenous drug users and nurses). According the the histrionics SARS was well past critical mass, and yet in the end it was one of the least deadly identified diseases the world suffered from that year. 100% pure unadulterated concentrated hysteria.

Lots of "if" and "probable" which is exactly why this is all silly hysteria. Yes IF the worst happens, and there's absolutely zero evidence of anything even close to the worst happening, then PROBABLY very bad things will happen. But in the reality we have right now that's a big if and highly improbable.

[carenot]

I read somewhere yesterday that Donald Rumsfeld owned a large block of stock in the company that makes Tamiflu.

I heard that on the radio. I don't remember where.

I hesitated to say anything because I couldn't verify a source.

[Gabz]

There's some potential danger to the poultry section of the economy. But that's not where the hysteria is focused, ..........

Potential danger????? I wish there was an iota of the hysteria about the possible mutation to human-to-human infection applied to what this can do to the poultry industry. We are talking about a multi BILLION dollar blow to the economy of numerous states.

Sorry for my shouting - I don't even have any financial interest in the poultry industry, I just happen to live in an area where much of the economy relies upon it, and there are many other areas that do as well. A major outbreak of AI can and will destroy many businesses and communities.

[RightWhale]

Congress could authorize a $7 billion program to prevent people from slipping on the ice and breaking an ankle. Too bad we got this idea that Congress should spend a dime for anything but defense and increase of commerce.

[discostu]

As somebody else noted up thread the West Coast (and a few states inland) just delt with a poultry blight, I'm sure it sucked for the farmers but over all it didn't really bust things up too bad; being generally disconnected from poultry I didn't even find out about it until I went to the 4H section of the county fair and saw the sign explaining why there were no chickens (I'd guess chicken prices went up but since I don't actually like chicken (they call it foul for a reason) I never noticed). And until it actually invades American poultry farms it is still just a potential danger, nothing about the spread of diseases is inevitable too many random factors play too big a role in disease spread. Certainly there's a bigger danger to the poultry industry than there is to humans, but it's all still potential and revolving around various ifs.