Smallpox drill held at White House complex

Seattle Post-Intelligencer ^ | March 18, 2006 | DEB RIECHMANN

[neverdem]

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Cabinet officials gathered at the White House complex on Saturday for a drill simulating a smallpox attack against the United States.

The four-hour exercise to test the government's response plans was conducted by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and Centers of Disease Control Director Dr. Julie Gerberding and others.

The World Health Organization reported the disease was eradicated in 1980. But there are fears that smallpox could be used by terrorists as a biological weapon.

The United States ended routine childhood vaccination against smallpox in 1971. But the Bush administration, about 15 months after the attacks of the Sept. 11, 2001, ordered some military personnel vaccinated and recommended shots for front-line health care workers.

President Bush, who was spending the weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, did not participate in the exercise at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House.

Saturday's simulation was the second drill to check the nation's readiness for catastrophic attacks.

Federal officials said that a similar rehearsal in December for pandemic flu showed that saving lives and containing economic damage would require more planning in local communities and increased production of vaccines and medications.

[Vaquero]

thats a drill that uses hardened steel bits to remove individual pock marks, right?-

[pgkdan]

The four-hour exercise to test the government's response plans was conducted by Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt,

Isn't this the guy who said Americans should be stockpiling tuna fish and powdered milk under their beds? Either he's a real alarmist or there may be something afoot...

[cardinal4]

Federal officials said that a similar rehearsal in December for pandemic flu showed that saving lives and containing economic damage would require more planning in local communities and increased production of vaccines and medications.

You hear that, Chocolate Ray? Blanco? Crybaby Broussard? You see a catastrophe coming, get up off of your fat, corrupt asses, and get to work. Implement a local plan while waiting for federal help, not the other way around, you boobs..

[Republican Red]

Michael Leavitt is in a no win situation. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

I side with being overly cautious myself.

[proxy_user]

The problem with that is that if you take precautions against a few unlikely events, something entirely different happens and you get the blame anyway.

[Termite_Commander]

He's hardly an alarmist, but it's easy to see why it would be to surprising to hear a government official advising people stockpile food and medicine. He's pretty much saying that the supply chain could break down, and that probably surprises a lot of people, but it is reality.

Russian Academy of Medical Sciences director Dmitry Lvov says we're one amino acid shift away from a pandemic.

UN avian flu chief Nabarro said two mutations.

A study done recently showed the virus's binding affinity can be changed from birds to humans with a few "minor mutations".

Basically, this is the closest we've been to a pandemic since the last one struck. The gov doesn't want a situation where everybody is caught off guard by this.

But then, this topic's supposed to be about smallpox, isn't it? So I'll pipe down.

=^)

[pgkdan]

I suppose I agree with you but that comment about the tuna and dry milk just seemed off the wall. It was made in the context of a bird flu outbreak, which to my mind made it even more weird. We're not going to have a bird flu outbreak this year. Not even the scare mongers are saying that. Then I heard him on Hannitty and Sean asked him about the comment and I really expected him to down play it or disavow it and he didn't. He really thinks we ought to be stockpiling food and supplies. He didn't say why...just that it's a good idea.

[neverdem]

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FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[AngrySpud]

"He didn't say why ... just that it's a good idea."

The things you can do to prepare for a pandemic (food, water, etc) are the same things you should do to prepare for a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, wildfire, etc. Health departments are embracing the idea of All Hazards Planning.

[joesnuffy]

If they wanna drill something...start with ANWR