Home>News Center>World
         
 

US unprepared for super-flu pandemic
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-21 08:49

The U.S. is unprepared for the next flu pandemic, lacking the manufacturing capacity to provide 300 million doses of a vaccine for three to five more years, US Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said Sunday.

"What we all learned from (Hurricane) Katrina is that sometimes we have to think very clearly about the unthinkable," Leavitt said. "We're not as prepared as we need to be. ...We will not have enough for everyone."

A strain of a bird flu that has killed 67 people in Asia has sparked concerns of a super-flu that could kill millions worldwide, and U.S. officials acknowledge that the strain in its current form could reach here through a migratory bird.

While stressing that chances remain slight, health experts say it could lead to a global pandemic if the bird flu mutates to start spreading easily among people.

"We can't put a number on how probable that's going to be," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the infectious disease division of the National Institutes of Health. "It's a low probability. When the consequences are unimaginable, you must assume the worst-case scenario."

US unprepared for super-flu pandemic
In this 1918 file photograph, influenza victims crowd into an emergency hospital at Camp Funston, a subdivision of Fort Riley in Kansas. The flu, which is believed to have originated in Kansas, killed at least 20 million people worldwide. [AP/file]
Added Dr. Michael Ryan of the World Health Organization: "This is certainly a dangerous virus, and it has crossed the species barrier now in 130 cases. We're probably closer to a pandemic at any time in the last 37 years."

The U.S., which has not seen any signs of the strain in birds or people, has only enough doses now for 4.3 million people.

President Bush has proposed stockpiling enough of the anti-flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza for 81 million people, a goal drug manufacturers believe they can reach by the middle of next year, said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We're not prepared for vaccination, that's why we need to scale up. We are doing studies to extend the value of the vaccine ... allowing us to vaccinate more people with the same doses," so the timeframe might be quicker, she said.

Leavitt said the low supply means state and local governments will have to make tough choices on how best to allocate the vaccine should an outbreak occur. The federal government has suggested top priority be given to first responders.

The first documented cases of bird flu in people occurred in 1997 in Hong Kong, where six people died. The current flu virus strain appeared in people in 2003. More than 150 million chickens and ducks have died from the germ or been slaughtered.

Nearly all of the 67 human victims caught the virus from close contact with sick chickens, with only one confirmed case of a person infecting another person. The fear now is that the strain, called H5N1, will acquire the ability to spread easily from person to person.

Fauci said the chances of that remain slight, noting that the strain will have to genetically mutate in ways that are possible but "not necessarily inevitable."

"We know it can jump from a chicken to a human," he said. "If this virus was the seasonal flu with the inherent capability that the seasonal flu has of going from human to human, you would have seen an explosion of cases in Southeast Asia. ...We're not seeing that now."

Ryan said his group is working to improve health surveillance in Asia, which he called the weakest link, particularly since health experts are preparing to provide an emergency "fire blanket" to control an outbreak should one occur.

"If we were to detect the emergence of the pandemic strain early enough, some models suggest that with the application of social distancing or quarantine-like measures and the rapid distribution of antivirals in that population, we may be able to significantly slow down or even stop the emergence of a pandemic strain," he said.

Gerberding advised that Americans should take the usual precautions in guarding against the common flu, such as washing hands frequently and getting a flu shot.

"H5N1 is a bird problem, and it's not in the United States at this time," she said. "Even if it does enter through a migratory bird at some point, which won't be surprising, we have a wonderful system of surveillance."

The four health experts appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press."



USS Park Royal crew await for Rice
Coffin of Milosevic flew to Belgrade
Kidnapping spree in Gaza Strip
 
  Today's Top News     Top World News
 

Australia, US, Japan praise China for Asia engagement

 

   
 

Banker: China doing its best on flexible yuan

 

   
 

Hopes high for oil pipeline deal

 

   
 

Possibilities of bird flu outbreaks reduced

 

   
 

Milosevic buried after emotional farewell

 

   
 

China considers trade contracts in India

 

   
  Journalist's alleged killers held in Iraq
   
  No poisons found in Milosevic's body
   
  US, Britain, France upbeat on Iran agreement
   
  Fatah officials call for Abbas to resign
   
  Sectarian violence increases in Iraq
   
  US support for troops in Iraq hits new low
   
 
  Go to Another Section  
 
 
  Story Tools  
   
  Related Stories  
   
China strengthens flu surveillance in rural regions
   
Two more bird flu outbreaks reported
Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Advertisement
         
主站蜘蛛池模板: 一区二区三区欧美日韩国产| 亚洲国产成人久久综合碰碰动漫3d| 青青青国产精品一区二区| 国产精品漂亮美女在线观看| www深夜视频在线观看高清| 无码人妻一区二区三区在线视频| 久久精品国产精品亚洲| 欧美三级中文字幕在线观看| 亚洲欧美日韩中文无线码| 色五五月五月开| 国产成人亚洲综合无| jizzjizz之xxxx18| 国产精品无码素人福利不卡| 97人妻人人做人碰人人爽| 天堂在线中文字幕| 一区二区三区福利视频| 扒开女人内裤边吃奶边摸| 久久久噜噜噜久久熟女AA片| 日韩国产精品欧美一区二区| 亚洲av无码不卡在线播放| 欧美巨大精品videos| 亚洲欧洲精品在线| 欧美黄三级在线观看| 亚洲福利电影一区二区?| 熟女精品视频一区二区三区| 人人妻人人澡人人爽欧美一区双| 男生和女生一起差差差差| 免费女人18毛片a级毛片视频| 精品日韩一区二区| 动漫美女被到爽了流漫画| 精品国产免费观看一区| 变态拳头交视频一区二区| 美女的让男人桶爽网站| 四虎色姝姝影院www| 色多多在线视频| 国产人成777在线视频直播| 青青草原伊人网| 国产乱人伦AV麻豆网| 蜜桃av噜噜一区二区三区| 国产乱码精品一区三上| 足本玉蒲团在线观看|