The Times October 10, 2005

America 'faces worst disaster in its history'
From Tim Reid in Washington
A PLAN drawn up by the Bush Administration to combat a pandemic bird flu outbreak reveals that America is grossly unprepared to deal with what would likely be the worst disaster in US history.

The 381-page draft plan, leaked by health officials who claim that it contains fundamental failures, predicts that a full-scale outbreak could kill as many as 1.9 million Americans and put 8.5 million in hospital at a cost of more than $450 billion (£256 billion).

Hospitals would quickly become overwhelmed, riots would break out at vaccine clinics, civil unrest would sweep the country, and power and food would be in short supply, according to the plan, which has been years in the making. It calls for quarantine and travel restrictions but concedes that those measures “are unlikely to delay introduction of pandemic disease into the US by more than a month or two”.

A large outbreak in Asia, because of modern travel patterns, would be likely to reach the US within “a few months or even weeks”. The plan, which was passed to The New York Times, calls for the ability to manufacture 600 million vaccine doses within six months, more than ten times the country’s current capacity.

The document, called the Pandemic Influenza Strategic Plan, also calls for a national stockpile of 133 courses of flu treatment. The Bush Administration has purchased only 4.3 million courses at present.

On Friday, President Bush met officials from the country’s top six vaccine producers at the White House to urge them to step up production and to discuss ways to increase their production capacity.

Health officials claim that the plan fails to place a central figure in charge of co-ordinating a national response to a bird flu outbreak. After the Bush Administration’s disastrous initial response to Hurricane Katrina, and Mr Bush’s subsequent admission that a lack of clear and unified central leadership exacerbated the disaster, the officials told The New York Times: “We don’t want to have a FEMA-like [Federal Emergency Management Agency] response, where it’s not clear who’s running what.”

The officials conceded, however, that the plan was a “major milestone”.

One of the most controversial parts of the plan addresses who should be given the vaccines first. The military and National Guard are not mentioned.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1818987,00.html
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Scary stuff. So many natural disasters occuring (I'm gonna count this as one) right after each other. Very creepy. The tsunami in asia, flooding of new orleans, massive earthquake in south-east asia, and now the possibility of a giant flu invasion.

:-x

My thoughts on it: It's not gonna happen. Sure it could, but I really think people are over reacting, but I maybe proven wrong. I hopeit dosen't happen though, that'd suck major crap. I really hate that the media goes crazy when they here about this stuff, all they want is death, those 'tards.

Yeah, all of this stuff is insane. :s

Yeah it would be terrible 'if' it happened

But I will only worry about it 'if' it really does happen, not much I can do about it now so the best thing I can do it not to worry about it :)

Well, that's the thing. These natural disasters have just been "happening" back to back. I mean, who would've thought that a major city of the US could be nearly obliterated? And onto that, all of these other places... :o

well the bird flu is really a scary thing.
last news said that it reached romania lately.
and it's gonna move further west, that's a fact.

and concerning the article, not surprising that bush didn't do anything yet.
since all money flows into military.
i mean, remember the really slow help after the new orleans incident.
maybe the thought of being beyond the big pond doesn't make him think about that it could reach the continent though oO.
but the bird flu started of in asia which is not that far away from western america.
the things which are going on in this world at the moment are scaring the hell out of me.
one thing after another, not only natural catastrophes but social catastrophes too.

I think that media speak too much about it much. they create a psychosis, people don't want to buy poultry and pharmacy are cleaned out .
People are very stupid :pinch: .
And I think it's a bad idea to make a thread about it, that only increases people's fear...
I don't say that there is no danger, but I think people must calm down

Did you guys hear? There is a category-5 hurricane that might head towards southern areas of Florida.

Oh jeez... X_X

Man, god sure hates us.

My opinion is that it will spread like hell. It will just like the one from 1919. 20 Million dead, maybe more, but I hope a vaccine can be created before it happens.

This outbreak of natural disasters... makes you question a lot, doesn't it?
(sigh)

Actually, we always have these huge disasters around the world and diseases, the media and people are just more involved then they used to be, I think most people get scared for no reason, I mean it’s all terrible, but not much has changed in the last ten, maybe even twenty years, it comes and it goes, that’s life, that’s nature!

whooaaa.

that projection seems a little ridiculous, considering that the actual numbers of people who have been infected with various avian flu strains is, in absolute numbers, actually quite small. the strain that most people worry about and that is getting the most attention in the news is (H5N1) has infected about 117 people. this is not to say that bird flu isn't dangerous (it has a high mortality rate) but as of now i think most people are overreacting.

it should also be noted that there really isn't anything we can do to prepare for a pandemic. the US is as well prepared as any other country against bird flu--the problem is, no country is very well prepared for an avian flu outbreak.

:rolleyes:
What you should not hear... :rolleyes:

It is actually, pretty ridiculous how the media is playing this up.
H5N1 virus is pretty much on the down low in North America/anywhere else because the genetic mutation of the virus for it to be potentially deadly to humans isn't very numerous.
I'm a little less concerned at the moment... but as for the hurricane.
(sigh)