US bird flu plan looks to communities, business

[Eugene]

US bird flu plan looks to communities, business
Mon Dec 5, 2005 1:51 PM ET

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is preparing for a worst-case
scenario if bird flu causes a human pandemic, with a projected 92
million people sick, schools closed and businesses disrupted, Health
and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said on Monday.

Leavitt said he was scheduling 50 separate state-by-state meetings
with state and local officials to begin pinning down how each
community will plan for the possible pandemic of H5N1 avian influenza.

"The reality is, and you know it -- pandemics happen," Leavitt told a
meeting in Washington of state and local health and emergency
officials.

<snip>

The U.S. plan includes a worst-case scenario with an outbreak starting
in a small village in Thailand and spreading quickly to Europe and the
United States.

<snip>

Full article: http://today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyID=uri:2005-12-05T185110Z_01_RID567810_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-USA.xml

In short, businesses and communities need to prepare for major
disruptions to mitigate the impact when the pandemic comes.

[FormerRepublican]

1. The only thing certain about bird flu is that Bush will screw up ...

...the response. More Americans dead because of Bush.

[vonslagle]

4. We wouldn't have Bird Flu

If Bush had signed onto Kyoto.

Scientists told us that idf we didn't curb CO2 that pandemics would happen. Chimpie ignored the warnings and now people are going to die.

[Chicago Democrat]

5. natch

happy holidays freind

[GrumpyGreg]

2. A pandemic is the most frightening thing I can imagine.

Police sick,fireman sick,truckers sick,hospital workers sick---need I go on?

[rodeodance]

3. I wish i could the Fed to do what is right but I can not. That is the

part--I have no trust.