U.S. Prepares for Possible Flu Outbreak

[northstar]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States may have to close schools, restrict travel and ration scarce medications if a powerful new flu strain spurs a worldwide outbreak, according to federal plans for the next pandemic, obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.

It will take months to brew a vaccine that works against the kind of super-flu that causes a pandemic, although government preparations include research to speed that production.

The federal plans have been long-awaited by flu specialists, who say it's only a matter of time before the next pandemic strikes and the nation is woefully unprepared.

There have been three flu pandemics in the last century, the worst in 1918, when more than half a million Americans and 20 million people worldwide died.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040826/D84MJVB80.html

[NC_Nurse]

1. *Yawn*

Wonder why this is suddenly front page news????:eyes:

They've been talking about a flu pandemic for years...yeah. and. so what?

[depakid]

4. You may be yawning a lot, in the event that an H5N1 variant

breaks out. I imagine that you'll be working serious overtime and (hopefully) you'll have an ample supply of Tamiflu.

Avain influenza is sitting there waiting in a resevoir of rural farms and fetid slums all over South East Asia. The fact that it's recently been discovered in swine and that we're hearing WHO reports this early is disturbing- at least to me.

As it is to other public health officials.

[kcwayne]

2. I know that I'll be hurling all next week

with the Repuke Convention Virus

[area51]

3. Universal healthcare

This dovetails into why we need our tax $ spent wisely on universal healthcare, not neverending wars. A country that has universal healthcare will have more of its population survive a pandemic.

[Lovecrafty]

5. Two words...CAPTAIN TRIPS!!!!

[mourningdove92]

6. Exactly!

Resrict travel (like to the polls).

hmmm

[depakid]

7. WHO update: Implications of H5N1 infections in pigs in China

25 August 2004

Considering the widespread nature of the current H5N1 outbreak in Asia and the capability of influenza viruses to jump the species barriers, it is inevitable that H5N1 virus will be detected in some pigs. Pigs can be infected with both avian and human influenza A viruses-for instance, human influenza H3N2 viruses have been detected in pigs in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Some of these human and avian influenza viruses might become adapted to pigs and then begin circulating in pig populations. The co-circulation of avian, human, and pig viruses in pigs is of significant concern because of the potential for a genetic exchange, or "reassortment," of material between these viruses. Such an occurrence has the potential to produce a new, pandemic influenza strain.

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_08_25/en/

No conspiracy theories here- just scientific concern- and considering the history of influenza in the past century, legitimate concern that requires rational preparation.