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US steps up bird flu efforts
With reports saying fatal bird in flu in humans is spreading, US officials are stepping up efforts to avert a crisis. Among steps being taken or studied:
- Stricter monitoring of borders.
- Improving the present system of finding travelers after they have entered the country.
- Stockpiling the best flu treatments.
“Recent SARS and avian flu threats and last fall’s failed response to Hurricane Katrina have sparked industry and government preparations for a potential health crisis,” reported the Baltimore Sun.
Twenty five quarantine stations are being opened or expanded at airports that serve about two-thirds of the international visitors to the US. That involves 75 million people.
Only travelers showing suspicious symptoms, however, are likely to come in contact with the stations.
Before the recent bird flu, the last major health care was SARS or severe respiratory syndrome. It caused sickness in death for 8,000 people, according to the World Health Organization. Most of the deaths were in Asian countries, though 250 cases were reported in Canada and 27 in the US.
US President Bush has called for an extra $7 billion for dealing with a possible flu epidemic and Congress seems likely to give him the money.
Health officials say that any pandemic is likely to spread faster than ever these days because of the prevalence of plane travel.
The US government has gotten more communicative about the possibility of a flu epidemic in recent months. In the past, officials seemed to fear that discussing the subject could cause a public panic.
Report by David Wilkening
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