The flu that flew, part 2 Here comes the (paper) cavalry In the last Daily Dose, I wrote to you about a scare in an open-air bird market in New Jersey. Although that flu strain turned out NOT to be the H5N1 influenza virus that has plagued Asia, Europe, and Africa, the alarm has definitely been raised on The Hill… But how much of a comfort is this, really? Remember what the government's big solution to terrorism was: Duct tape and Saran Wrap. Oh, and invading Iraq - let's not forget that. So, will we be any better prepared for an outbreak of H5N1, should it defy the odds and suddenly occur among humans? According to a May 2nd Associated Press article, the Bush administration has drafted a "response plan" to help control any future flu pandemic from causing more human deaths than are absolutely unavoidable in the event of the virus's spread to the U.S. Though not finalized at this time, the initial 228-page draft of the plan includes the following guidelines: Mandating that employers keep workers at least 3 feet apart at all times, and to encourage working from home for those employees whose jobs allow it, and teleconferencing to avoid face-to-face meetings
Identifying and preparing areas to house or quarantine the sick, like college dormitories
The adoption of mandatory sick-leave policies for anyone exposed to the influenza virus
Mandating surgical masks for coughing or visibly sick passengers on domestic and international flights
Restrictions on travel within the country to retard the spread of the virus Here's why none of this makes any sense: Because H5N1 is not a human disease! And despite what the poultry pundits are saying, it likely never will be. Keep reading… Now, it might make sense to start keeping CHICKENS 3 feet apart, or quarantining the sick ones in college dorms (there's not much actual learning going on there, anyway) - or mandating surgical masks or sick leave for coughing fowl… Oddly enough, this "plan" does NOT close the country's borders! According to the AP article, the Feds claim that sealing off the country from incoming travelers would only slow the virus's arrival by a few weeks at most. But since the "travelers" they should be worried about are flying in on feathered wings instead of aluminum ones, the authorities are going to have a hard time rounding them up (they can't even do this with illegal immigrants - and they're a lot bigger). Personally, I think the administration's plan to not block entry is aimed more at reducing shocks to the nation's economy than sound health policy in the event of a pandemic. More than a million people cross our borders every day - and these are just the LEGAL ones. If a human pandemic of any type were to occur (it won't be H5N1), sealing the country's borders would make a lot more sense and save a lot more lives than any of the other things they're recommending. According to the AP piece, the U.S. is bracing for as many as 2 million deaths, should the unthinkable (and extremely unlikely) occur. The $7 Billion "Plan" for fighting H5N1 includes the stockpiling of enough vaccine for 20 million people… I don't know how they plan to do this, since it takes an actual HUMAN virus to derive a vaccine from. And since H5N1 has yet to mutate into a form communicable from person to person, how could they possibly have a vaccine before an outbreak? Aside from this, the absolute fastest a vaccine could be formulated, much less stockpiled, once a virus is isolated is around 3 months - and in that amount of time, a REAL pandemic (not H5N1) could decimate us! To me, this all sounds like a thinly veiled attempt to capitalize on an epidemic of fear to extort even more tax money from our already-strapped populace - not a substantive solution to an impending pandemic of disease… Oh, well, that's status quo for The Hill. Look, if you're worried, the best things to do are the same things I recommend to prevent infections of every type: Wash your hands often, disinfect your living area, and wear rubber gloves and face masks. Total cost - about $3.99, not $7 billion… Prepared, but not scared, William Campbell Douglass II, MD | 
