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Help with the Bird Flu

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Dr. Jay Adlersberg
More: Bio, News Team

By Dr. Jay Adlersberg

(New York-WABC, 2005) (WABC) -- Winter flu is different than bird flu. There is no bird flu epidemic in humans, only in poultry. It has killed 60 people who handled birds, with no evidence that it easily spreads from one person to another.

Dr. Jay Adlersberg's On Call with the story.

President Bush made it clear this morning that the nation must prepare for the chance that the deadly bird virus would change itself, spread person-to-person and spread quickly around the world.

President Bush: "It's a defense like preventing a forest fire from spreading ... time of day"

The President's strategy is three fold:

Detect and contain flu outbreaks around the world.

The government would stockpile antiviral drugs and vaccines, and improve the making of new vaccines.

prepare federal and local health departments to respond to a pandemic.

He proposed $7 billion to do it all.

Remember, the President is just proposing the money, congress still must approve it and allocate it.

Dr. Pascal James Imperato is a flu expert and former New York City Health Commissioner. He hopes congress will not lose interest in the flu initiative as this winter passes. He cautions using new techniques to make vaccines, though praiseworthy, takes time.

Dr.Pascal James Imperato,SUNY Downstate Medical Center:"It's gonna take a few years for that to occur, its not going to happen overnight."

The Bush strategy is already taking hits as being underfunded, with much reliance on state budgets. And drugs for flu are presently in short supply with disputes raging over patent concerns. Some experts are worried.

Dr. Anne Moscona, NY Presbyterian Weill Cornell: "Number one, we don't have enough of them; number two, were relying on only one class of drugs to which the virus will inevitably become resistant."

Bird flu statistics offer a ray of hope, it's been around for eight years without changing to a human to human disease. Dr. Imperato: "In a period of eight years ... one would have expected to see that already ... doesn't mean to say it couldn't happen in the future."

Again, bird flu right now only exists in birds. Winter flu is another thing and that's what the present flu vaccine is designed for. That a combined response with Washington's help will work better than what we've seen in recent disaster relief efforts.

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