bird flu will eventually reach the United States

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Leavitt: U.S. Likely To Deal With Strain Of Bird Flu

HHS Secretary Says Prediction On Timing Not Possible

POSTED: 11:40 am MST January 1, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The nation's top health official thinks some kind of

bird flu will eventually reach the United States.

Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt told CNN's " Late

Edition " that health officials cannot predict when that might happen.

Leavitt said the $3.2 billion measure that President W. Bush

signed last week is a good preparation step.

That bill helps prepare for a possible outbreak and provides

liability protections for flu drug manufacturers.

Leavitt said there is a limit to the amount of vaccine that can be

made and there are distribution problems.

Getting vaccines into the arms of people is a challenge that shows

why state and local preparedness is important, he said.

Dr. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, said that country is not ready for a bird flu pandemic.

Gerberding said the U.S. strategy for fighting a pandemic would

include isolating people who are sick, but the measures would not be

draconian.

The old-fashioned concept of quarantine is outdated and wouldn't

involve military forces or law enforcement, she said.

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