Re: Bush: Troops could fight flu-ENTIRE article

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Posted on Wed, Oct. 05, 2005

Bush: Troops could fight flu

He says the military could help enforce quarantines if a pandemic

struck.

By Ron Hutcheson

Inquirer Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - President Bush said yesterday that he was considering

the use of military troops to impose a quarantine in the event of a

flu pandemic in the United States.

Bush, in response to a question at a news conference, echoed

warnings from health experts who fear a replay of the 1918-19

pandemic that may have killed up to 50 million people worldwide.

The World Health Organization says an influenza pandemic is " just a

matter of time. " Some health officials are particularly concerned

about avian flu, because it seems to be extremely lethal when it

jumps from birds to humans.

Of the 116 known cases in humans in Asia since 2003, 60 ended in

death. There are no confirmed cases of human-to-human transmission,

but that could change, because influenza viruses constantly mutate.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D., Iowa), who has urged the administration to take

a more aggressive approach, said: " It's not a question of if, it's a

question of when. It's scary. "

Bush left no doubt that he took the threat seriously.

" I've thought through all the scenarios of what an avian flu

outbreak could mean, " he told reporters. " I'm not predicting an

outbreak. I'm just suggesting to you that we'd better be thinking

about it. "

Some fear that the government's response to a flu pandemic could be

inadequate.

" The entire world has a long way to go to achieve even the most

fundamental levels of preparedness, " said Osterholm,

director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and

Policy. " We're going to need every possible asset within all of

government - federal, state and local - to respond to a pandemic. "

Bush suggested that he should have the authority to use federal

troops to seal off an infected region in a pandemic.

" If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not

then quarantine that part of the country, and how do you then

enforce a quarantine? " Bush said. " ... One option is the use of a

military that's able to plan and move. "

He gave no details of what troops might do or what sort of

quarantine might be invoked. The federal government's pandemic

response plan, the product of more than a year of work, is expected

to be released soon.

Most public-health experts believe it is impossible to entirely

isolate neighborhoods, towns, cities or regions during an outbreak

of disease. Instead, " quarantine " today generally refers to a

variety of strategies for identifying and limiting the movement of

people who are infected with a contagious pathogen or are at high

risk.

Bush said he was encouraging work on a new vaccine against avian

flu. He said he used his visit to the United Nations last month

to " talk to as many leaders as I could find " about the need to

report any outbreaks as quickly as possible.

Bush did not mention the cost of preparing for an outbreak, but

health officials and members of Congress say it easily could cost

billions of dollars to stockpile vaccines, antiviral drugs and other

supplies.

On other topics, Bush:

Said the federal effort to help communities after Hurricane Katrina

remained uneven.

Declined to say if he would fire anyone indicted in the

investigation into the leak of a CIA agent's identity that has two

administration officials as its focus.

Acknowledged the public had a " diminished appetite " for his push to

overhaul Social Security.

Flu Pandemics

The United States and the world have experienced three major flu

pandemics in the last century:

The Spanish flu of 1918-19 killed more than 500,000 people in the

United States.

The Asian flu of 1957-58 caused about 70,000 deaths in the United

States.

The Hong Kong flu of 1968-69 caused about 34,000 deaths in the

United States.

Experts are closely tracking a deadly strain of avian flu in

Southeast Asia, which has caused 60 confirmed human deaths since

December 2003.

SOURCES: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health

Organization

ONLINE EXTRA

For a text and video

of President Bush's news conference, go to

http://go.philly.com/bushflu

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