Y2K all over again- but worse

[Guest guest]

At least w/ the Y2K predicted disaster (which by the way never

happened) we knew when to expect the problems to occur. With this

predicted disaster they are just monopolizing on fears and

uncertainties.

It's ridiculous, they ensue panic and urgency, but they have no idea

when, how or if this will happen. Oh, and don't count on the feds to

do anything when it all starts to come apart.

Of course bird flu mania is a great distraction from Iraq among

other messes.

This administration is an atrocity!

http://www.vindy.com/content/national_world/288910427492830.php

Report: Feds can't help during flu pandemic

Print StoryEmail to FriendDiscuss this story

The plan doesn't address all issues of a possible pandemic.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush's plan for dealing with a flu

pandemic warns that the federal government won't be able to bail out

communities reeling from illness and economic upheaval, and calls on

businesses and individuals to take steps now to keep vital services

running.

The updated plan, released Wednesday, stresses basic human needs

such as medical care and food, but doesn't address some major

hurdles — how to meet those needs if massive absenteeism stops

transportation by closing oil refineries, or crashes the Internet so

workers can't telecommute.

" Our efforts require the participation of, and coordination by, all

levels of government and segments of society, " Bush said in a letter

to Americans unveiling his updated national pandemic response

strategy.

" No less important will be the actions of individual citizens, whose

participation is necessary to the success of these efforts. "

Unpredictable

Influenza pandemics strike every few decades when a never-before-

seen strain arises. It's impossible to predict when the next will

occur, or its toll. But last fall, amid concern that the Asian bird

flu might lead to one if it starts spreading easily from person to

person, Bush proposed a $7.1 billion, multiyear strategy to prepare

for the next pandemic.

At the plan's core: stockpiling enough bird-flu vaccine for 20

million people, plus anti-flu medications and other key medical

supplies, to provide some protection while manufacturers race to

brew a pandemic-specific inoculation.

Wednesday's report updates Bush's initial plan, outlining exactly

which government agency is responsible for some 300 additional

tasks. It also provides details, beyond health care, of changes

Americans could expect in how they travel, work and conduct day-to-

day activities during a severe pandemic.

The report's big message: " Local communities will have to address

the medical and nonmedical impacts of the pandemic with available

resources. " That's because the federal government won't be able to

offer the kind of aid expected after hurricanes or other one-time,

one-location natural disasters, it says.

Not sealing borders

U.S. borders won't be sealed after outbreaks abroad, the report

says. That would fail to keep out a pandemic — people can spread flu

a full day before they show symptoms. Instead, the goal will be to

slow influenza's march, starting by screening international

travelers for signs of infection and quarantining possibly ill

passengers.

As U.S. infections mount, people will be asked to stay away from

crowds, and cancel nonessential travel. Patients' families would be

temporarily isolated. Schools in affected communities would close.

Employers would be urged to let people telecommute, regularly clean

buildings — flu viruses can live on hard surfaces for 48 hours — and

advise workers to avoid shaking hands and stand 3 feet apart, out of

sneeze range.

" I want to be careful not to panic people, " cautioned Frances

Townsend, Bush's White House homeland security adviser. " First of

all, a human pandemic has not begun, and we cannot say whether or

not a pandemic will begin. "

[Guest guest]

I have to wonder if they are anticipating something from the contaminated flu vaccines they injected for years prior to the UK MHRA yanking the Liverpool plant's license. If we do have a "pandemic flu outbreak" who will not have blinders on and actually be looking for something other than bird flu? Think of microorganisms in the same way you think of merchandising. Conditions have to be right before they proliferate. The right bug, at the right time, at the right temperature...etc

SARS, Ebola, West Nile, etc. etc. Were these legitimate health threats or were they just part of the extortion racket?

I also suspect that they believe the troops can't come home because they fear spreading a funky disease around causing a massive-scaled pandemic of whatever they are monitoring. Doughboys returning home from Europe were blamed for the 1918 flu pandemic, but actually is was poor sanitation and bad medical hygiene. From the narrative I've read the troops were stuffed onto ships like cattle. Your imagination can take over from there.

Y2K all over again- but worse

At least w/ the Y2K predicted disaster (which by the way never happened) we knew when to expect the problems to occur. With this predicted disaster they are just monopolizing on fears and uncertainties.It's ridiculous, they ensue panic and urgency, but they have no idea when, how or if this will happen. Oh, and don't count on the feds to do anything when it all starts to come apart.Of course bird flu mania is a great distraction from Iraq among other messes.This administration is an atrocity!http://www.vindy.com/content/national_world/288910427492830.php Report: Feds can't help during flu pandemicPrint StoryEmail to FriendDiscuss this storyThe plan doesn't address all issues of a possible pandemic. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush's plan for dealing with a flu pandemic warns that the federal government won't be able to bail out communities reeling from illness and economic upheaval, and calls on businesses and individuals to take steps now to keep vital services running. The updated plan, released Wednesday, stresses basic human needs such as medical care and food, but doesn't address some major hurdles — how to meet those needs if massive absenteeism stops transportation by closing oil refineries, or crashes the Internet so workers can't telecommute. "Our efforts require the participation of, and coordination by, all levels of government and segments of society," Bush said in a letter to Americans unveiling his updated national pandemic response strategy. "No less important will be the actions of individual citizens, whose participation is necessary to the success of these efforts." Unpredictable Influenza pandemics strike every few decades when a never-before-seen strain arises. It's impossible to predict when the next will occur, or its toll. But last fall, amid concern that the Asian bird flu might lead to one if it starts spreading easily from person to person, Bush proposed a $7.1 billion, multiyear strategy to prepare for the next pandemic. At the plan's core: stockpiling enough bird-flu vaccine for 20 million people, plus anti-flu medications and other key medical supplies, to provide some protection while manufacturers race to brew a pandemic-specific inoculation. Wednesday's report updates Bush's initial plan, outlining exactly which government agency is responsible for some 300 additional tasks. It also provides details, beyond health care, of changes Americans could expect in how they travel, work and conduct day-to-day activities during a severe pandemic. The report's big message: "Local communities will have to address the medical and nonmedical impacts of the pandemic with available resources." That's because the federal government won't be able to offer the kind of aid expected after hurricanes or other one-time, one-location natural disasters, it says. Not sealing borders U.S. borders won't be sealed after outbreaks abroad, the report says. That would fail to keep out a pandemic — people can spread flu a full day before they show symptoms. Instead, the goal will be to slow influenza's march, starting by screening international travelers for signs of infection and quarantining possibly ill passengers. As U.S. infections mount, people will be asked to stay away from crowds, and cancel nonessential travel. Patients' families would be temporarily isolated. Schools in affected communities would close. Employers would be urged to let people telecommute, regularly clean buildings — flu viruses can live on hard surfaces for 48 hours — and advise workers to avoid shaking hands and stand 3 feet apart, out of sneeze range. "I want to be careful not to panic people," cautioned Frances Townsend, Bush's White House homeland security adviser. "First of all, a human pandemic has not begun, and we cannot say whether or not a pandemic will begin."