Americans Get Ready for Bird Flu
By Mohamed Elshinnawi
Washington, DC
23 March 2006
The World Health Organization says the deaths
of five people in Azerbaijan have pushed the world
total human deaths from H5N1 bird flu past 100.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before
the virus spreads to the United States. Federal,
state and local officials, companies, schools
and individuals are trying to prepare for it.
VOA's Mohamed Elshinnawi has more.
The United States Congress allocated $3.3 billion
this year to protect Americans against bird flu.
Half of that money is for vaccines, starting with
the one that fights the Vietnamese version of
bird flu.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Michael
Leavitt is relatively optimistic. "No one
in the world is well prepared for a pandemic.
We are better prepared now than before and we
will be better prepared in the future than we
are now. But it is a continuation of preparation."
The Secretary authorized work to begin on a second
vaccine based on another form of bird flu.
Dr. William Schaffner of the Vanderbilt Medical
School says if either form strikes, Americans
will have to take a wide range of measures. "We
will be staying home, concerts won't be going
on. We might close schools in some communities."
Some schoolteachers are planning on teaching
courses over the Internet. Schoolteacher Paula
Carreiro says, "They have been tasked with
planning curriculum if the school should ever
need to close for two weeks or two months."
Some Americans are stocking up on anti-viral medications
such as Tamiflu, but Dr. Anthony Fauci of the
National Institute of health says that is not
certain to work. "We don't know how well
it's going to respond or work or be helpful in
pandemic circumstances."
One other possibility is buying masks to cover
the nose and mouth.
Dr. Schaffner adds, "I think it's likely
that they offer some protection. They don't have
any side effects."
The best advice for protection may be the one
offered by the Centers for Disease Control, and
a lot of mothers: Wash your hands a lot.
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