Show Leavitt calls on states to act on Bird Flu threat Ricardo Alonso Los Angeles Times Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt urged each state on Monday to prepare for the possibility of a deadly bird flu pandemic by holding its own planning summit within within within with with- in the next four months During a long day-long meet- meet of emer la gency panning fanning p ng officials Leavitt said it was time to move from ethereal plans to community action that includes local policies for distributing saving life-saving medicines closing schools restricting travel and communicating communicating communicating com com- accurate information information information mation to the public to head off panic Although he acknowledged acknowledged acknowledged edged that the feared worldwide worldwide worldwide world world- wide contagion might not occur soon Leavitt said it was better to be prepared He noted that even if there is no pandemic c and and heis he heis heis is ultimately accused of crying wolf the nation would gain by modernizing its vaccine industry the cornerstone cornerstone cornerstone cor cor- of President Bushs Bush's 7 1 billion pandemic preparedness preparedness preparedness pre pre- plan Some of the state officials at the meeting were skeptical cal about added costs and shifting priorities Dr Susan Allan Oregon's public health director cautioned against what she called the the the of plan I 1 do have a concern about the focus on a single disease when other diseases may pose an equally severe risk she said Im afraid that everybody will drop what they're doing on other health issues and a lot of good activity will be under under- cut Iowa health director Mary Mincer Hansen criticized criticized criticized a feature of Bushs Bush's plan that calls on the states to bear a substantial share of the cost for purchasing antiviral drugs These medicines medicines medi medi- medicines cines are not vaccines but they can help ease severe flu symptoms and in some cases prevent infection Calling on the states to buy is is doing a disservice e to us Hansen said We We need a national stockpile Federal officials also distributed distributed distributed dis dis- dis- dis to a mixed reception reception recep recep- tion a item 63 checklist to guide state health planners While some welcomed guidelines from Washington others said they would prefer to set their own priorities Leavitt said that ing state and local governments governments governments govern govern- ments was critical to the success of any national plan Without them federal health officials cant can't put put pills in the palms of patients he said A virulent strain of flu among wild and domestic birds in Asia has recently emerged among birds in Europe but the virus has not yet developed the ability to pass easily from one human being to another According rl ng the o for Centers N r I. I Di Disease as Control and aid P he human Prevention cases cases' n involving that virus more than since 1997 have occurred among individuals who were in direct contact with infected birds or contaminated contaminated contaminated conta conta- surfaces Dr Julie Gerberding head of the told the gathering that it was probably probably ably more likely than not that the virus wont won't evolve into a pandemic Leavitt himself said there is a better than 50 percent chance that will not be he the snark that sets off a global p pandemic But if that were to happen happen happen hap hap- pen 90 million Americans could get sick and somewhere somewhere some some- where between and 19 million could die according to esti esti- mates Society is going to hold us responsible for what we did during this time Leavitt said Despite the administrations administration's administrations administration's administrations tion's sense of urgency Bushs Bush's pandemic plan has run into controversy in Congress Some fiscal conservatives conservatives conservatives con con- are insisting that the presidents president's request for emergency funding be paid for with cuts in other pro pro- grams Meanwhile provisions provisions provisions provi provi- to exempt the vaccine industry from liability in lawsuits are gaining ground but lawmakers have neglected the issue of a compensation fund for those harmed by vaccines officials say they are hoping to resolve the controversies before Congress breaks for Christmas If the virus emerges in this country officials said it may well bein be in the West since migratory bird routes from Asia sia and North America intersect near Alaska But according to John Clifford a senior Agriculture Department veterinarian that wouldn't necessarily be a cause for alarm about human health Any infected birds and flocks that came into contac contact con con- contact tact tac with them would be killed he told the meeting I I |