WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) -- The Homeland Security Council rolled out a 300-plus step action plan Wednesday for dealing with worse-case bird flu pandemic scenarios.
Francis Townsend, President Bush's homeland security adviser, said the preparatory steps amounted to a "roadmap" for action, with set targets and timelines for government agency implementation even though "we do not know that the bird virus that we are seeing overseas will ever become a human virus, and we cannot predict whether a human virus will lead to a pandemic."
"Moreover, there is no way to predict how severe a pandemic would be. In the plan we describe a wide spectrum of severity, and we are candid that we should understand and prepare the worst-case scenario," she said in a briefing at the White House.
In addition to federal efforts, the 267-page "Implementation Plan for The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza" provides guidance for state and local authorities for developing their plans, and also a list of preparedness measures the public can take.
H5N1 Avian influenza first appeared in Asia and then spread to Europe and Africa. The flue strain has been detected in 50 countries,. It affects domestic as well as wild birds, but 205 people have contracted it. Authorities say 113 of that number have died as a result of the disease.
There is no evidence yet that it can be transmitted from human-to-human, but "given the pattern of history which suggests that bird flu viruses played a role in pandemics over the past century, we cannot ignore the possibility that this virus could evolve into one that infects and is transmitted to humans," Townsend said."
"At present, scientists believe that there is a risk that the virus is more likely to be acquired and be transmitted between humans in areas where there is widespread outbreaks of virus in birds and significant contact between infected animals and humans."
Government steps include temporary closings of borders.
Townsend, who said migratory birds were expected to bring the disease to the United States, said the steps detail how the government intends to spend the $7.1 billion Bush has asked Congress to provide for anti-pandemic efforts.
