Four Years Of Nothing: Administration Bioterrorism Efforts Are For the Birds

Four years after the first bioterrorism attack on American soil, which killed 7 people and required three federal buildings to be decontaminated at a cost of $239 million -- the Bush Administration still hasn't got a clue how to deal with infectious diseases -- whether naturally occuring (like the bird flu) or introduced by terrorists (like small pox). 

Faced with criticism about the potential of a bird flu pandemic spreading to the United States and killing millions of Americans, Secretary of Health and Human Services made the stunning concession that, "We need a plan.  I'm resolved to make sure we have one and so is the president." 

How could the Administration not have a plan to deal with the bird flu?  Preparations for dealing with such a disease are virtually identical to to preparing the country to combat small pox or another infectious bioterrorism agent -- an effort the Administration has promised the public has been ongoing for years. 

In fact, on April 28, 2004, the President released his plan, "Biodefense for the 21st Century."  In it, he reassured Americans that "[f]ortunately, the United States possesses formidable capabilities to mount credible biodefenses.  We have mobilized our unrivaled biomedical research infrastructure ... [and revitalized] an established medical and public health infrastructure."

The plan goes on to call for 1) creating the capability to characterize new diseases and "rapidly develop safe and effective countermeasures," 2) creating an early warning biosurveillance and bioawareness system, and 3)  ensuring the "availability of sufficient quantities of safe and efficacious medical countermeasreus to mitigate illness and death."

The bird flu initiative that Leavitt is now trying to get off the ground, sounds earily familiar to "Biodefense for the 21st Century."  According to the New York Times, Leavitt is starting up efforts to first, conduct research to speed the creation of a vaccine, second, "construct [a] comprehensive disease surveillance system," and third, purchase treatments.    

So, Leavitt's concession that we do not have a plan to deal with this potential disaster is wrong.   The situation is even worse.  We know there is a problem, and we have had a plan on the shelf for over a year to deal with it.  But, like many things with this Administration, once the pre-election press conference was over and the President assured the American people that its health was in good hands with this Administration -- NOTHING HAPPENED. 

Also, don't worry America, in case there is a bird flu epidemic or a bioterrorist incident, the Administration has assigned the Department of Homeland Security, fresh off its stellar response to Hurricane Katrina, to develop "comprehensive plans that provide for seamless, coordinated Federal, state, local and international responses."