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In a speech at the National Institutes of Health, President
Bush on Tuesday outlined a $7.1 billion strategy to protect
the United States if bird flu becomes a human pandemic.
The strategy includes:
- $1.2 billion for the government
to buy enough doses of the vaccine against the current
strain of bird flu to protect 20 million Americans — the
administration wants to have sufficient vaccine for front-line
emergency personnel and at-risk populations, including
the military.
- $1 billion to stockpile
more anti-viral drugs that lessen the severity of flu
symptoms
- $2.8 billion to speed
the development of vaccines as new strains emerge — the
goal is to have the manufacturing capacity by 2010 to
make enough vaccine for every American within six months
of a pandemic's start.
- $583 million for states
and local governments to prepare emergency plans to respond
to an outbreak
Meanwhile, Swiss drug giant
Roche AG said Tuesday that it is prepared to supply its antiviral
flu medication, Tamiflu, for the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile. |
