I'm still trying to figure out if the statement by Ambassador John Lange, the US State Department's special representative on avian and pandemic influenza, that this country is close to "state-of-the-art" in its preparations for a pandemic of H5N1 and its biosecurity measures is some kind of dark humor about state-of-the-art in general or just an amazingly clueless assessment of where we are. I'm aware that a sense of humor doesn't usually characterize the official prnouncements of this administration, although some of them do produce hysterical laughter. I'm pretty sure he is either clueless or spinning like a gyroscope with its axis pointed squarely at Pluto (the asteroid formally known as a planet). He was talking to a gaggle of poultry industry executives in Washington, and as expected, it was a mutual reassurance support group. Don't worry. Be happy. It's under control, here, not like those awful thrid world countries you read about in the newspapers.
Those backward and benighted countries don't have money for surveillance, culling of poultry and vaccinations. And of course, we are better informed, here, thanks to accurate information like this:
Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia's Center for Food Safety, said consumers' fears about getting bird flu from eating eggs and chicken need to be allayed.
Because the virus is normally transmitted by contact with live animals, not by handling or cooking poultry, he pointed to a Nigerian proverb as the best advice: "Don't sleep with your chickens." (Reuters)
Except that there is no convincing data the only, or even primary, way you get sick from infected H5N1 poultry is live birds. If it were true, then the plans to kill chickens and bury the carcasses on site wouldn't be needed. You could still sell the dead but infected birds. Which you can't. Because this isn't true.
So this is what it's all about. The poultry industry is ready, all right. Ready with their talking points for when and if a high path H5N1 appears in US or North American poultry. Cook it and you'll be fine. In fact you don't have to cook it, you just have to kill the bird because it's live birds that are the problem, not handling them during food preparation.
This administration is state-of-the-art, all right. The art of deception.
- Log in to post comments
If you had told me twenty years ago what all would be done in my country in my lifetime, I would have thought it too exaggerated for a plausible movie plot.
The Emperor's New Clothes are indeed in the Cabinet of Dr.Caligari in the USA.
Can we recall the Ambassador ?
We don't need to be paying someone to be the special representative on misleading for short-term status quo on avian and pandemic influenza and giving the public another reason to never trust what they say because it always goes against common sense and science... and our own personal health and safety at home.
Well whoever this guy is he sure never reads this blog or speaks to the EMA people who dont even have PAPR or standard issue biowarfare masks.
This past week though most of the EMA's around the US started getting the "matching funds" for biopreparedness. Its enough money to say they started and most communities based upon their income only had to come up with 5%, or zero if it was less than a certain amount.
Okay, so Luuuuuccy you got some 'splanin' to do. Its clear that this guy lives in the Beltway, is driven to and from work without a radio on, and never, ever touches a computer. He's a hack and that should send Revere into a tiz but when the guy is right, he is right. Lange should be boxed up and sent to Indonesia for an extended stay visit. It is the tourist season you know and between him and the Indon government they can make all the "its okay, all clear statements" and inform the public accordingly.
It never gets weird enough for me.
Reveres: I have decided that I will not handle, clean, or cook raw poultry if H5N1 comes to US poultry stocks.
I have decided that I will stock up on whole, cooked, canned chicken. If the poultry industry wants to save itself from a disaster, it could start NOW to decide to scale back on raw and frozen poultry sales and shift to canned poultry sales.
I would not even trust the chicken at restaurants to be cooked thoroughly enough to kill H5N1, so the restaurants would have to shift to cooked, canned poultry for their recipes to preserve consumer trust.
This should open up an interesting debate about how to protect the health of poultry workers and workers at processing and canning plants.
I am most interested in your thoughts on this.
Love,
Library Lady
LL: I think I'll wait and see what the situation is. It's a bit hard to know in the abstract. I'd be very cautious at that point, though.
Dear Reveres:
The contrast between your post at 10:45 AM, which was subdued and cautious in tone, and the original post at 7:12 AM, which was suspicious and slightly alarmist, is very interesting. Just how many of you Reveres are there?
I feel like I'm conversing with a person with Multiple Personality Disorder. :)
Perhaps it would be better if you identified yourselves as Revere 1, Revere 2, etc. as I feel like I'm reading a book with five authors, but no one put a name to the chapter they wrote. Quite disorienting.
Love to all,
Library Lady.
LL: LOL. We sometimes wonder how many of us there are, too.
Wait, wait... strictly less than 5, but greater than 1, and not a prime number. I seem to remember something like that from a while back.
Doesnt matter how many of the them there are. When they are right they are right. I got a little piece of information from the local DHS guys, and that was as of August that budgets were being redirected from security to preparedness. Now the only ones that would know that is the DHS of course but it might be nice to find out that little fact.
I wonder if this moron considers biopreparedness the same as biosecurity? I mean he cant be that stupid to put this drivel out and expect NOT to get hit for it.
"Lange should be boxed up and sent to Indonesia"
Good idea, M. Randolph Kruger; one way.
Last week I wrote a number of congresspeople as well as fema representatives and other relevant senate and house committee members regarding our lack of preparedness for a flu pandemic. Most have not yet responded (auto replies don't count) but I did get a letter from FEMA guy Ed Donley (Conley?) with alot of platitudes about how prepared we were. Yeah, like we were prepared for Katrina, right?. The only thing meaningful i got was from my own state representative Ed Case, who is co sponsor of a couple of bills re the flu pandemic. The first is H.R. 3369, the Attacking Viral Influenza Across Nations Act of 2005, which would amend the Public Health Service Act to create a subsection regarding preparation for an influenza pandemic, including an avian influenza pandemic. However to me his description of what it covers sounds like alot of bureacratic bs, the establishment of numerous committees to evaluate the problem and talk about solutions, rather than a true down and dirty action plan. But maybe it's a good start, I don't know.
The second is H.R. 4062, the Pandemic Preparedness and
Response Act. The bill would increase vaccine production
capacity by creating a guaranteed market for seasonal flu vaccine through a federal buyback program, require the procurement of antivirals to cover a minimum of 50 percent of the population, etc. He said " If you would like to track the progress of these bills, please visit my website at www.house.gov/case, click on FEDERAL LINKS on the left-hand side of the webpage, and click on STATUS REPORTS ON LEGISLATION."
I haven't done so yet, being on vacation and all, but thought maybe some of you might like to check them out.
To me, the worst thing about the statements by John Lange is that they do exactly what he wants them to do, reassure the vast majority of the American Public that everything is fine, don't worry, spend money. I had hoped that I might reason with and convince my sons and their families to prepare for a pandemic. But they are so caught up in their businesses and their lives and plans, all of which depend upon a rosy future, that they simply don't want to hear it, and as long as the authorities are telling them what they want to hear, that is who they will listen to. Me? I am the spoiler, raining on their parade. Pat me on the head, hand me a beer, and tune me out.
Ah! A fundamental misunderstanding of an Ambassador's role: to be a goober who gave zillions to the President.
If you want something bureaucratic done, you call the consul or whoever runs the embassy. If you want to get something political done, you call the ambassador, and he speed-dials the white house. As long as he doesn't puke in public and disparage the little native boys, he's fine.
M in H. Sorry you got patronized. I was afraid of that. Its not really Conleys fault. He runs with the ammo he has and thats not a lot right now. Frist tried to double the amount of money (albeit for research in the big pharma people-Roche for one) to get something that worked and he got short shrift too.
We couldnt prepare for Katrina on the Federal level because all FEMA has is money. Not people, not trucks, not resources. ONCE the disaster hits and ONCE its federalized then they can go into action. Didnt happen in Andrew as Chiles "assessed" in Bush 1, didnt happen in Katrina as Blanco "assessed" and demanded all federal resources be put under her control. Again bureacratic BS as you put it. But by Federal law they cant activate a coffee pot until its signed. They'll be thinking about that one for a while now that its happened.
But back to your problem Mary. You cant give up on them because they are your kids. You dropped them on their heads once too often but you know, information is everything. Start passing the news to them every day and include the kill counts. They will get the big picture eventually. Stoke them up with the necessary stuff such as masks at your cost if you have to. They may never need it and Grannie can just be a crazy ole lady to them. Fine. Pariah I have down to a fine art. Ask Revere. I could use some company. I can send them the briefing sheets that I get every few days that are unclassified. You can send them ProMed Mail too. Sooner than later the switch will go on and they will start. You are separated by only 2000 miles, you will always feel that you didnt do enough if it comes and takes them. I felt that during Katrina. You will save all those that are going to be saved during this if it comes Mary. Not much else you can do. There wont be enough government to go around and then too much afterwards. Power structures will fall, governors, senators, Presidents and businesses will go by the wayside but the nation will survive. Its way too much of a burden for you to lay on yourself if you have fired your shots and none of them took. They are likely fairly young and still feel they are bulletproof to the world. That aint so bad. Wrong position but we were like that once. Then we got old and smart. Sounds like a B. Cosby monologue. Only do the things you see old people doing. Why? How do you think they got old?
You know, Randy, other than our opposite views on the necessity of war, I think you are quite a great guy. Thanks. I will follow your advice...I'll just start sending them stuff they will need, and all the info I can. The briefing sheets would be great. Can you email them to me and I can forward them? basqueitcase@earthlink.net.
Mahalo nui loa!
Howdy all, we can only collectively keep on trying to push thangs in a logical direction...
To: "Rep. Carolyn Maloney"
To: "Mark Henderson, Science Editor The Times C/O
Editor/Editorial Director, The Times and The Sunday
Times"
Sunday Oct 08, 2006
Re: H5N1 pandemic treatment options research
Howdy,
There's a contemporary similarity between the Bush
administration's invasion and occupation of Iraq and
the general response to the threat from pandemic H5N1
flu -- both have substantial Western taxpayer funding
yet are being mishandled to the point of Monty Python
farce. It all boils down to leadership...
The Bush administration appears to be locked within a
psychopathology of self-deception.
PR spin vis a vis Iraqi social stability and American
fed gov preparedness for an H5 pandemic simply fail
the reality test -- daily, people are brutally dying
in Iraq, and H5N1 treatment options really only equal
one expensive (non-generic) antiviral drug, Tamiflu,
which is in stockpile shortfall.
"[Re: H5N1 avian flu virus preparedness] We're...
close to the state-of-the-art in the United States
with preparations and strong biosecurity measures" --
Ambassador John Lange, the State Department's special
representative on avian and pandemic influenza (Thu
Oct 5, 2006)
But unfortunately, the congressional bill, H.R.4062
Pandemic Preparedness and Response Act (co-ordinating
framework of the Federal interagency preparation for a
pandemic), concentrates far too much on antivirals and
vaccines -- insufficient treatment options for a
largescale outbreak of human to human H5...
SEC. 2142. NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS
AND RESPONSE. [Legislative info excerpt taken from
Thomas Library of Congress @ http://thomas.loc.gov/ ]
`(b) Responsibilities- The Director shall--
`(6) as soon as practicable, finalize a National
Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan that describes
programs and activities to decrease the burden of
disease, minimize social disruption, and reduce
economic impact from an influenza pandemic;
`(13) ensure outreach and education campaigns are
conducted related to preparedness for businesses,
health care providers, and the public;
`(c) GAO Report-
`(2) REQUIREMENTS- At a minimum, the report under
paragraph (1) shall evaluate the ability of the
National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan to--
`(C) improve vaccine research, development, and
production;
`(D) procure adequate doses of antivirals for
treatment.
`(E) develop systems for tracking and distributing
antiviral medication and vaccines;
Regarding H5N1 pandemic treatment options research --
in practice, the antiviral/vaccine approaches may be
helpful to a tiny percentage of H5 infectees (and, of
course, financially lucrative to corporate investors
who manage to survive a pandemic).
Unlike Ambassador John Lange, the Science Editor of
The Times, Mark Henderson, has outlined several
cost-effective mass-population anti-H5 strategies...
Congresswoman Maloney, as you are a national leader on
homeland security, perhaps you could inquire with
Ambassador Lange if cheap H5 treatment strategies are
important enough for H.R.4062 inclusion...
Or, if only those generating corporate profit will be
given governmental consideration!?!
Cheers:*) and Aloha pumehana -- Jon
The Times Online -- Junk medicine: avian flu (Why are
we still not ready?)
By Mark Henderson
October 07, 2006
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-2390670,00.html
Excerpt: The world...cannot afford to rely on vaccines
and antivirals alone. They will be important, but
other strategies, preferably cheap and simple ones,
will also be required. Two promising ways have
recently been advanced.
The first, championed by Sir Peter Lachmann, a former
president of the Academy of Medical Sciences, would
involve taking blood from recovering flu patients or
volunteers immunised with experimental vaccines.
Antibodies produced by their immune systems to fight
the virus would then be separated and injected to
protect others. The doses required would be small, so
antibodies from a few people could be used on a large
scale.
The other possibility, raised in a letter to The Times
on Wednesday, is to use statins, the
cholesterol-lowering drugs. There is early evidence
that these might fight the extreme immune reaction
that often kills people who contract virulent flu.
Statins are cheap, they have few side-effects and they
are already made generically in vast quantities. If
they work, they would be ideal.
Neither approach is yet proven, and both need to be
tested for safety and effectiveness. But, at present,
this work is not being done for lack of support. As
neither is suitable for patenting, drug companies are
not interested. Professor David Fedson, who organised
the Times letter, says seeking public support for
statins research is ?like beating my head against a
brick wall?.
This situation needs urgently to be addressed. There
is no guarantee that either approach will be useful,
and even if they are, they will supplement and not
replace vaccines and antivirals. The extent of the
threat from pandemic flu, however, means that every
option must be explored. [As H5 has a mortality rate
of between 50-60 percent, the lives of millions, if
not billions, may depend on it.]