Joe Lieberman: “Senator Brownback and I wanted to tell you about our amendment 3741 and the progress we are making on one key aspect of…”

“Senator Brownback and I wanted to tell you about our amendment 3741 and the progress we are making on one key aspect of the avian flu preparedness front. As we speak, the HHS and USAID are collaborating to administer the global avian influenza network for surveillance--GAINS program. GAINS is a smart and targeted investment in the USG's fight against avian flu since wild birds can carry the deadly disease and thus have the potential to spread it. HHS and USAID have invested $6 million from fiscal year 2006 arvian flu supplemental appropriations to establish GAINS. GAINS will require another $4 million to complete and $10 million for fiscal year 2007. Senator Brownback and I are pleased to see that the health appropriations committee, led by Senators Specter and Harkin, is helping to allocate $200 million in part to carry out global and domestic surveilliance to undertake activities of this sort. Our amendment doesn't add more money to the avian flu supplemental, but it makes clear HHS's commitment to GAINS, which we applaud. GAINS will systematically test and monitor wild birds, captive wild birds, and birds in the wildlife/pet trade to identify which viral strains they carry, to share the virus samples in order to continually update vaccine production options, and to disseminate lab results on a public electronic database utilizing a user-friendly mapping system. Major flyways will be monitored including those running north-south through the Americas.…”