Political Quotes

“In the 20th century, three influenza pandemics. The worst of the three, the 1918 Spanish flu, killed over half-a-million Americans and more than 40 million worldwide. Secretary Leavitt warns that if past is prologue, the world is overdue for another flu pandemic. The avian flu spreading from East Asia to Romania and Turkey looks and acts more like the virus of 1918 than of any of its more moderate cousins. If it achieves the final step of human-to-human transmission, the consequences could be catastrophic both in loss of human life and economic meltdown. Recently, the Congressional Budget Office released a study which I had specifically requested on the economic impact of a flu pandemic. The CBO predicts that the American economy could suffer a $675 billion setback, a 5-percent loss in GDP, in the year a pandemic might hit. The clock is ticking, and we need to act now. We need to put the wheels in motion so that when and if the avian flu hits, America is prepared. If we don't, and an avian flu epidemic comes to our shores, we will rightly be blamed for failing to do our best to protect the American people. The finger will be pointing straight at the Congress. What we need in order to be prepared is a six-pronged approach. We need communication, surveillance, antivirals, vaccines, research, and stockpiling and surge capacity.…”