Michael Burgess: “I thank the Speaker, and the gentleman from New Jersey for allowing me a little time on the floor tonight. I thought it…”

“I thank the Speaker, and the gentleman from New Jersey for allowing me a little time on the floor tonight. I thought it was important to come to the floor and talk about an issue that pops up from time to time on our news shows and the American consciousness, and that is the issue of avian flu, or the bird flu. Mr. Speaker, as far as a little background is concerned, there are several types of influenza. There is the common flu, or seasonal flu, that we all receive inoculation against every year. Because of modest genetic changes that occur in this virus year over year, it is necessary to get a vaccination every year. But sometimes, instead of just that genetic drift that happens within the virus, there is a major change, a genetic shift; and when that happens, the stage is set for a world-wide pandemic. And, indeed, history tells us that that will occur about three times every century. Now, currently, the avian flu is present in birds; and a big genetic change would have to occur for this to become a major health threat to humans. As of June 16 of this year, the World Health Organization has confirmed 227 human cases, with 129 deaths reported. The problem is, Mr. Speaker, if you do the math, that is a mortality rate that is in excess of 50 percent. Now, when you think of a worldwide pandemic, there are various trouble signs you encounter. The World Health Organization has identified five of those.…”