WASHINGTON -- If the United States were suddenly facing a potential avian influenza pandemic, just one U.S. manufacturer could be counted on to make human pandemic flu vaccine here. The report, scheduled for release this week, comes at a time of heightened public health worries about bird flu. Bird flu outbreaks this spring in Tennessee, Alabama and Kentucky have led officials to euthanize more than 200,000 animals. Of the nearly 200 people who have died, most had direct contact with poultry or poultry markets. Despite the lessons learned, the report concludes that federal agencies face "ongoing challenges and associated issues" in mitigating the potential harm of avian influenza.
With bird flu surging, U.S. needs to do more to prevent possible pandemic, GAO says
(Erica Spackman/USDA/Reuters)If the United States were suddenly facing a potential avian influenza pandemic, just one U.S. manufacturer could be counted on to make human pandemic flu vaccine here. The avian influenza virus is harvested from a chicken egg as part of a diagnostic process. Controlling the virus in poultry is the main way to reduce human infection and prevent a pandemic, the GAO report says. In the event of an influenza pandemic, the government may not be able to rely on foreign countries to allow exports of pandemic vaccine, the report warns. The report, scheduled for official release next week, comes at a time of heightened public health worries about bird flu.collected by :Lucy William
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