[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 377 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 377

     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China should adhere to 
 internationally recognized health standards by prohibiting the use of 
    antiviral medication to protect their livestock, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 22, 2005

 Mr. English of Pennsylvania submitted the following resolution; which 
        was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
     Government of the People's Republic of China should adhere to 
 internationally recognized health standards by prohibiting the use of 
    antiviral medication to protect their livestock, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas an influenza outbreak poses an imminent threat to the lives of peoples 
        of all nations;
Whereas many migratory birds carry an avian form of influenza and oftentimes 
        transmit the virus to chickens along their route;
Whereas avian influenza may mutate to a form that affects humans and can be 
        transmitted through the digestion of chicken meat;
Whereas the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has recommended for 
        several years that countries try to eradicate infectious animal diseases 
        by slaughtering infected flocks and increasing safety measures on farms;
Whereas World Health Organization officials have recommended for years that no 
        antiviral medication be used to treat avian flu in farm animals because 
        of the potential of the virus to mutate into strains that cannot be 
        treated by antiviral medications;
Whereas researchers in Hong Kong have reported that the H5N1 flu virus has been 
        circulating in mainland China for at least eight years, and Chinese 
        farms have suffered major outbreaks in 1997, 2001, and 2003;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China did not seek the advice 
        of any scientist, veterinarian, or contagious disease expert from any 
        foreign country nor did they notify any foreign government of the H5N1 
        outbreaks which could have such an horrific impact on world health;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has ignored the advice 
        of every international organization dedicated to the containment of 
        disease, and encouraged their farmers to protect their chickens from the 
        H5N1 flu virus by giving them the drug amantadine rather than taking 
        simple steps to limit their contact with migratory birds;
Whereas amantadine can no longer effectively treat people infected with the H5N1 
        flu virus because Chinese farmers, following the advice and assistance 
        from the Government of the People's Republic of China, immunized their 
        chickens with amantadine, overexposing the antiviral medication to the 
        H5N1 flu virus, allowing the virus to mutate into forms untreatable with 
        amantadine;
Whereas amantadine is the least expensive drug available in order to treat 
        people infected with the flu virus;
Whereas governments have the responsibility of protecting their citizens, not 
        their poultry, against outbreaks of contagious, deadly diseases;
Whereas the countries neighboring the People's Republic of China, the developing 
        nations of southeast Asia, can no longer afford to protect their 
        citizens from the imminent threat of an influenza outbreak due to the 
        ineffectiveness of amantadine;
Whereas only the wealthiest nations of the world can afford to protect their 
        citizens from a global influenza outbreak due to the ineffectiveness of 
        amantadine; and
Whereas a global influenza outbreak could be exponentially more lethal because 
        all countries will have vastly decreased stockpiles of medications 
        capable of treating people infected with influenza since the relatively 
        inexpensive amantadine is no longer effective against the H5N1 flu 
        virus: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        endangered the lives of millions of people in every region of 
        the world, and should adhere to internationally recognized 
        health standards by prohibiting the use of antiviral medication 
        to protect their livestock; and
            (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China should 
        no longer purposefully hide any pathogenic outbreaks or 
        mutations that could be harmful to the global community, but 
        should instead consult with experts from both within their 
        government and outside their country to handle situations that 
        could endanger millions of lives in the most appropriate and 
        responsible manner.
                                 <all>