[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H1900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PROTECTING THE NATION FROM AVIAN FLU

  (Mr. EMANUEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, this country is dangerously close to a 
real biological crisis. Yesterday we learned an American company mailed 
a deadly avian flu strain to 37,000 laboratories in the United States 
and around the world as part of a routine test kit. The potential error 
is a reminder of the real danger of a flu pandemic and the millions of 
deaths it could cause. It also reminds us of the responsibility as a 
Congress and as a Nation to improve our ability to produce and 
distribute flu vaccine and to prepare for the pandemic.
  The Flu Protection Act, which Senator Bayh and I introduced, would 
help ensure that enough vaccine is produced each year, fund research to 
combat avian flu, and require the development of contingency plans in 
the case of a pandemic.
  The impending crisis must encourage this administration to take 
action now. Earlier this month, President Bush took an important step 
when he authorized a quarantine to stem the spread of avian flu.
  In a letter that Senator Bayh and I will send today to the White 
House, there are other steps the President can take without 
legislation. He can increase our vaccine stockpiles, help States and 
cities prepare for the crisis of a pandemic, and provide the incentives 
for vaccine manufacturers to increase their production.
  Madam Speaker, yesterday's announcement reminds us that the next flu 
pandemic is just around the corner, and the time to act is now. 
Congress and the President should not wait for this disaster to reach 
our shores before acting to protect this Nation.

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