[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 25, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H9073-H9074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PANDEMIC PLAN: AVIAN INFLUENZA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to take a minute this evening 
to talk about something that has been in the news a lot lately, and 
something that this Congress is going to be dealing with more and more 
as the next several months go by, and that is a discussion about the 
avian flu, or the so-called bird flu. I wanted to use these remarks 
tonight to talk about what is the bird flu; perhaps some history that 
may be important; what is a pandemic, and what makes a pandemic a 
pandemic; and then, finally, what can be done to prepare ourselves and 
our country if indeed this pandemic is on the horizon.
  It is important to remember, Mr. Speaker, that the influenza virus 
has been with us for a long time. It is constantly changing and 
undergoes a continuous process of evolution and changes. Generally, 
these are small changes referred to as genetic drift. It is why we have 
to get a flu shot every year. But occasionally, occasionally, the virus 
undergoes a major evolutionary change and undergoes a genetic shift, 
rather than just the drift that we see from year to year.
  For the past several years, a flu type known as H3N2 has been the 
type against which we commonly receive our yearly flu shot. Because of 
genetic drift, a new vaccination is necessary every year. With the 
absence of a regular yearly update in the flu vaccination, we would all 
have some immunity that would carry over from year to year. But 
approximately every 30 years there is a major change in the flu virus 
worldwide. This type of major change took place in 1957, and 170,000 
people in this country died from the Asiatic flu, and in 1968, when 
35,000 died from the Hong Kong flu.
  Mr. Speaker, the term ``pandemic'' applies when there is no 
underlying immunity within the community to the particular type of flu 
virus. A pandemic occurs with periodic evolution of the influenza 
virus.
  Assumptions about prior pandemics become part of our planning for the 
avian flu, a particularly virulent strain

[[Page H9074]]

of flu that could overwhelm all of the available responses and 
resources that we could have at our disposal in this country. Every 
hospital bed filled. Think in terms of nearly 2 million deaths in this 
country from a pandemic.
  The virus under consideration, H5N1, actually has some similarities 
with the Spanish flu that caused the big pandemic in 1918. Both of 
these illnesses cause lower respiratory tract symptoms, high fever, 
myalgias, prostration and a postviral weakness that could last from 4 
to 6 weeks.
  The virus primarily replicates in bronchial tissue. It may cause a 
primary or secondary pneumonia. The pulmonary tree is unable to clear 
itself of secretions and debris. The vast majority of people could 
recover, but there is significant potential to kill, and it is related 
to the virulence of the virus.
  Currently we talk about the 1918 Spanish flu. That was a pure avian 
or bird flu, which then adapted to humans with fulminant infections as 
a result. There is currently a widespread bird infection throughout 
Asia, Russia, several former Soviet republics and Southeast Asia, and 
recently we have seen it make an appearance in European Union 
countries.
  The virus has jumped species. What began purely as a presence in 
avian populations is now present in canines and felines. Person-to-
person transmission has occurred.
  Because of the presence in birds, migratory flyways facilitate 
distribution of the illness, and, of course, modern worldwide travel 
imposes additional concerns, as we saw with the SARS epidemic 2 years 
ago.
  The steps to a pandemic include: Number one, the virus in a 
widespread host such as birds; number 2, a wide geographic setting with 
involvement of other mammals; number 3, bird-to-human transmission; 
number 4, inefficient human-to-human transmission; and, number 5, 
efficient human-to-human transmission.
  Steps 1 through 4 have already occurred since avian influenza first 
appeared in 1997. It is the last step, efficient human-to-human 
transmission, which to date has not occurred. This will require further 
genetic mutation of the virus, but if that event does occur, that is 
what will mark the commencement of a worldwide pandemic.
  It is entirely possible that the mutation will not occur. It is also 
entirely possible that efficient human-to-human transmission will never 
be developed and the pandemic will not occur. The situation is very 
unpredictable, but because of the extremely wide geographic 
distribution of the avian flu, unlike any ever seen previously before, 
it is prudent to prepare for the outbreak in humans.

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