[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 22933]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            AVIAN INFLUENZA

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, we are continuing to witness, as I think 
you are aware, the relentless spread of avian flu carried slowly, but 
predictably, by wild migratory birds from countries in Southeast Asia 
to western China to Mongolia and then over the Ural Mountains into 
Russia and Ukraine. From there, avian flu this week has spread over to 
Romania and Turkey, and we have just learned possibly into Greece.
  Dr. Joseph Domenech, chief of the Animal Health Service at the United 
Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, has been quoted as saying 
that `` . . . we are not surprised.''
  At this point, no one should be surprised. The experts have told us 
repeatedly that a flu pandemic is inevitable, although the timing is 
unpredictable. In other words, the question is not if but when. The 
spread of avian flu is our warning signal, and we need to heed this 
call to action.
  If we are lucky, we will have at least a year or perhaps several 
years to prepare for a flu pandemic, but we might not be so lucky. 
Regardless of whether it is this particular strain of avian flu, H5N1, 
or another deadly strain, the time to act is long overdue if we want to 
prevent human suffering, death, and economic devastation.
  International health experts say that two of the three conditions for 
an avian flu pandemic in Southeast Asia already exist. First, a new 
strain of the virus has emerged to which humans have little or no 
immunity. Second, this strain has shown that it can jump between 
species.
  The last condition, the ability for the virus to travel efficiently 
from human to human, has not been met, and it is the only thing 
preventing a full-blown pandemic. Once this virus mutates and can be 
transmitted from human to human, we will not be able to contain this 
disease. Because of the wonders of modern travel, a person could board 
a plane in Bangkok, Athens or Bucharest and land in Chicago less than a 
day later, unknowingly carrying the virus. In fact, we learned this 
lesson from SARS, which moved quickly from Asia to Canada, where it led 
to many deaths.
  As my colleagues know, one of my top priorities since arriving in the 
Senate has been to increase awareness about the avian flu. In April of 
this year, I introduced the Avian Act, which is a comprehensive bill to 
increase our preparedness for an avian flu pandemic. This bill was 
incorporated into a larger bill, the Pandemic Preparedness and Response 
Act that Senator Reid and I introduced 2 weeks ago. We need to move 
this bill as quickly as possible.
  We also need to provide more funding to purchase vaccines and 
antivirals and improve our ability to spot and isolate a pandemic as 
soon as it begins. In the spring and summer, I worked to secure $25 
million in funding to fight the avian flu. Today, some of this money is 
already helping the World Health Organization to step up its 
international surveillance and response efforts.
  But obviously more money is needed--much more. Last month, I joined 
Senator Harkin and others in offering an amendment to the DOD 
appropriations bill to provide almost $4 billion to fight the avian 
flu. I am pleased that Senator Stevens cosponsored the amendment and it 
was accepted into the appropriations bill. At this point, I am hoping 
that the House will agree to this funding in conference.
  Although we have begun to step up to the plate in the Senate, it is 
unfortunate that none of the avian flu bills that have been introduced 
have yet been passed into law. There has been too much talk, not enough 
action. And this is not just true in the Congress.
  One year after publishing the draft pandemic flu plan, the 
administration still has not released the final HHS pandemic flu 
preparedness plan. Half the States have not published plans either, and 
we know that many of these States will need substantial help.
  This lack of planning is compounded by the fact that we still don't 
have an FDA-approved vaccine against avian flu, and the one drug that 
many countries are relying on, Tamiflu, may be less effective than 
experts had thought. The manufacturer is also struggling to meet the 
demand, and it could take up to 2 years for it to make enough for the 
U.S. stockpile, presuming this administration finally puts in an order 
for the drug.
  I ask my colleagues how many hearings and briefings have they sat 
through where witnesses and experts have urged the Government to be 
better prepared for these types of crises?
  The failure to prepare for emergencies can have devastating 
consequences. We learned that lesson the hard way after Katrina. This 
Nation must not be caught off guard when faced with the prospects of a 
pandemic because the consequences are simply too high.
  The flyways for migratory birds are well established. We know that 
avian flu will likely hit the United States in a matter of time. With 
the regular flu season coming up shortly, conditions will be favorable 
for the reassortment of the avian flu virus with the annual flu virus.
  Such reassortment could lead to a mutated virus that could be 
transmitted efficiently between humans, which is the last condition 
needed for pandemic flu.
  The question is, Will we be ready when that happens? Let's make sure 
the answer is yes. I urge my colleagues in the Senate and the House to 
push this administration to take the immediate action needed to prevent 
catastrophe, the likes of which we have not seen during our lifetimes.
  I thank the Chair, and I yield the floor.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be recognized at 
this time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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