[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        RESPONDING TO AVIAN FLU

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, this morning the President at the National 
Institute of Health outlined his plan for dealing with pandemic flu 
should this illness jump from birds to people. The President outlined a 
plan that essentially covered three areas: to be able to detect the 
outbreak of avian flu anywhere in the world; stockpiling vaccines and 
medicines; and the response from both the local, State, and Federal 
level.
  To be able to detect the outbreak of avian flu anywhere in the world 
is going to require a partnership of several countries that will share 
information and samples, but it is important to remember a threat 
anywhere is a threat everywhere.
  Stockpiling vaccines and increasing the rapidity with which this 
country can make vaccines ensure that there is reliability and 
regulatory protection for those countries that are making vaccines.
  And, finally, response. Response needs to be at the local, Federal, 
and State levels. Local officials need to be ready to go, but there 
also needs to be strategic national stockpiling of supplies and 
equipment.
  Mr. Speaker, the fact remains that the best way to deal with panic is 
through preparedness. The best way to deal with inflammatory rhetoric 
is with information. I think the President took some bold steps this 
morning to outline these plans, and I look forward to the release of 
the preparedness plan tomorrow.

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