Chertoff: Bird flu possible in U.S. within months
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/03/09/chertoff.bird.flu/index.html?section=cnn_us
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Migratory birds could carry the avian flu
virus to U.S. shores in the next few months, Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff warned Thursday.
Chertoff attempted to reassure the public by saying the federal
government has experience in dealing with such outbreaks.
The last three pandemics, in 1918, 1957 and 1968, killed about
40 million, 2 million and 1 million people, respectively.
"We've dealt with these kinds of issues before, similar issues.
We actually are working on a very specific plan to deal with this.
We would obviously be monitoring for human health characteristics,
but it would not be time to push the panic button."
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Bush Military Bird Flu Role Slammed:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/05/bush.reax/
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A call by President George W. Bush for
Congress to give him the power to use the military in law enforcement
roles in the event of a bird flu pandemic has been criticized as akin to
introducing martial law.
The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans the military from participating in
police-type activity on U.S. soil.
Bush began discussing the possibility of changing the law banning
the military from participating in police-type activity last month, in the
aftermath of the government's sluggish response to civil unrest
following Hurricane Katrina.
"Lessons learned", anyone?
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