All aboard for bird flu. The train is about to pull out of the station. And look, wait, here comes a straggler, racing to catch the train before it leaves. Why, it’s George W. Bush!

Bush is a little late to jump on the bird flu bandwagon, but that’s not surprising, considering that the health of the population that he governs has never been a priority (like cutting benefits to veterans and food stamps for poor children). But now all of a sudden, Bush is on the bird flu bandwagon. By golly, he’s going to fight that sucker if it takes every dime out of the U.S. Treasury. Which is empty, by the way. But since the deficit is so huge anyway, what’s a few billion more?

I guess maybe Bush thinks that people will ignore everything else that is going on, including the Iraq mess and the messy state of Bush affairs. And maybe by trying to show compassion to future victims of the flu, people will see him as a compassionate conservative.

This particular quote is from the AP

President Bush on Tuesday outlined a $7.1 billion strategy to get ready for the next pandemic. Topping his list is improving systems to detect and contain the next super-flu before it reaches the United States and overhauling the vaccine industry so that eventually, scientists could quickly make enough for everyone within months of a pandemic’s appearance.

That vaccine improvement will take years to implement and the details released Wednesday by the Department of Health and Human Services stress that early on, the public will be depending on scarce supplies of anti-flu drugs and stockpiled vaccines.

The Bush plan is heavy on vaccine development, stockpiling drugs, but exceedingly weak on where the money is desperately needed, and the place where it will really make a difference–to bolster local and state public health, and for public education.

Here is the breakdown, according to Bush wisdom. Not a penny for prevention, or for local efforts.

From the Christian Science Monitor

The White House plan would allot $2.8 billion to speed the development of new vaccines. A further $2.2 billion would pay for stockpiles of the vaccine against the current strain of bird flu and for antiviral drugs that health workers hope would alleviate flu symptoms.

A $583 million subsidy would pay for state and local governments to prepare emergency plans to respond in the event of an outbreak. Some $251 million would help fund a new international partnership on avian and pandemic influenza. This partnership would help other nations train personnel and improve surveillance and testing.

Of $7.1 billion, only $538 million for local and state public health. And that is for emergency plans in case of an outbreak, not money to be used to strengthen the system, and actually help prevent a widespread outbreak.

Our local public health systems have been nearly destroyed, thanks to the Bush system of starving states of needed revenue. And it’s not all Bush’s fault, that I know. Our public health system has been deteriorating for years, and preventive health in this nation is a dirty word. I would say that at least half of that money should be going to our public health systems, which if they are well funded and well staffed and well informed, can nip a local outbreak in the bud. Things tend to work best at the grassroots level, and instead of instilling hysteria in the public (some people think that they can get bird flu from watching a sparrow fly by), we should be educating them.

What about something really novel, like taking public health education to the elementary school level. Teaching kids the importance of washing their hands, for instance. Nice, simple, low tech and free of charge. Or how to sneeze into a tissue, and then wash their hands afterwards.

Or how about imposing a fine on people who spit in the streets? The city of Seattle would make a fortune on that one. Never have I been in an American city where so many residents take part in such a disgusting habit, and seem very proud of doing so. Charge a $150 fine, and then see how fast public spitting stops.

The Vaccine Story

The whole issue of developing a vaccine to fight the super-flu, and have it ready and stockpiled, is a little confusing. One health reporter wrote on a list-serv that he had questioned the wisdom of spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy vaccine for the H5N1 virus when, by definition, it has to mutate before it becomes a widespread threat to people. In other words, preparing a vaccine now is nearly worthless, because it hasn’t mutated to the point where it spreads from person to person. A vaccine prepared now will not be effective against the mutated strain.

This particular journalist tried to get some answers from HHS about this, as it made no sense to him. What they told him were really exciting things like, “It might help.” Isn’t that comforting. The CDC, according to him, basically told him the same thing.

And of course, that’s the case. They need to actually have the strain, that mutated little Devil that can pass the virus from person to person before there’s any hope of developing an effective vaccine.

The Antiviral Stockade

When you also don’t hear blasting at you from the TV set is the skepticism among healthcare professionals about how useful antivirals would be in a pandemic. They “think” that Tamiflu will work, but then, maybe not. It does seem to be point of view of well, “something is better than nothing.” And maybe something is better than nothing, but again, improving public health, educating the public, and so on, is an excellent use of funding.

There’s nothing wrong with putting antivirals aside in case of an emergency, but maybe we should also be looking into getting back to basics–like encouraging people to stay healthy. You know, those ancient adages from grandma that are so old fashioned now–get enough sleep, wash your hands after picking your nose, stop smoking, eat healthy, turn off the TV set and move your butt so you burn a few calories, and lay off the booze.

Given the flu’s limited impact to date, Bush’s flu plan might be seen as alarmist, according to Dr. Marc Siegel, an associate professor at the New York University School of Medicine. “The potential widespread effects of an eventual pandemic are worthy of preparation, not panic,” writes Dr. Siegel in a statement on the Bush plan.

As I posted earlier, my parents were without power for 9 days. There is no reason for this at all, considering that the simple solution would be to put the power lines underground and upgrade the entire system. Here is a quote from my mother:

It is disgraceful that they refuse to put the wires underground and we are stuck with old wooden poles that fall as soon as the wind blows.

It’s all over – I will thank our elected politicians when I see them and ask why this place was not put on a priority list. Real old people in their 90’s were passing out and medics were here because we had to wait hours near the clubhouse to get ice and some food from the Red Cross.

Last year, when their power was out for almost two weeks, it was stifling hot and several people died. They died simply because Florida Power & Light says that it is too expensive to put the power lines underground. Jeb Bush should be making this a priority, considering the precarious conditions that his state faces. Businesses lose millions from this, people lose wages, children lose school time and the sick/elderly often lose thier life. I won’t be surprised if Florida begins to lose its appeal, and people look to other warm places to migrate–that are less prone to hurricanes and power outtages. That companies consider Florida a risky proposition and decide to set up their business elsewhere, in a place where they be more certain that power is not going to disappear on a regular basis.

But I guess since Jeb always has his lights on, and air conditioner humming, what does he care? What’s so tragic about the death of a few old people. I mean, they were going to die anyway.