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May 03, 2006

Gordon Comments on Administration's Influenza Plan

As the Administration unveiled its plan today on how the U.S. would respond to a pandemic influenza outbreak, House Science Committee Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) offered the following comment:

"In our meetings with top leaders in pandemic flu preparedness, we discovered a complete lack of private business preparation and other non-pharmaceutical plans in place that highlight the need for social distancing measures to combat an outbreak of pandemic flu in this country.

"Science Democrats made recommendations that I understand have been taken seriously by the Administration and have been included in the plan being released today.  We look forward to reading the report and will continue following this issue to ensure the country is adequately prepared - not only in the event of a human pandemic of Avian Flu, but for any global outbreak of highly contagious diseases."

Science Committee Democrats have been active on this issue, urging that any preparedness plan encompass a well-rounded approach, including proper social science directions for preparation and response in the event of a pandemic.

In letters to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Julie Gerberding and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy Dr. John Marburger, Democrats have made clear that the Administration's Pandemic Preparedness Plan poorly addressed the social aspects of dealing with a public health emergency like a pandemic.

Last fall, Democrats also gathered experts in biosecurity and preparedness for discussion and planning sessions here in Washington.  The resulting in-depth discussions led to the inclusion of social and behavioral sciences in the national pandemic influenza plan.

For more information on Science Democrats’ Avian Influenza investigation and action, see our Pandemic Preparations and Avian Flu webpage.

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