After President George W. Bush unveiled a $7.1 billion plan this week to prepare the country for a possible avian flu epidemic, the strategy for individual states and local communities to fend off the virus has been left unclear.
The national proposal that will expand flu medication stockpiles and hasten vaccine research was designed as a model for states to follow.
Donna Rheaume, spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said although the federal government’s plan will help enhance local efforts, Massachusetts has been formulating a preparation plan for pandemics for the past 10 years.
“[The DPH] applauds the decision made on the national level to prepare a plan for what could be a pandemic,” Rheaume said. “Bush’s decision sends a signal that the federal government is thinking about preparation.”
Bush has called on Chiron Corporation, the company responsible for supplying contaminated flu shots last year, to produce avian flu vaccines. According to Chiron spokeswoman Alison Marquiss, the U.S. government has given the California-based company $62.5 million to produce a pre-pandemic vaccine to protect against the avian influenza virus.
Rheaume said the DPH is not sure where it will receive the vaccine and anti-viral drugs from but anticipates receiving some funds from Bush’s $7.1 billion plan. She added that the state has received federal bioterrorism grants in the past.
Massachusetts plans to adopt the national plan of containing a possible outbreak by placing travel restrictions and quarantines if necessary, Rheaume said.
The DPH’s website outlines a pandemic preparedness plan that includes increasing surveillance, forming agency-specific contingency plans and distributing vaccines and antiviral medications. The site also lists outbreak information, travel advice and professional guidance. The department calls for collaboration with emergency response sectors to “better prepare for the next pandemic.”
If a pandemic spreads in Massachusetts, two million people may become ill, a million may require outpatient care, 16,800 people may require hospitalization and 4,700 people may die, according to the website.
By the beginning of 2006, Chiron hopes to have produced the avian flu vaccine, which will then be turned over to the government in bulk form.
“The production of the flu vaccination is just wrapping up, so we will begin to stockpile a strain for the avian flu shortly after,” Marquiss said. “The government will decide if and when the vaccine is given out — which is not expected unless the threat becomes imminent.”
Marquiss added that distributing the flu vaccine in bulk rather than individually will allow the government to determine the correct dosage.
The avian flu, a strain also referred to as H5N1, is found in birds in Southeast Asia. Cases of the bird flu have also spread in Eastern Europe and Britain.
In a recent press release, Rino Rappuoli, chief scientific officer of Chiron and head of Research for Chiron Vaccines said, “stockpiling is an important primary step toward readiness for this potential threat.”
Although Marquiss does not foresee any dangers with the treatment, she said the government will sponsor the vaccinations and will be liable for any complications that could result from their administration.
“The vaccine will be based on methods that have been successfully used for years,” she said.
The three most expensive components of Bush’s plan would buy vaccines for 20 million people, expand stockpiles of flu pills and engineer a radically different method for making shots. The White House plans to fully implement the plan in 2010.
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