What is Oregon doing to prepare for avian (bird) flu? Here's what WA

[Radio_Lady]

is planning. Good article from Seattle paper a few weeks ago:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002829548_newbirdflu26.html

State officials craft bird-flu plan
By RACHEL LA CORTE (Feb. 26, 2006)

The Associated Press

OLYMPIA — As more than a dozen countries grapple with newly reported cases of bird flu, officials in Washington state are working on a plan in case the deadly strain of virus makes it here.

The state Department of Health, which already has a general pandemic flu plan in place, has upgraded one of its labs to test humans for avian flu.

A bill that passed the Senate and awaits action in the House (Senate Bill 6366) would require local health departments to develop preparedness and response plans for a pandemic flu outbreak. And Gov. Christine Gregoire is hosting a pandemic flu summit in Tacoma on April 14.

"Avian flu is on our doorstep," said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, the sponsor of the pandemic preparedness bill. "It is very active, it is very strong, and it is moving very fast."

The Senate this month approved a budget that would earmark $7 million in federal money for pandemic flu preparedness. On Tuesday, the House unveiled its budget proposal, upping the ante with $100,000 in state money for the state Department of Agriculture to conduct additional monitoring.

And on Friday, Rep. Shay Schual-Berke secured another $2 million for the Department of Health's preparedness efforts. She had hoped to get at least $5 million for the agency, and she told colleagues they were gambling that 32 cents per resident would be adequate.

[HuckleB]

1. Oregon's plan, and other states' plans to boot.

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/states/oregon.html

http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/stateplans.html