Emanuel, Bayh Call on President to Prepare for Flu Pandemic

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Representative Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) and Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), released a letter to President Bush calling for the Administration to act now and prepare for the possibility of a flu pandemic.

“Today, we learned an American company mailed a deadly flu strain to 3,700 laboratories in the U.S. and around the world as part of a routine test kit,” said Emanuel. “This news is a stark reminder of the very real threat of a flu pandemic our county faces. It is our responsibility, as a Congress and as a nation, to take the necessary steps to prepare for a possible pandemic.”
 
In early April, President Bush signed an executive order authorizing the government to impose quarantine in case of an outbreak of the avian flu currently impacting Southeast Asia. Quarantine is only one of the tools the Administration could employ to prevent the spread of pandemic flu. There are additional steps that the Administration could take to lead states and localities, as well as other nations, to better prepare for an outbreak of pandemic flu.

“This latest mix-up shows why the Administration can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to the dangers of a possible flu pandemic," said Bayh. "Avian flu is not just a health problem, it is a national security threat that must dealt with and I urge the Administration to implement the recommendations in our Flu Protection Act to prevent a possible pandemic.”
 
This year, Emanuel and Bayh introduced legislation in the House and Senate that deals specifically with improving our knowledge of and preparedness for pandemic flu. The Flu Protection Act (S. 375, H.R. 813), would create a guaranteed government buy-back program to improve incentives for producing vaccine, educate the public about the importance of receiving a flu shot, increase funding for research into improved vaccine technologies, including for combating avian flu, and require the rapid development of contingency plans for the distribution of vaccinations in the case of a pandemic.

April 13, 2005

Dear Mr. President:

Yesterday’s announcement that an American company mailed a deadly Asian flu strain to 3,700 laboratories in the U.S. and around the world is a stark reminder of the real danger of a worldwide flu pandemic.  Though your recent authorization of quarantine to prevent the spread of avian flu in Southeast Asia is a step in the right direction, today’s news warns us how close we are to the tripwire of an outbreak.

When you took the step of authorizing this quarantine, you acknowledged the grave dangers of avian flu and its potential to cause a worldwide outbreak.  However, quarantine is only one of a multitude of tools that the Administration could employ to prevent the spread of pandemic flu.  There are additional steps that the Administration should take to lead states and localities, as well as other nations, to better prepare for an outbreak of pandemic flu. 

We have introduced legislation in the House and Senate that deals specifically with improving our knowledge of and preparedness for pandemic flu.  The Flu Protection Act (S. 375, H.R. 813), would create a guaranteed government buy-back program to improve incentives for producing vaccine, educate the public about the importance of receiving a flu shot, increase funding for research into improved vaccine technologies, including for combating avian flu, and require the rapid development of contingency plans for the distribution of vaccinations in the case of a pandemic. 

Though several of these provisions require Congressional action, there are a number of things that you can do administratively to implement provisions of our legislation and other methods to combat flu.

• First, we recommend that the Administration implement a comprehensive buy-back program for flu vaccine like that proposed in the Flu Protection Act.  The Centers for Disease Control has taken important steps this year to create incentives for vaccine production through back-end sales guarantee contracts, but we believe these efforts can go farther.  Under our proposal, the government would work with the CDC and vaccine manufacturers to estimate how many flu vaccines will be purchased each year and guarantee government purchase of a certain number of extra doses at the end of the flu season.  This method would provide vaccine manufacturers with the incentive to produce enough vaccines while only spending federal funds in cases of overproduction.
  
• We also recommend that the Administration increase our nation’s stockpiles of vaccine and antiviral medications.  The availability of vaccine and antiviral drugs are a key indicator of success in combating epidemic or pandemic flu.  Accordingly, we believe that the Administration should devote additional resources to increasing the size of the stockpile and its accessibility in the event of an emergency, to improve its potential to vaccinate a larger proportion of our population.
  
• We also recommend that the Administration announce a new focus on preparing states and localities for the realities of flu pandemic.  Though the Department of Health and Human Services’ draft Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response Plan includes recommendations for state and local action, we believe that states and localities require significantly more guidance on preparing for pandemic, in particular on handling the distribution of vaccine and prioritizing populations to receive vaccine.  This effort should involve the organization of a national conference of state public health directors to coordinate efforts throughout the U.S.

We hope you agree that the United States has the opportunity and responsibility to be a world leader in pandemic preparedness.  The deadly strain of avian flu in Southeast Asia is a reminder of the potential for a pandemic in the foreseeable future and the need for the United States to take decisive action to lead states, localities and other nations in a coordinated response.

While we in Congress continue our efforts to pursue legislative solutions to the threat of flu pandemic, we look forward to working with you on these recommendations for administrative actions to strengthen our preparedness and protect the American people from this continuing threat.  Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.