and Canada may have to close schools, restrict travel and

ration scarce medications if a powerful new flu strain

spurs a worldwide outbreak, according to the federal

planners for the next pandemic. It will take months to brew

a new vaccine that works against the kind of super flu that

causes a pandemic, although government preparations include

research to speed the production. Federal plans have long

been awaited by flu specialists, who say that it is just a

matter of time before the next pandemic strikes and the

nation is woefully unprepared for it!

There have been three flu pandemics in the last century,

with the worst in 1918, when more than a half a million

Americans and 20 million people worldwide died. Pre-baby

boomers most likely heard about it from their parents and

boomers from their grandparents.

The specialists say that the next one could be triggered

by the recurring bird flu in Asia, if it indeed mutates in

a way that lets it spread easily among humans. Bird flu has

caused recurring outbreaks in recent years and has killed

27 people already this year in Asia. Until now, human

infections have been traced to direct contact with infected

poultry or poultry waste, and millions of chickens and

other fowl have been slaughtered in attempts to stem the

disease.

In a recent report, Dutch researchers found that cats can

not only catch the bird flu, but can also spread it to

other felines. Dr. Klaus Stohr, the influenza chief of the

World Health Organization, states that there is not enough

evidence yet to prove that cats can spread the deadly virus

to humans, but has urged scientists to examine household

cats and other mammals whenever researchers investigate

human bird-flu infections. The cat research is of

considerable concern because it illustrates the virus

continuing adaptations in mammals, said Dr. Nancy Cox of

the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Cox adds we need to do a lot more in the veterinary

arena in order to understand what other animals can be

infected and can transmit the virus. Last winter Thai

veterinarians reported that the bird flu had killed three

house cats. That was a big surprise as domesticated cats

have long been thought resistant to infection from

influenza A-type viruses.

As pointed out above, the US is woefully unprepared for it

and public health experts worry that such a bug might come

so fast that there will not be enough time to prepare

adequate vaccine to keep the risk to a minimum.

The above, now combined with the shortage of normal-strain