Flu epidemic = enforced quarantines, possible martial law

[TechBear_Seattle]

Bush Considers Military Role in Flu Fight
By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush, increasingly concerned about a possible avian flu pandemic, revealed Tuesday that any part of the country where the virus breaks out could likely be quarantined and that he is considering using the military to enforce it.

"The best way to deal with a pandemic is to isolate it and keep it isolated in the region in which it begins," he said during a wide-ranging Rose Garden news conference.

The president was asked if his recent talk of giving the military the lead in responding to large natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and other catastrophes was in part the result of his concerns that state and local personnel aren't up to the task of a flu outbreak.

"Yes," he replied.

......

As a standby precaution, Bush in April signed an executive order that added pandemic influenza to the government's list of communicable diseases for which a quarantine is authorized. It gives the government legal authority to detain or isolate a passenger arriving in the United States to prevent an infection from spreading.

At the time the order was signed, a spokeswoman for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the Public Health Service would probably recommend home quarantines when possible, but said they would be voluntary. It's unclear whether the federal takeover of state and local quarantine powers that Bush discussed Tuesday would be limited just to travel or involve broader home quarantines as well.(emphasis added)

Is anyone else terrified of Bush hitting yet another convenient trifecta?

Ack! Sorry for not including the link to the full article. My bad.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051004/ap_on_he_me/bush_avian_flu

[lakemonster11]

1. Wouldn't an isolated "pandemic"

be an "epidemic"?

I know it's nitpicking, but I hate the way he talks!

[BonnieJW]

9. pandemic

I believe the difference is that a pandemic is both contagious and incurable. An epidemic is contagious but curable.

[TechBear_Seattle]

11. The difference between an epidemic and a pandemic...

Is one of scope, not severity. An epidemic is an infectious disease that affect many, but which remains geographically isolated. A pandemic is an infectious disease that affects many over a much larger geographic area.

For example, there is an influenza pandemic almost every year, although the use of vaccines and natural human immunity keep mortality rates very low. SARS and Ebola have a much higher mortality, and Ebola is both contagious and incureable, but they barely reached epidemic proportions even at their height.

And yes, LakeMonster, "isolated pandemic" is an oxymoron. But then, Fearless Leader is an expert in the subtlties of moronisms.

[lakemonster11]

13. Okay

that's what I thought

[lakemonster11]

12. Really?

I was going by the Greek.

I guess that makes sense.

[libhill]

2. Hell yes

that's all he needs is an excuse to declare martial law - we'll be stuck with him and the Repukes forever. I never trusted these fascist bastards any farther than I can spit, anyway.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Several points that need to be made here

1.- During the 1918 Pandemic some NG units were used, to support the work of National Health Service workers

2.- Large tracts of the nation were quarantined in 1918, this is quite standard since the time of the black death.

3.- Arresting, or ahem detaining somebody who is sick arriving on a flight is again standard, but they also have to follow up all the passengers and crew to avoid them becoming patient zero

All that said... Bush is not using the authority for what it needs to be used, but as a way to get power... or rather solidify power

[soothsayer]

4. Oh, blah. Why all this stupid bird flu terra? Ain't happenin'.

I hope. ulp

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. You might want to look at the October issue of "National Geographic"

The cover article is "The Next Killer Flu: Can we stop it?" Avian influenza is widely seen as the next flu pandemic: it has already spread to humans (although it does not yet appear to have become human-to-human transmissable) and is a form of influenza to which humans have NO immunity. If it were to become h2h transmissable this winter and it was as communicable as most human influenza viruses, it would circle the globe in 180 days or less (ie hit every major city on the planet before a vaccine could be ready, even if a vaccine were available for manufacture the first day) and would kill between 180 million and 360 million people during that time. By contrast, the last major flu pandemic, in 1968, took 342 days to circle the planet. The most deadly known flu pandemic, in 1918-1919, killed between 50 million and 100 million, depending on usually unreliable death statistics.

The threat from avian flu is very, very real, although (thankfully) not yet realized, and maybe never realized.

My concern is the preemptive statement that the military will be involved. Any such move will spark rebellion. Those on the left side of the political spectrum will see it as yet another excuse to grab and hold on to power by a president with a proven track record of exactly that. Those on the hard right and fringes will see it as the realization of their fears of a government crack-down, using the military to oversee and surpress the citizenry. As a matter of principle, any general quarantine will be treated the way teenagers treat a curfew. And when healthy people break curfew to go to work and are thrown in to "quarantine camps" with people who are sick and, as a result, become sick and die.... "Revolt" will be a very tame word.

[Tiggeroshii]

5. So when things aren't going well, count on a flu pandemic coming around?

Just great.

[libhill]

6. For the Repukes -

any ol' disaster port in a shit storm.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. When all you sell is hate and fear

well you know

[Timmy5835]

10. The good news is........

By the time the Bird Flu mutates and arrives in this country, Shrub will be out of office.

[FogerRox]

14. Welcome to DU TIMMY & thanks for the positive vibes

[windbreeze]

15. Everyone is aware that....

the avian flu, is a weapon in our own WMD arsenal, right???? So WHY is B worried about an avian flu pandemic...well, hell, just look to how he intends to control it, and there's your answer...he wants the right to use FEDERAL troops to ENFORCE quarantine in communities that might be affected...so again HOW does he know, what "might" happen, (and I ain't buyin any IF's here) ahead of time...and WHY is he so determined to use FEDERAL troops, when each state has their own military, the National Guard, for these purposes...I suggest we all waketh up and smelleth the coffee......it's known as Martial Law...under any and every circumstance...and then the would be Dictator, can be exactly that..
windbreeze

[dusty64]

16. Exactly. This

needs to be stopped NOW! I'm sure the flu will mainly affect blue states. It sounds so outlandish, but knowing what I know of this group.......