The U.S. Senate has passed an amendment, co-authored by Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., which will provide $8 billion to help prepare the nation in the event of an avian or pandemic flu outbreak.

The amendment was part of the Labor, Health, and Human Services appropriations bill, which will now go to conference committee for reconciliation with the House version.

“The damage caused by the recent hurricanes have shown us the danger of failing to anticipate and prepare for a large-scale disaster,” Bayh said in a statement released on Thursday. “We have the opportunity to learn from this lesson and begin preparing for a possible avian flu epidemic, if we act soon. This amendment will give us the flexibility to do that by providing funding to address every level of flu preparedness, from global tracking of the disease to the purchase of new antivirals.”

The legislation will provide $8 billion for the President to use in consultation with Congress to do the following:

•Improve global surveillance, so that health officials can more quickly identify and contain any avian flu outbreaks around the world.

•Speed research into and development of a pandemic vaccine.

•Purchase vaccines and antivirals needed to treat and protect Americans from a potential outbreak.

•Strengthen public health infrastructure, so that state and local health officials have the resources to prepare for and respond to a future pandemic.

Posted 10/28/2005