U.S. unprepared for Bird Flu

The United States has not developed an adequate system to monitor avian influenza in this country. This is the conclusion of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In a 38-page report, the inspector general said USDA relies too heavily on voluntary state and commercial programs to monitor and test domestic and wild birds.

The voluntary reporting makes it difficult for USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to draw conclusions, know how much surveillance is taking place in different states and uncover changes in the disease such as rate of prevalence.

[...]
In a management alert issued in December, the inspector general said APHIS should implement a comprehensive bird flu plan and provide details of how and when the system being developed will be completed.

It also proposed USDA determine how it would handle a high-pathogenic strain found in live bird markets or other off-farm establishments and the process it would use to obtain and administer vaccines and anti-virals to people involved in culling of birds after an outbreak has occurred.

Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, said the audit was further proof USDA was not prepared for an outbreak of avian influenza.

Yeah, but congress is all over that epidemic of flag burning that's ravaging the country, so everything should be okay.