Help world's children and fight bird flu -experts

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N18497515.htm

WASHINGTON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Moving swiftly against age-old child killers such as diarrhea and pneumonia could help the world get ready to combat a bird flu pandemic, health experts said on Tuesday.

"We can't do anything about stopping avian flu if it comes in the next two years. But we can save 6 million child lives and we can do something about pandemic flu if it comes in the next five to 10 years," said Dr. Nils Daulaire, president and chief executive officer of the Global Health Council.

This, in turn, could help create the capacity to cope with outbreaks of new diseases such as H5N1 avian flu. The key lies in building up the so-called public health system, the experts said.

H5N1 avian influenza has moved across several Asian countries, decimating flocks of poultry, and now has been found in Europe, in Romania and possibly Greece. So far it does not infect people easily but it has sickened at least 117 in four countries and killed 60 of them.

Now these guys are singing my tune. Yes! I have been saying this same thing for a year and I sure am no expert.

we aren't going to be seeing any improvements in our public health system here in the US.

They want to privatize EVERYTHING. And gut what they don't.

Unfortunately, when our gutted public health system fails to protect against some deadly disease, the wealthy will die just as the poor do. Their money will only get them so far.