Pandemic Flu Forum – Lessons from Katrina
May 27, 2007 by Grace Ibay
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
The Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog is a five-week long blog campaign to help Americans prepare for a coming pandemic. Each week, a question will be posted and guest bloggers will write about the relevant issue at hand. Comments are open and welcome from everyone.
Albert Ruesga’s contribution “Lessons from Katrina” is a post that brought pandemic preparation in a different light. Here’s why -
… (Hurricane Katrian Disaster) didn’t affect all populations equally. The poor, the elderly, and the infirm were hardest hit, populations least able to shelter properly, or flee, or recover from the storm’s devastating effects.
Likewise, while a flu pandemic can affect anyone, at any income level, those of us who are not already weakened by food insecurity, who have access to quality health care, who can afford to stay home from work to avoid infection—have a much better chance of surviving.
Ruesga point is that if America is to effectively prepare for a pandemic, then the Administration “must bolser – rather than dismantle – the safety net for the poor”, the demographic having the least chances of survival.
He urges President Bush’s adminstration NOT to cut the domestic discretionary spending, including health care services which are aimed at helping the most vulnerable group.
Tags: pandemic, preparedness, hurricane Katrina
