An Open Letter to the President of the United States

#202

Dear Mr. President

The mid term elections are over, and as you put it, `it was a thumpin’. We are now faced with a deeply divided government, and the real prospect of congressional gridlock for the next two years. All of this comes at a time when the American people, and the peoples of the world, may be facing a potential pandemic, and the need for bold and decisive action has never been greater.


A year ago you went before Congress and outlined the need for funding for pandemic preparedness, and I applaud you for that. You’ve read John Barry’s book, and obviously took its message to heart. It can happen again. And we need to be ready.


The H5N1 virus, should it mutate, is perhaps the greatest threat to the lives and livelihoods of our planet today. No other event, except perhaps a nuclear war, could claim as many lives as an Avian Flu pandemic. The economic ramifications are almost unthinkable. Yet today, most people regard this as simply `bird flu’, and not a threat to their lives.


Despite the warnings issued, and the government information website http://www.pandemicflu.gov/, few Americans take this problem seriously. Efforts to get citizens to prepare have fallen far short of what is needed. We need a wakeup call, Sir, issued from the highest levels of government.

You rallied our nation in the aftermath of 9/11 while standing on a fire truck, bullhorn in hand, in the shadow of the fallen twin towers. That moment was both a testament to your leadership, and to the remarkable resilience of the citizens of our nation. It is time, once again, to pick up that bullhorn. It is time to unite our people, and our government, in a fight against an invading viral army. This is a war we must win.


The American people need to hear the preparedness message from our commander and chief. They must be convinced, in no uncertain terms, that the threat is real, and possibly imminent. To that end I would humbly suggest you consider addressing the nation, and laying out the problem, and possible solutions to the people you serve.


The American people are smarter and wiser than most politicians give them credit for. Properly done, the message need not spur panic, only action. With that in mind, I’ve prepared a short speech for your consideration, one that I hope to hear you present in the near future.


And now, the President of the United States . . . .


Good Evening, my fellow Americans.

I come to you tonight with an important message, one that transcends partisan politics, one that I urge each and everyone one of our citizens to heed. We face a new threat, not as a nation, but as members of a global community.

Scientists from throughout the world have been watching the evolution of a virus, the H5N1 Influenza virus, in remote places around the world.

Their fear, their expectation, is that it will mutate into a pandemic strain and spread across the globe. It could happen today, or tomorrow, or perhaps months from now. Truthfully, it might not happen at all. But we cannot afford to ignore the threat. Many scientists now believe such a mutation is likely, and they have urged us to prepare for a potential pandemic.

You should know that our government, and the governments of the world, are preparing for such an occurrence. We’ve developed a federal pandemic response plan, have begun stockpiling anti-viral medications like Tamiflu for our citizens, and are conducting intensive vaccine research. Our pledge to our own citizens, and the citizens of the world, is that we will do all we can to reduce the impact of a pandemic.

But the reality is, we can’t do it alone. We can’t do it without the assistance of every American citizen.

The job is simply too big, even for the Federal Government. A pandemic, should it come, would affect the entire nation, indeed, the entire world, at the same time. No government, not ours, not anyone’s, could cope with such an event.

So I am asking each and every one of you tonight to begin preparing for a potential pandemic. Our government has a website, www.pandemicflu.gov , where you can learn more about how to deal with a pandemic. Copies of the information on this site will be made available at every post office starting tomorow, free for the taking. You, and your families, need to be informed, so you can help us in this time of crisis.

During a pandemic, there may be periods of time where deliveries of food are disrupted, and so it makes sense for every family to have several weeks worth of food stockpiled. It is possible, although we are doing everything we can to prevent it, that there may be power outages, and so you should have portable radios, batteries, and flashlights. And you should also have on hand the basic medications you will need to treat someone with the flu in your home.

Today, by Presidential order, I am directing all insurance companies, including Medicare and Medicaid, to allow for our citizens to obtain up to a 90-day supply of essential medications. I am also encouraging primary care physicians to openly discuss their needs in a pandemic, and to do what they can to accommodate them.

Furthermore, I’ve ordered the formation of a national pandemic response team. We will be asking for citizen volunteers to help staff these teams on the local level.

In the next few days, public service announcements will begin running on every television network. We will, as your representatives, provide you with current information regarding this emerging threat. When we know it, you will know it.

While a pandemic, if it comes, would be a tragic event, they happen, on average, three times a century. We may not be able to prevent a pandemic from happening, but we can prepare for one.

Our advanced medical knowledge has, for the first time, enabled us to see one coming, and that my friends, is a godsend. Know for now, that we are doing everything in our power to mitigate the effects of a pandemic.

Vaccine research is going on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Strategic stockpile of Tamiflu is being increased. And contingency plans are being made to cope with the inevitable consequences of a pandemic.

We have faced many challenges in the past, and we shall face this one. No one should assume that it will be easy, but we are a great nation, with vast resources, and an indomitable spirit.

We will abide. We will persevere. Together.

Thank you, and good night.


Respectfully,

Fla_Medic