City has an edge if bird flu breaks out

Houston Chronicle (Internet / Print) October 23, 2005

No nation is adequately prepared for an avian influenza catastrophe, U.S. Health Secretary Mike Leavitt has said. But among American cities, Houston may have an edge. Two large-scale medical emergencies - Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - tested the capabilities of local public health officials, and by all accounts, they excelled. Tens of thousands of patients, many critically ill, were treated in Houston after the storms. "It's clear the federal government now has this as its highest priority in terms of health," said Dr. Stanley Lemon, director of the Institute for Human Infections and Immunity at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. "The longer we have to work for preparing for pandemic flu, the better off we will be. ... There was a realization we don't want to be caught flat-footed again."

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