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Experts: Bush plan good but resources lackingSummit participants say infrastructure improvements needed
 President Bush announces his pandemic emergency plan Tuesday at the National Institutes of Health. HEALTH LIBRARYRELATEDYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSNEW YORK (TIME.com) -- Dr. Nils Daulaire, president of the Global Health Council, said Tuesday at the TIME Global Health Summit that he was encouraged by President Bush's "ringing call for action" to combat the threat of a flu pandemic, but there "needs to be a whole lot more than plans." "We need an investment in U.S. and global public health infrastructures that will build the ability to respond in action not just words," Daulaire said at a news conference at the summit. "New Orleans had a plan, too," referring to the recent evacuation problems in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The three-day summit, sponsored by TIME magazine and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has gathered national and international leaders in medicine, government, business, public policy and the arts to develop actions and solutions to world health crises. Daulaire said "the plans are there," but resources also must be put in place to implement them. He called for more training and a broader infrastructure at the local level. Dr. Allan Rosenfield, dean of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, said he, too, was pleased with Bush's plan. But he added that it was long overdue. "Many of us were delighted with today's announcement, but it should have happened five years ago," Rosenfield said. "We are way behind in protection against the flu." Daulaire said he was especially heartened by the president's emphasis on research for a new vaccine, adding, "We are using 1950s technology for problems of the 21st century." Both of the experts praised the president's call for liability protection for manufacturers of flu vaccine, saying the speed with which a vaccine must be developed did not allow for years of testing before being used. They also said that drug companies are not able to make a profit on flu vaccine and need government financial guarantees if they are to produce adequate supplies. Daulaire said that a global avian flu pandemic was not likely in the next year or two but could happen within the next decade. He did not see the need to stockpile the vaccine called Tamiflu, which Rosenfield said may not be effective against avian flu. They said the 4 million doses available should be used to inoculate first responders, such as public health workers and police officers. Rosenfield closed by saying a better surveillance system overseas that can identify an outbreak of flu quickly is needed but missing from the president's plan. 
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