14 DAY TRIAL // U.S. President George W. Bush will approve in a few weeks the national pandemic influenza response plan, possibly permitting other countries to print U.S. currency during an eventual pandemic.
The document is the first to depict the government's response to the crisis and the way it will function through the 18-month situation during which bird flu could kill up to 1.9 million Americans.
According to the report, the U.S. Treasury Department will sign agreements with other nations to produce currency in case the U.S. cannot; also, the Pentagon is considering stockpiling millions of latex gloves. The 240-page documents which describes the plan of action draws 300 specific tasks for federal agencies, determining workers who should be vaccinated first and providing better Internet services for people who might need to work from their home.
Bush found out about the plan on March 17 and is expected to approve it within a week, while it continues to evolve. After heavy criticism on the way it reacted to Hurricane Katrina, the White House will show how it can manage the medical, security and economic fallout.
Also, among the ideas in the plan, the U.S. will have to keep the 1.8 million federal workers healthy and productive through a pandemic, cancel large gatherings, make use of its stash of medications, encourage schools to close and shift air traffic controllers to the busier hubs.
U.S. officials intend to announce several vaccine manufacturing contracts to jump-start an industry that has declined in recent decades.