PledgeBank United States
I’ll do it, but only if you’ll help

Pledge “prepareforflu”

"I will write to my MP and request that they ask the Government to dramatically improve funding and preparation in order to better meet the threat raised by the H5N1 Avian Influenza virus but only if 500 other people will do the same."

— Chris Redmond (contact)

Deadline to sign up by: 1^st January 2006
19 people signed up, 481 more were needed

Country: United Kingdom

More details
The threat from the Bird Flu jumping to humans and going global is immense. It is a far greater threat to the citizens of this country than that of terrorism, yet the Government is woeful in its preparations for a possible pandemic despite informed criticism from the UN, WHO, and a whole host of experts in Britain. At the moment, there is only enough Tamiflu stocked to provide for the civil infrastucture, with a ranking hierarchy of need. As citizens in a democracy it is our duty to make sure that the Government shifts from its complacent, tight-fisted attitude to taking a pro-active role to ensure it meets its duty of care to us.

Comments on this pledge

• The government WANT you to be scared about this. Jesus, more people die of poverty, cancer, road-traffic accidents, industrial injuries, obesity etc every DAY and you don't see those get the terror headlines this "deadly bird flu" has caused.
  
  It's an issue, sure, but like SARS and others terrible disease panics before it, it'll pass relatively quietly.
  John W, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• It IS not government funding that is the problem, it is the the company that
  makes the antivirus refusing to allow any other drug company to produce it because it has a patent on it.
  profits over people as usual.
  stinky, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• A far more useful way to spend money than on the things the government is currently wasting it on.
  Whether this is a real threat or an unlikely one, it would certainly be sensible to prepare properly.
  Renata Lindsey, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I may be missing something but I only have a year of pathology at university to call on (and that is a few years old and fading anyway!), perhaps someone who is an expert can clarify it: if the strain of bird flu present at the moment is not transmissable between humans, mutations will be needed for that to occur. So the real threat is from an as-yet unknown virus, which will need to have a specific anti-virus developed. Therefore stockpiling an existing anti-virus that is unlikley to work seems like a waste of time and money, and irresponsible. If this mutation does occur (and remember that this strain of bird flu has been present in the far east since about 1997 without this happening), then it is important to manufacture as much of the anti-virus as possible - but we're not there yet!
  
  The scientific facts seem have been badly reported amongst the scare-mongering - does anyone have a more informed view?
  confused, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!