In a recent speech delivered to the Department Health and Human Services, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that they were far short of their goal of vaccinating all priority groups with the Swine Flu Vaccine. Sebelius does not want to see a repeat of the disaster as was seen with Hurricane Katrina, and wants to review the federal government’s disaster plans. Sebelius is concerned about the government’s preparedness level:
“We don’t know what’s coming — the next public health emergency we face could be much worse.”
As a result, Sebelius has asked the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, Dr. Nicki Lurie to review the department’s stockpiling of supplies such as medical masks and ventilators, as well as more vaccine development and contracts.
If the government is concerned about its own preparedness level and is announcing that it may not be able to assist everyone should a pandemic occur, then you should be making your own plans and preparations to protect yourself and the ones you love. You should stock up on your own medical masks and ventilators, as well as other medical supplies. It’s clear that those who wait for the government to respond will end up wishing that they had prepared ahead of time.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5B03OM20091201