$1.5 Billion for “Swine Flu”

Last week I reported that the so-called “swine flu” might be a problem. Well now the USA seems to think that it might become one as well:

Officials: Government Well-Prepared for Swine Flu, but Worst Is Yet to Come

By Ben Pershing
A panel of experts reassured senators today that the government was well-prepared to cope with the widening swine flu outbreak, even as they warned that the situation is likely to get worse before it gets better.

At a hastily arranged hearing of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that handles health issues, a quartet of government officials on the front lines of the swine flu battle outlined all that they are doing to contain the crisis, from beginning work on a vaccine to boosting surveillance at the border. But the fight is far from over, they said…

In the middle of the hearing, Harkin got word that President Obama had officially asked Congress to include $1.5 billion to combat the swine flu in the upcoming supplemental spending bill, most of which will be devoted to funding for Iraq and Afghanistan. The measure is expected to be taken up by both chambers early next month.

Even before receiving word of Obama’s funding request, Harkin said he would “push very hard” to include flu preparedness money in the supplemental measure. Harkin made a point of saying he had helped to insert $870 million into the economic stimulus package for pandemic flu preparedness, money that — as has been much discussed this week — was eventually cut from the bill before passage. “I was disappointed that the money was taken out of the recovery package,” Harkin said.

Hailing from a state where pig farms are plentiful, Harkin also wanted the hearing to amplify the message that the swine flu outbreak should not make Americans afraid of what they eat. He invited John Clifford, a top official at the Agriculture Department’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, for that express purpose.

“This is not a food-safety issue. Pork is safe to eat,” Clifford said, lamenting that the name of the virus might have mistakenly given people the opposite impression…

“Over a period of anywhere from four to six months or so, you may be able to start getting off the assembly a number of doses, so that we might have it ready for people several months from now,” Fauci said. Having a vaccine ready will be particularly important next winter, when the regular flu season comes and cases of swine flu might spike. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/04/government_well-prepared_for_s.html?hpid=topnews

One concern that I have had about the debt accumulation in the USA is what will it do when if really needs massive amounts of money for a future crisis and no one will lend to it anymore?

While the current “swine flu” may or may not be transmitted now by eating pork, biblically, pork is NOT safe to eat.

At least two cases of this flu are reported in Spain (apparently from one or two who visited Mexico). Many are reported to be infected in New York. As of about an hour or so ago, the death toll in Mexico was 152.

In California, the governor indicated that it is possible that two died from this disease so far. But the causes of death of those two were not totally certain.

Three articles of possibly related interest may include:

The New Testament Church and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, British, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first?
Mexico, Central America, South America, and Brazil in Prophecy [Español: México, America Central, Suramérica, y el Brasil en profecíal] [Português: México, América Central, Ámérica do Sul, e Brasil na profecia] What will happen to those of Latin America? Will they have prosperity? Will they cooperate with Europe? Will they suffer in the future? What rule might the various Caribbean nations/territories play