U.S. Unprepared For Pandemic, Former Surgeons General Warn.

ROSWELL, Ga. -- Despite waning U.S. public concern, the likelihood of a worldwide avian flu pandemic has not lessened, warned former Surgeons General Dr. C. Everett Koop and Dr. David Satcher.

Speaking during the Firestorm Solutions (www.firestorm.com) meetings last week, Drs. Koop and

"The pattern makes you believe the likelihood of a pandemic - (probably) avian flu - is very real,'' Satcher said. "You have to believe it's around the corner somewhere.''

A recent Ipsos-Public Affairs poll indicated only 27 percent of U.S. adults are concerned about bird flu in this country, down eight points in a year. Just 17 percent of respondents said they were worried about themselves or someone in their household getting avian flu.

Since 2003, 313 cases of bird flu in humans have been confirmed, and 191 fatalities have been reported in 12 Asian and African countries, according to the World Heath Organization. Each infection increases the chance the virus could mutate into a form easily transmittable from human to human, a precursor to a pandemic.

Present for the launch of Firestorm's Health Crisis Mitigation Division, Drs. Koop and Satcher expressed concern this country is in disaster denial.

"People don't want to face the reality of things like pandemic, hurricanes, etc.'' said Koop, a member of Firestorm's Expert Council. "The anxiety is tough to face, and as a result, people choose not to accept the burden.''

Added Satcher: "We're not adequately prepared for the next pandemic. There are many things we need to do, both at home (personally) and medically.''

If the H5N1 virus takes hold in the population, Koop warned of the potential need to quarantine people in urban and suburban areas until a vaccine could be developed - expected to take as long as six months.

"We're fighting today's pandemic with the same tools we had 100 years ago,'' Koop said.

The new Health Crisis Mitigation Division will allow Firestorm to provide clients with end-to-end planning, service and support on critical health issues, supplemented by access to its Expert Council.

Contact Firestorm Solutions at 1-800-321-2219 or hrhulen@firestorm.com. Media inquiries should be made to mpennetti@firestorm.com.

Firestorm is a strategic consulting firm which focuses on vulnerability analysis, threat assessment, crisis management and mitigation, employing a 'Predict. Plan. Perform' model.