FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THE ELITE
Britain's elite get pills to survive bird flu
London Times | August 29 2005

MEMBERS of Britain’s elite have been selected as
priority cases to receive scarce pills and
vaccinations at the taxpayers’ expense if the country
is hit by a deadly bird flu outbreak. Workers at the
BBC and prominent politicians — such as cabinet
ministers — would be offered protection from the
virus. Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, has already
spent £1m to make sure his personal office and
employees have their own emergency supplies of 100,000
antiviral tablets. If there is an avian flu pandemic
in the coming months there would be enough drugs to
protect less than 2% of the British population for a
week.

The Department of Health has drawn up a priority list
of those who would be first to receive lifesaving
drugs. Top of the list are health workers followed by
those in key public sector jobs. Although senior
government ministers would be among the high-priority
cases, the department said this weekend that it had
not decided whether to include opposition politicians.
BBC employees would be protected because the
corporation is required to broadcast vital information
during a national disaster.

Politicians and the media have been placed before sick
patients, heavily pregnant women and elderly people by
government planners. Yesterday, leading BBC presenters
were surprised to learn that they would be given
preferential treatment. Jeff Randall, the BBC’s
business editor, said: “Are you really telling me that
I am on a priority list for bird flu jabs? Marvellous.
I always knew there would be an advantage from working
at the BBC.” John Humphrys, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s
Today programme, said: “I think if I were offered the
jab I would probably pass it on to someone 40 years
younger than me.” Nick Clarke, presenter of BBC Radio
4’s World at One, said: “I’m sure I wouldn’t qualify.
My programme has news and comment and the one thing
you can do without in a pandemic is comment . . . They
would want to have Huw Edwards and reassuring
newsreaders on radio.”

Fears that a “doomsday” virus may sweep the world have
been heightened by the recent spread of the lethal
strain of avian flu, H5N1. The death toll, estimated
at 120, has been of people whose work brought them
into close contact with infected birds. Scientists
have warned that millions could die if H5N1 mutates.
The Department of Health would not currently be able
to cope with such an onslaught. Although it has
ordered 14.6m doses of Tamiflu, an antiviral drug
thought to be effective against the H5N1 strain, only
900,000 doses are in stock so far. The full supply
will not be delivered until March 2007, at a total
cost of about £100m. Besides the NHS and BBC, firemen,
police and the armed forces are among those listed in
the two top-priority groups to receive the vaccine.



--- Kim S <Kim1221@...> wrote:

> what is everyone planning on using in case the avian
> flu hits?
> i've been hearing about this on the news alot lately
> Kim





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