01:25 PM PST on Saturday, February 25, 2006

Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. - As more than a dozen countries grapple with newly reported cases of bird flu, officials in Washington state are working on a plan in case the deadly strain of virus makes it here.

KTVB

The state Department of Health, which already has a general pandemic flu plan in place, has upgraded one of its labs to test humans for avian flu.

A bill that passed the Senate and awaits action in the House would require local health departments to develop preparedness and response plans for a pandemic flu outbreak. And Gov. Chris Gregoire is hosting a pandemic flu summit in Tacoma on April 14.

"Avian flu is on our doorstep," said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, the sponsor of the pandemic preparedness bill. "It is very active, it is very strong, and it is moving very fast."

The Senate last week approved a budget that would earmark $7 million in federal money for pandemic flu preparedness. On Tuesday, the House unveiled its budget proposal, upping the ante with $100,000 in state money for the state Department of Agriculture to conduct additional monitoring.

And on Friday, Rep. Shay Schual-Berke secured another $2 million for the Department of Health's preparedness efforts. She had hoped to get at least $5 million for the agency, and told colleagues they were gambling that 32 cents per Washington resident would be adequate. "Good luck," she said.

"We have to take care of ourselves, said Schual-Berke, D-Normandy Park. "We can't rely on the federal government."

The H5N1 virus has devastated poultry stocks and killed at least 92 people since 2003, mostly in Asia. Fresh outbreaks have been reported in birds in 14 countries this month.

The most recent case found was in Hungary, where test results confirmed Tuesday that three dead swans found there were infected with the deadly strain of bird flu. No cases of the virus have been found in North America.

Since January 2004, seven countries have reported human cases of the bird flu. Most have been linked to contact with infected birds. But scientists fear the virus could mutate into a form easily transmitted between humans, sparking a pandemic.

An influenza pandemic -- avian or other -- could kill thousands of people, overwhelm hospitals and emergency responders and disrupt businesses and public services.

"When pandemic hits, it will hit the economy hard, it will hit the health care systems and stress them very quickly, and it will be absolutely essential to maintain the social order of communities and keep them going," said Mary Selecky, the state's secretary of health.

Tim Church, a spokesman for the Health Department, said there's already a regular effort to monitor influenza in the state.

Nursing homes and schools file regular reports on the seasonal flu along with anything that may seem like it's something else. A lab in Shoreline now has the ability to take swabs from people to test for avian flu.

The state Department of Agriculture and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife have added avian flu tests to all work already being done on birds.

"When we handle birds of any kind, we're adding that test," said Madonna Luers, a spokeswoman for Fish and Wildlife.

The state agency works closely with counterparts in Alaska, British Columbia and California -- which lie along the migration route for ducks and geese.

Luers noted that wild birds can carry numerous influenza viruses, and most don't affect them.

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