U.S. pandemic response plan - a license to print money

The U.S. government plans to deal with a bird flu pandemic would apparently expand the Internet and possibly allow other countries to print U.S. money.

The plan is expected to be approved by President George W. Bush within days and is the first document to explain exactly how the government would detect and respond to a flu outbreak.

In the 240-page response plan more than 300 specific tasks are identified for federal agencies to carry out, including deciding which frontline workers should be vaccinated first.

The Internet would apparently be expanded to facilitate a possible surge in the number of people working from their home computers.

The Treasury Department is on the brink of signing agreements with other nations to produce currency if U.S. mints cannot operate and in anticipation of difficulties acquiring supplies from the Far East, the stockpiling of millions of latex gloves is being considered.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has reportedly developed a drive-through medical exam to quickly assess patients who suspect they have been infected by the virus.

The White House eagerness to approve the plan is suspected to be a result of the criticism following the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the evident inability of the government to adequately cope at that time.

The White House suffered a major loss of credibility over that crisis and the medical, security and economic fallout continues and fears of a possible pandemic have grown steadily with the emergence of the deadly H5N1 avian flu strain.

Bush is expected to approve the post-Katrina recommendations that a new interagency task force coordinate the federal response and a high-level Disaster Response Group resolve disputes among agencies or states; neither has as yet been created.

When the response plan is issued, U.S. officials intend to announce several vaccine manufacturing contracts to kick-start an industry that has been in decline for decades.

In order to ensure the 1.8 million U.S. federal workers remain healthy and productive throughout a pandemic, the Bush administration would utilise it's stockpile of medications.

Large gatherings would be banned, schools encouraged to close and air traffic controllers would be moved to the busiest airports.

Retired federal employees would be summoned back to work, and National Guard troops could be dispatched to cities facing possible insurrection.

The Response plan is published by the Washington Post online.