Britain's elite get first pills to survive bird flu

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.

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.”

Politicians and the media have been placed before sick patients, heavily pregnant women and elderly people by government planners.
Times UK


I guess it's the same everywhere....These people get priority at the expense of our wallets... It's things like this that make me disgusted with politician's...
Aren't these people either at home, in parliament, or in their office?

I would think that children should get the shots first since they are always outside playing... But what do I know...I'm just a dumb tax paying minion.



[edit on 29-8-2005 by TrueLies]

Sounds like it's schedule to hit this fall then, if they are already bureaucrats are prepping for it.

Whether it comes in the form of bio-terrorism or by wild birds is the question.

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Under a "secret-but leaked" planning scenario the UK government estimates an outbreak of avian flu in the human population could kill up to 600,000 people in Britain.

The leaked documents show that the government is well aware of the dire public health and public order threat from bird flu and paint a chilling picture of the breakdown of civil society in a Britain besieged by the virus.

"A minimum of 25% of the population will become ill over each six to eight-week period with additional people affected due to those caring for the sick and the 'worried-well'," the planning papers reveal. Some "10% to 35% of the workforce will be absent from work. Influenza will spread rapidly in schools. Up to 50% of schoolchildren may develop influenza; 90% in residential schools. This will impact on working parents."

UK planners say that if 10% of the population contracted bird flu, the death rate in Britain could reach 250,000.

More here:
mathaba.net...