BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- US President George W Bush is calling for 7.1 billion US dollar in emergency funding to protect against a flu pandemic.

    Speaking Tuesday at the National Institutes of Health, Bush said he wants to have enough vaccine to protect 20 million Americans against the current strain of bird flu.

    "It is vital that our nation discuss and address the threat of pandemic flu now. There is no pandemic flu in our country or in the world at this time. But if we wait for a pandemic to apppear, it will be too late to prepare, and one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today."

   " By preparing now, we can give our citizens some peace of mind knowing that our nation is ready to act at the first sign of danger, and that we have the plans in place to prevent and, if necessary, withstand an influenza pandemic," Bush said.

    The 7.1 billion strategy would cover government funds to buy doses, increasing stockpiles of antiviral drugs, and speeding the development of vaccines as new strains emerge.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com)