A Threat Worse Than Terror; The government can't even give intelligent advice to its citizens.(anticipating a flu pandemic)(Cover Story)(Column)

Publication: Newsweek

Publication Date: 31-OCT-05

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Byline: Fareed Zakaria (Write the author at comments@fareedzakaria.com.)

A flu pandemic is the most dangerous threat the United States faces today," says Richard Falkenrath, who until recently served in the Bush administration as deputy Homeland Security adviser. "It's a bigger threat than terrorism. In fact it's bigger than anything I dealt with when I was in government." One makes a threat assessment on the basis of two factors: the probability of the event, and the loss of life if it happened. On both counts, a pandemic ranks higher than a major terror attack, even one involving weapons of mass destruction. A crude nuclear device would probably kill hundreds of thousands. A flu pandemic could easily kill millions.

Whether this particular virus makes the final, fatal mutation...

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