The city is not stockpiling its own medicine for a possible avian-flu epidemic, but will rely, for now, on Uncle Sam to come through in a hurry, officials said.
Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, the city’s bird-flu guru, told The Post on Friday that he’s “anxiously awaiting” the feds’ plans to build up a much bigger stash of anti-viral drugs to fight the lethal disease if it spreads to people here.
“We’re all waiting to see what they’re going to come up with,” Weisfuse said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to store up enough anti-bird flu medicine – Tamiflu pills and Relenza inhalants – to treat 20 million people, but can’t predict when the stockpile will be full, HHS spokesman Bill Hall said.
So far, 2.3 million treatments are stashed in secret warehouses – the “strategic national stockpile” – with another 3 million on the way in the next few months, Hall said.
Big Apple experts warned the supply is dangerously low to gird against a rapid outbreak that could kill millions. Vaccines are in development.
“Our country is unprepared for a severe, or pandemic, flu,” said NYU’s Dr. Martin Blaser, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The city is balking at stocking up on Tamiflu for several reasons, Weisfuse said. For one, it would take the drug, in short supply, out of circulation for the regular flu season.
Also, he said, “we have no guarantee” it will kill the bird-flu virus, also known as H5N1.
The virus, found in birds in Japan, Indonesia, Turkey and Romania, has so far infected 117 people, killing 60.