Introduction “History is a vast early warning system.” Norman Cousins, American journalist, author and editor ( June 24, 1915-November 30, 1990)
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t a few minutes after 10am on Tuesday, November 1, 2005, President George W. Bush, one year into his second term, strode to the podium at the William Natcher Center at the Bethesda, Maryland headquarters of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Among those in the audience was Dr Anthony Fauci, who was then and remains at the time of writing the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. After the requisite formalities, the president got straight to the point: “At this moment, the men and women of the NIH are working to protect the American people from another danger – the risk of avian and pandemic influenza… I’m here to discuss our strategy to prevent and protect the American people from a possible outbreak.” Bush was speaking in the shadow of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome – of which there had been outbreaks in 2002 and 2004, both originating in China).
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