President and Pandemics: George W. Bush's Pandemic Planning
George W. Bush is said to be a prolific reader. As President, according to Bush's political advisor Karl Rove, George W. Bush read hundreds of books over the course of his presidency. One book in particular is credited with changing the former President's opinion about planning for a pandemic, a book about the 1918 flu pandemic.
In the summer of 2005, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. His reading material was an advance reading copy of a new book about the 1918 flu pandemic by historian John M. Barry entitled The Great Influenza. It is said that once Bush began reading the book, he couldn't put it down. When he returned to Washington, he gave Fran Townsend, a homeland security adviser, a copy of the book and told her: "You've got to read this. Look, this happens every 100 years. We need a national strategy." This led to the creation of a comprehensive pandemic plan for a global early warning system, funding to develop new and rapid vaccine technology, and a plan to create a national stockpile of critical supplies, such as face masks and ventilators. The plan can be found online here.
Over the next three years, cabinet officials were directed to prepare and present their responses in the event of a pandemic, some with more diligence than others. Many of those elements of that plan have formed the foundation for the national response to the coronavirus pandemic presently underway.
According to Townsend, when Bush first told his aides he wanted to focus on the potential of a global pandemic, many of them were skeptical. The administration already had many ambitious projects on its agenda including counterterrorism, dealing with hurricane season, wildfires and other issues. Townsend recalls President Bush saying, "It may not happen on our watch, but the nation needs the plan." Many of Bush's cabinet members and officials had strong memories of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and were aware that disaster planning was not simply a theoretical exercise. According to former security advisor Tom Bossert, Bush became obsessed with getting ready for the next pandemic. Bassert told a reporter that Bush "was completely taken by the reality that that was going to happen."
In a November 2005 speech at the National Institutes of Health, Bush presented his proposals in great detail. He described how a pandemic in the United States would unfold. Among those in the audience was Dr. Anthony Fauci, then and now the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Bush told his audience, "A pandemic is a lot like a forest fire. If caught early it might be extinguished with limited damage. If allowed to smolder, undetected, it can grow to an inferno that can spread quickly beyond our ability to control it." He also appreciated that this type of outbreak was a different kind of disaster than the ones the federal government had been designed to address. He said, "To respond to a pandemic, we need medical personnel and adequate supplies of equipment. In a pandemic, everything from syringes to hospital beds, respirators masks and protective equipment would be in short supply." He also pointed out that scientists would need to develop a vaccine in record time. He said, "If a pandemic strikes, our country must have a surge capacity in place that will allow us to bring a new vaccine on line quickly and manufacture enough to immunize every American against the pandemic strain."
In words that ring true today, Bush famously said: "If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare. And one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today."
Bush's plan required a budget of $7 billion. His cabinet secretaries were directed to take preparations seriously. The government launched a website, www.pandemicflu.gov, that is still in use today. In the intervening years, funding for pandemic planning has been a difficult sell, though this may no longer be the case.
Since Covid-19 has become an issue, Bush has declined to comment on the current administration's handling of the issue.
In the summer of 2005, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. His reading material was an advance reading copy of a new book about the 1918 flu pandemic by historian John M. Barry entitled The Great Influenza. It is said that once Bush began reading the book, he couldn't put it down. When he returned to Washington, he gave Fran Townsend, a homeland security adviser, a copy of the book and told her: "You've got to read this. Look, this happens every 100 years. We need a national strategy." This led to the creation of a comprehensive pandemic plan for a global early warning system, funding to develop new and rapid vaccine technology, and a plan to create a national stockpile of critical supplies, such as face masks and ventilators. The plan can be found online here.
Over the next three years, cabinet officials were directed to prepare and present their responses in the event of a pandemic, some with more diligence than others. Many of those elements of that plan have formed the foundation for the national response to the coronavirus pandemic presently underway.
According to Townsend, when Bush first told his aides he wanted to focus on the potential of a global pandemic, many of them were skeptical. The administration already had many ambitious projects on its agenda including counterterrorism, dealing with hurricane season, wildfires and other issues. Townsend recalls President Bush saying, "It may not happen on our watch, but the nation needs the plan." Many of Bush's cabinet members and officials had strong memories of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and were aware that disaster planning was not simply a theoretical exercise. According to former security advisor Tom Bossert, Bush became obsessed with getting ready for the next pandemic. Bassert told a reporter that Bush "was completely taken by the reality that that was going to happen."
In a November 2005 speech at the National Institutes of Health, Bush presented his proposals in great detail. He described how a pandemic in the United States would unfold. Among those in the audience was Dr. Anthony Fauci, then and now the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Bush told his audience, "A pandemic is a lot like a forest fire. If caught early it might be extinguished with limited damage. If allowed to smolder, undetected, it can grow to an inferno that can spread quickly beyond our ability to control it." He also appreciated that this type of outbreak was a different kind of disaster than the ones the federal government had been designed to address. He said, "To respond to a pandemic, we need medical personnel and adequate supplies of equipment. In a pandemic, everything from syringes to hospital beds, respirators masks and protective equipment would be in short supply." He also pointed out that scientists would need to develop a vaccine in record time. He said, "If a pandemic strikes, our country must have a surge capacity in place that will allow us to bring a new vaccine on line quickly and manufacture enough to immunize every American against the pandemic strain."
In words that ring true today, Bush famously said: "If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare. And one day many lives could be needlessly lost because we failed to act today."
Bush's plan required a budget of $7 billion. His cabinet secretaries were directed to take preparations seriously. The government launched a website, www.pandemicflu.gov, that is still in use today. In the intervening years, funding for pandemic planning has been a difficult sell, though this may no longer be the case.
Since Covid-19 has become an issue, Bush has declined to comment on the current administration's handling of the issue.