Aetiology

WASHINGTON - Hospitals are not prepared to handle the patients who would arrive after a disaster or a pandemic, most states have few plans in place for coping and the federal government has not taken charge of such preparation, according to a report released Tuesday.

Although President Bush released an influenza pandemic plan with great fanfare last month, and even though federal health experts have been issuing dire warnings for years, little has actually been done to get the nation ready, according to the Trust for America’s Health, or TFAH.

“While considerable progress has been achieved in improving America’s health emergency preparedness, the nation is still not adequately prepared for the range of serious threats we face,” the report from the non-profit health education group reads.