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Although avian flu may be only "a few mutations away" from becoming a pandemic that could kill 500,000 Americans, the United States lags behind other countries in planning for the disease, health officials told members of Congress.

A federal plan for dealing with the feared pandemic of the influenza strain known as H5N1 was published in draft form August 2004 but will not be finalized until August 2006, officials told the House Government Reform Committee.

"This is arguably the most serous threat to human health in the world," said Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif. "Are we ready? Unfortunately, we are not."

Although the flu strain has not developed the ability to spread easily among human beings, Waxman said more than 100 people have contracted it from chickens in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, "and over half of them have died." (As of September 21, 2005, the number of dead is now up to 64)

He and other members of the committee grilled officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services over why it has taken so long to prepare for a possible pandemic.

They also asked why a key element of the plan - how to allocate scarce vaccines and other medications during the early months of a pandemic - was not included in the draft.

Dr. Bruce Gellin, head of the National Vaccine Program, said ways to prioritize the distribution of vaccines and antiviral drugs were being discussed at CDC on Thursday and final recommendations would be ready this month.

Unlike strategies for dealing with annual epidemics of milder "seasonal" influenza in the past, vaccinating critical health care workers and vaccine plant employees will take priority, CDC officials in Atlanta said.

According to a draft of the plan, 9 million health care workers directly involved in patient care would get the vaccine first, along with 40,000 people who help make the vaccines or drugs.

Watch for more news updates from Nutek on the Avian bird flu.

Keeping your immune system boosted, and being careful not to transmit the virus are essential steps in the fight against the Avian flu.

One glass of AOplus daily will help strengthen your immune system.