Secretary Michael O. Leavitt, blogger Michael Coston (Avian Flu Diary), and Greg Dworkin (Flu Wiki & Flu Wiki Forum) were the first to share their thoughts on the subject.

Comments are welcome and provide everyone an opportunity to be actively involved in the discussion. Reading the comments is extremely interesting, since they give a glimpse into the lack of preparedness on a local level. For example, a reader from a small rural city in Iowa wrote:

“I recently asked a town council member if the city had a disaster preparedness plan especially about pandemic flu. I was met with a wide-eyed surprised look by the council member. He had never heard of it. He told me that if I got the flu, to go to the doctor.”

Hopefully, the Department of Health and Human Services will carefully read each comment and act upon this reader feedback. They should also not limit the life span of this blog to five weeks. It should be continued indefinitely as a daily resource and exchange of information.