Mayor to spend £1m on bird flu drug

Ken Livingstone is to spend £1million protecting London's emergency workers from a feared Asian bird flu outbreak.

The Mayor said he had decided to act before an expected government announcement on the levels of anti-viral drugs it planned to buy for the country.

Speaking at City Hall, he revealed he was about to sign a contract with drugs firm Roche to safeguard 100,000 police, firefighters, bus and Tube drivers, council workers and City Hall staff. An action plan, which would swing into place in the event of a crisis, is to be drawn up.

It follows Conservative concerns that the Government has dragged its heels in protecting against a spread of the infection from Asia, and was failing to act as decisively as other European governments.

Mr Livingstone said: "I have not the slightest indication that we are about to face an outbreak of bird flu. But clearly the huge number of travellers arriving each day at Heathrow makes us uniquely vulnerable."

He said mortality rates in Asia were 75 per cent, but added this was a vast overestimate because of a lack of official records in countries such as Thailand.

But he said the £1million would be a small price to pay if it prevented a likely one in 10 essential public sector workers being struck down by the virus. The last UK flu pandemic occurred in 1968 when he said one in 1,000 people died.

He said the treatment, while not as effective as a vaccine, would have three key benefits. It would reduce the infectiousness of those affected, shorten the course of the virus and help prevent complications such as pneumonia, which can be fatal.

Mr Livingstone said: "This measure represents a prudent step to ensure that if we are ever faced with the scenario of a flu pandemic, the services provided by London-wide government will be maintained.

"I want these services to be protected so that London is in a position to carry on as normal."