On a US government website for pandemic infl uenza (www.pandemicfl u.gov), a question asks which groups would be especially vulnerable during an infl uenza pandemic. The answer notes that people may be vulnerable for a variety of reasons, including limited access to healthcare; limited profi ciency in English; or being disabled, homeless, economically disadvantaged, or a single parent. The response calls for faith-based and community-based organizations to develop plans "to care for dependent populations" and to "provide fi nancial aid to the poor who are unable to work and are in need of emergency income for housing, medicine, or other essential needs" (www.pandemicfl u.gov/faq/pandemicinfl uenza/pi-0001.html), which implies that attention to the needs of economically or socially vulnerable persons is not primarily a public-sector responsibility but is more a matter for private charity. The 2005 HHS plan (37) itself acknowledges that some groups may need fi nancial assistance if they are unable to work but does not indicate how that assistance would be provided or who would provide it.