US President Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency

Washington, October 23, 2009
Dr. Sharanjit/ Gary Singh, LA

On Friday evening, the president signed the proclamation concerning the 2009 H1N1 outbreak

It increases the ability of treatment facilities to handle a surge in H1N1 patients by easing the implementation of emergency plans.

Last week, US officials said swine flu activity was widespread in 46 states. More than 1,000 US deaths including almost 100 children, have been linked to the virus. Health officials say the infections are already comparable to peak season flu levels. There were 20 confirmed cases in the U.S. of people recovering easily. There was no vaccine against swine flu, but the CDC had taken the initial step necessary for producing one.

The production delays undercutting the government's initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses of the vaccine could be available by mid-October. Now only 11 million doses have gone out to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials.

Administration officials said the declaration was a pre-emptive move designed to make decisions easier when they need to be made. Officials said the move was not in response to any single development

The government now hopes to have about 50 million doses of swine flu vaccine out by November 15 and 150 million in December.

On Friday, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said:

• Many millions" of Americans have had swine flu so far
• The government doesn't test everyone to confirm swine flu so it doesn't have an exact count. He also said there have been more than 20,000 hospitalizations.
• The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield hasn't been as high as was initially hoped

Some hospitals have opened drive-thrus and drive-up tent clinics to screen and treat swine flu patients. Courtesy of blogs.poz.com/.

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Information on Flu Vaccines Gets Animated
October 23, 2009

On Thursday, October 21st, students, parents, and educators from the Washington, DC, area joined Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for a screening of an episode of the animated series Sid the Science Kid. Hosted at the Department of Education, event attendees watched Sid and his classroom friends as they learned about the flu and visited the school nurse to get vaccinated for influenza.

Just like Sid, government-wide efforts to prevent flu are all about the science. And, according to the scientists, using prevention measures, such as washing your hands and covering your cough, and getting a vaccine are the most important things you can do to stay healthy this flu season. Visit Flu.gov to learn more about H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines and view additional resources for parents and children, including a number of Sesame Street PSAs that are available in English and Spanish.

“Getting a Shot: You can do it!” was developed as part of a collaboration between Department of Health and Human Services and the Jim Henson Co. The episode will premiere on PBS Kids on Monday, October 26th, but here’s a preview of one of the songs:

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H1N1 Swine flu & H5N1 (Bird) flu

Two strains of flu, seasonal flu and the H1N1 (Swine) flu, are currently circulating in the United States. A third, highly lethal H5N1 (Bird) flu is being closely tracked overseas.

Flu refers to illnesses caused by a number of different influenza viruses. Flu can cause a range of symptoms and effects, from mild to lethal.

Two strains of flu, seasonal flu and the H1N1 (Swine) flu, are currently circulating in the United States. A third, highly lethal H5N1 (Bird) flu is being closely tracked overseas.

Most healthy people recover from the flu without problems, but certain people are at high risk for serious complications.

Extensive efforts are underway to track and monitor the spread of all flu viruses. In the U.S., epidemiologists at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are working with states to collect, compile and analyze reports of flu outbreaks. More on the current situation.

Flu symptoms may include fever, coughing, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue. In H1N1 flu infection, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur.

Annual outbreaks of the seasonal flu usually occur during the late fall through early spring. Most people have natural immunity, and a seasonal flu vaccine is available. In a typical year, approximately 5 to 20 percent of the population gets the seasonal flu and approximately 36,000 flu-related deaths are reported.

This year, the H1N1 flu virus may cause a more dangerous flu season with a lot more people getting sick, being hospitalized and dying than during a regular flu season. H1N1 is a new virus first seen in the United States. It is contagious and spreads from person to person. Like seasonal flu, illness in people with H1N1 can vary from mild to severe.

A flu pandemic occurs when a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population; the virus causes serious illness and spreads easily from person-to-person worldwide. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that a global pandemic of H1N1 flu is underway.

H5N1 (Bird) flu is an influenza A virus subtype that is highly contagious among birds. Rare human infections with the H5N1 (Bird) flu virus have occurred. The majority of confirmed cases have occurred in Asia, Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Near East. Currently, the United States has no confirmed human H5N1 (Bird) flu infections, but H5N1 (Bird) flu remains a serious concern with the potential to cause a deadly pandemic.

• Swine Flu