The Social Network & Community JUST for Firefighters
U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The U.S. declared a public health emergency Sunday to deal with the emerging new swine flu, much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes.
Officials reported 20 U.S. cases of swine flu in five states so far, with the latest in Ohio and New York. Unlike in Mexico where the same strain appears to be killing dozens of people, cases in the United State have been mild _ and U.S. health authorities can't yet explain why.
"As we continue to look for cases, we are going to see a broader spectrum of disease," predicted Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're going to see more severe disease in this country."
At a White House news conference, Besser and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sought to assure Americans that health officials are taking all appropriate steps to minimize the impact of the outbreak.
Top among those is declaring the public health emergency. As part of that, Napolitano said roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it. Priority will be given to the five states with known cases so far: California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.
Napolitano called the emergency declaration standard operating procedure _ one was declared recently for the inauguration and for flooding. She urged people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."
"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."
___
On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Officials reported 20 U.S. cases of swine flu in five states so far, with the latest in Ohio and New York. Unlike in Mexico where the same strain appears to be killing dozens of people, cases in the United State have been mild _ and U.S. health authorities can't yet explain why.
"As we continue to look for cases, we are going to see a broader spectrum of disease," predicted Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "We're going to see more severe disease in this country."
At a White House news conference, Besser and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sought to assure Americans that health officials are taking all appropriate steps to minimize the impact of the outbreak.
Top among those is declaring the public health emergency. As part of that, Napolitano said roughly 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu will be moved from a federal stockpile to places where states can quickly get their share if they decide they need it. Priority will be given to the five states with known cases so far: California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.
Napolitano called the emergency declaration standard operating procedure _ one was declared recently for the inauguration and for flooding. She urged people to think of it as a "declaration of emergency preparedness."
"Really that's what we're doing right now. We're preparing in an environment where we really don't know ultimately what the size of seriousness of this outbreak is going to be."
___
On the Net:
CDC: http://www.cdc.gov
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Don Beltrami on
-
If you do supply for your dept, might not be a bad idea to stock up on N95 or P100 masks before there is a worldwide run on these type of supplies. I'd also consider automatically putting an NRB on anyone with a cough that is presenting with flu-like symptoms, just skip over the cannula.
-
Permalink Reply by Mick Shelley on
-
DT, you have done your homework on this one, Good Job Brother
-
Permalink Reply by Cody Baker on
-
I just hope that it doesnt get to far because its killed 149 or even more people now and it kind of scares me.
-
Permalink Reply by Sheri Caelwaerts on
-
Thank you all for the information...and to Capt 723....LMAO!!! Sad but true!!!! I am sick of hearing about the economy....!!!!! Let's all just hope it doesn't get as bad as they are saying!!!!
Stay safe everyone!!!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Fireyladd - Retired Chief Sharp on
-
Capt, good point!
-
Permalink Reply by John Rulli Jr. on
-
This is some scary s**t!! I hope they get ahold of this before it gets too bad.
-
-
Ok...the economy is in the tank...but I am hoping that the swine flu pandemic won't get as bad as they are predicting (possibly) on that one!!!
-
Permalink Reply by Deanna on
-
I saw on the news last night, that the main drugs they are using to combat this are Relenza and Tamiflu. They stated that in Missouri the pharmacies have a shortage due to the fact that the drugs did not work to combat other strains of flu. This is what scares me, not only that, but what about the people that cannot afford these. They are rather expensive and as far as I know there is no generic. Hope the government gets thier ducks in a row.
© 2024 Created by Firefighter Nation WebChief.
Powered by
