Swine flu in the fall

Obama Warns of Return of Swine Flu in the Fall

By DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Published: July 9, 2009
BETHESDA, Md. — The Obama administration warned Americans on Thursday to be ready for an aggressive return of the swine flu virus in the fall, announcing plans to begin vaccinations in October and offering states and hospitals money to help them prepare.
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Times Topics: Swine Flu (AH1N1 Virus)
“The potential for a significant outbreak in the fall is looming,” President ObamaInfluenzaNational Institutes of Health.
With good planning, “we may end up averting a crisis,” Mr. Obama said. “That’s our fervent hope.”
The summit meeting was jointly led by the secretary of health and human services, Kathleen Sebelius; the secretary of homeland security, Janet Napolitano; and the secretary of education, Arne Duncan. It gathered health and school officials from across the country and took questions by video link from the governors of several states, most of whom wanted to know who would pay for preparations like the vaccination drive.
Vaccinations will begin in October only if tests scheduled to begin in August prove that the vaccine is safe and effective. Even then, officials expect only tens of millions of doses to be ready, so they will have to decide who is vaccinated first. The most likely candidates, Ms. Sebelius said, are school children, health care workers, pregnant women and people with asthma or other conditions that make the flu riskier. said by telephone link from Italy to the White House’s H1N1 Preparedness Summit, held at the

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/health/10flu.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

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