The United States has declared a public health emergency. But want to make it clear, “It’s not a time to panic,” the White House said.
However, in the case of Mexico, the outbreak’s epicenter with up to 103 suspected deaths, they have canceled some church services and closed markets and restaurants. Few people ventured onto the streets, and some wore face masks. Canada became the third country to confirm cases, in six people, including some students who, like some New York City spring-breakers, got mildly ill in Mexico. Countries across Asia promised to quarantine feverish travelers returning from flu-affected areas.
The U.S. declared the health emergency so it could ship roughly 12 million doses of flu-fighting medications from a federal stockpile to states in case they eventually need them — although, with 20 confirmed cases in five states recovering easily, they don’t appear to for now
Eight high school students from St. Francis Preparatory School in New York are among those who fell ill in five states, including New York, Ohio, California, Texas and Kansas. Patients have ranged in age from 7 to 54.
Government health officials expect to see more cases of swine flu here, including possibly serious infections, a senior official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
“We expect there to be a broader spectrum of disease here in the U.S.,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for the agency’s Science and Public Health Program. “I do fear that we will have deaths here.”
But make no mistake: There is not a global pandemic — at least not yet. It’s not clear how many people truly have this particular strain, or why all countries but Mexico are seeing mild disease. Nor is it clear if the new virus spreads easily, one milestone that distinguishes a bad flu from a global crisis. But waiting to take protective steps until after a pandemic is declared would be too late.
“We do think this will continue to spread but we are taking aggressive actions to minimize the impact on people’s health,” said Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the CDC.