CDC Warns Swine Flu Deaths Likely In U.S.

More Than 60 Cases Confirmed; Obama Asks For $1.5 Billion To Fight Fast-Spreading Disease

(CBS/AP)  Swine flu cases in the United States continued to rise Tuesday to more than 60, prompting President Barack Obama to ask Congress for $1.5 billion to fight the fast-spreading disease as health officials warned that deaths were likely.

U.S. officials suggested the flu may be spreading so quickly, there may be no practical way to contain it - and no need to tighten borders further. The disease is suspected of causing more than 150 deaths in neighboring Mexico.

At least seven people have been hospitalized with swine flu in the United States, and Richard Besser, acting director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said deaths are likely.

"I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection" as cases are investigated, he said.

The hospitalizations include three in California and two in Texas, Besser said. Later, New York said two people had been hospitalized.

Besser said the country has 64 confirmed cases across five states, with 45 in New York, one in Ohio, two in Kansas, six in Texas and 10 in California. At least four other cases have been reported by states.

Based on the latest lab analysis, Besser said new flu infections are still occurring.

He noted, by comparison, that ordinary human flu accounts for about 36,000 deaths every year in the U.S.

At an emergency hearing on Capitol Hill, infectious disease experts warned it will take at least four to six months to develop a vaccine for this new flu strain, reports CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.

"I think that we really need to be prepared for a worsening of this situation," said Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

In California, the Los Angeles County coroner's office ruled out swine flu in the recent deaths of two men, 33 and 45 years old.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in California, which borders Mexico, to help state agencies coordinate efforts in response to the outbreak of the illness.

In hard-hit New York, City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said "many hundreds" of schoolchildren are sick with suspected cases of swine flu.

The initial concentration was at a Catholic school in Queens where students recently went on a spring break trip to Mexico. But on Tuesday there were indications that the outbreak may have spread beyond the school, with two people having to be hospitalized and officials closing a school for autistic kids down the road. Those cases have not been confirmed.

"It is here and it is spreading," Frieden said. "We do not know whether it will continue to spread."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that 82 of 380 students at P.S. 177, a school for autistic children, have called in sick. A third school in Manhattan is being evaluated because students there are sick, Frieden said.

Mexico late Tuesday said that the number of suspected swine flu deaths has risen to 159, with the virus confirmed as the cause of death in 26 of those cases.

Health Secretary Jose Cordova says 2,498 suspected cases of swine flu have been reported, with 1,311 of the patients still in the hospital.

Cordova said authorities have instituted rapid testing to generally rule out other types of flu and start anti-viral treatment more quickly in swine-flu cases. The tests to definitively determine swine flu are time consuming.

Mexico announced further measures to stop the spread of the virus Tuesday, putting its famed pre-Columbian pyramids and all other archaeological sites off limits nationwide and limiting restaurants to preparing food for take-out.

Throughout Mexico, there is growing frustration that the full scope of the epidemic has not been revealed, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone from Mexico's capital.

The government says it started April 13 with a woman in Oaxaca. But, Blackstone reports, people in Vera Cruz claim it began almost four weeks ago in their village near a large pig farm outside Mexico City where a four-year-old boy, since recovered, may have been the first victim.

In Canada, which also borders the U.S., health officials confirmed a total of 13 cases of swine flu, which Canadian Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said were mild and have links to Mexican travel. The Canadian government warned against unnecessary travel to Mexico.

Some countries are taking bolder measures. Argentina said it is suspending flights from Mexico as a precaution against the spread of virus and wants tens of thousands of visitors from North America to report to the Health Ministry.

Cabinet Chief Sergio Massa says the measure is in effect until Sunday at midnight to "transmit a sense of calm to Argentines."

He called Tuesday on the 60,000 visitors from Canada, Mexico and the U.S. who have arrived in Argentina in the past 20 days to contact the Health Ministry, which will take measures to control a possible spread of the virus.

The EU's disease control agency as well as Israel and France also warned against nonessential travel to Mexico, while Cuba suspended flights to and from Mexico.

In addition to countries in North America, other nations with confirmed swine flu cases include Scotland, New Zealand, Spain and Israel.

While Mr. Obama requested additional money from Congress to build drug stockpiles and monitor future cases, other U.S. officials suggested the flu may be spreading so fast that stepped-up border security may not help.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, interviewed on NBC, said officials "anticipate confirmed cases in more states."

She reiterated Mr. Obama's statement on Monday as he grappled with the first domestic emergency of his presidency - that the spread of the disease is a cause for concern but not alarm.

Asked about stricter measures, Napolitano pointed out that the U.S. does a great deal of trade with Mexico and "that would be a very, very heavy cost for - as the epidemiologists tell us - would be marginal, if any, utility in terms of actually preventing the spread of the virus."

Fear is running high, prompting some people to stock up on masks and antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, reports CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook.

"Yesterday, everybody was looking to get Tamiflu," said pharmacist Martin Keane. "We had some in stock, but we haven't been able to obtain any from our wholesalers."

Experts warn that inappropriate use of Tamiflu could make it stop working, LaPook reports.

Meanwhile, U.S. scientists working on a swine flu vaccine hoped to have a key ingredient ready in early May, but were finding that the virus grows slowly in eggs - the chief way flu vaccines are made.

Even if all goes well, it still will take a few months before any shots are available for the first required safety testing, in volunteers.

"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.

As health officials moved to try to slow the spread of the new virus, U.S. agriculture officials suggested it would be a good idea to change its name from "swine flu" to avoid the misconception that pork products may be affected.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack points out that the virus is not food-borne and has nothing to do with consuming pork. Vilsack says he's concerned that misunderstandings could have a negative impact on farmers.

With pork prices falling, government officials went to great lengths today to point out that not a single hog in the U.S. has tested positive for the virus, reports Cordes.

"It is perfectly safe to consume pork products from America," Vilsack said.

The disease has been called swine flu because the underlying virus contains genetic material from swine; but it also contains genetic material from birds and humans, scientists say.

Swine Flu News Worldwide:

[tincup356]

Reporting like this is for a reason...to spread fear,,,and give an "Excuse to give big pharma.......big dollars,,,,,,to find a solution.,,,,,,,Folks,,,,do we not see a pattern emerging here?.....The GOVERNMENT...identifies a problem,,,,,makes it larger than life,,,,then throws billions of dollars at it....well not at the problem ...but rather to those they think can come up with answers to the manufactured problem,,,,It is all just robbery of the tax payers money.,,,,They cannot even get stories straight on HOW MANY this flu has affected...reporting from a few to thousands...so what is the truth?......This will probably turn out like the home foreclosure rescue....Money allocated ,,,,but heads a different direction.

[lovegetpeace]

Folks,
Over 34,000 die from the Flu each year in America. I have a distance relative who died from the flu 4 years ago. The Science of Possibilities are high that one virus strain kills several hundreds each year and CDC (we) does not know about it.

Next time, Mexico will be Smarter. Mexico will not report anything even if 4,000 die from the same Virus Strain.

[erasmus111]

I've chosen to ignore you for quite awhile. Tonight I chose not to.

Posted by IrishWench01 at 9:33 PM : Apr 28, 2009

What's funny is that it took you so long to say something about something that you found so offensive. What made you get the spine to do it now? Is it because you thought you had support from your buddies?

What's also funny is that there is someone else we both know, and that person runs ALL Americans into the ground and is pretty nasty. You just looooove him though. How is it that's okay, but if I voice my opinion against health care and guns, that isn't? I'm not slamming all Americans.

You don't need to answer that, I know why.

[clancy49]

Widget 101 == there you have it, the voice of reason. ====36,000 people die of flu every year. ================This isn't the Bubonic Plague============.
May I add that if you keep yourself in a bubble and don't know how to take care of yourself or your family when you are ill, please learn. Keeping yourself in a bubble only prevents your body from developing immunity and you put yourself at risk of becoming the fatality you so fear if you have no immunity. Here's how to take care of yourself. It's the basics, keep the fever down with aspirin, or for a child baby aspirin, and cool cloths. Be sure to intake plenty of fluids. If the fever rises and you cannot keep the fever down after efforts and your body dehydrates even with fluids, go to the hospital. The body has natural immunities. Sinus is not the Swine Flu. Allergies are not the Swine Flu. Dysentary is not the Swine Flu. Every Flu sympton may not be the Swine Flu. This is media fed panic. Ease up and learn to take care of yourself. ===As for the money, we all know where it will go - to the Pharmaceutical companies to develop a new and improved flu serum the doctor can inject in you at a high price tag and profit for them. It will still come to late for this bout of flu, but it won't matter. We'll all feel better. Mr. President, if you wanted to give 1.5 billion dollars so all Americans could be inoculated with a serum that was developed and ready at no charge, I would say nothing. Is that the case?

[searingtruth]

"But no where in this article or even in the request does it say where this huge amount of money will go to?"
clancy49


Where the virus does fellow citizen.

And it's not telling.
ST


"In a war with reality, none have been victor."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[clancy49]

But no where in this article or even in the request does it say where this huge amount of money will go to?

[searingtruth]

"IMPORTANT. Go Google Dr Mercola NOW ! His report today on this Media Hyped Scam follows his previously correct judgement on the Bird Flu Scam.

Track Big Pharma stocks today, Will We Ever Learn ?"
antiestablishment


Fellow citizen,

Everything that occurs on the face of the earth is not a conspiracy.

SARS, Avian influenza, and the current swine flu are real.
ST


"People will believe in almost anything, except reality."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[searingtruth]

"Bamy's answer to anything and everything. Throw money at it. You just can't throw his money. Please explain to me how all you liberals know exactly how better to spend my money than I do. There was only one name on my pay check this week. Maybe one of you more enlightened liberals can explain how each and every one of you know better how to spend my money."
YouCantBSirius


Well, I'm a non-partisan voter, and disagree with Obama's bailout of his billionaire Wall Street bankers and buddies, but this thread is not about that.

It's about a dangerous disease that threatens all of humanity. So please, stay on topic. There are a lot of other places where we could all debate politics.
ST


"Please.
Protect the innocent."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[searingtruth]

"...How it got at the bottom of the page is anyones guess. I'm tired. : )"
erasmus111


Got it fellow citizen :)

Now get some sleep, and take care of those of those kids!
ST


"Most saw the world as a conflicted group of disparate entities, instead of the fragile web we were.
Thus our demise."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[searingtruth]

"....Not to dismiss bioterror altogether, a more likely threat to public safety comes from animal factories-- the grouping of huge masses of feedstock in a relatively confined area...."
alphaa10000


Indeed fellow citizen. For this grouping, especially of different species, encourages the mutation of bacteria and virus alike, which while usually benign or simply mildly infectious, can become lethal to humans. And is in fact responsible for the common influenza strains we see every year.
ST


"And so the seeds they had sown with such great attention and fervor, never knowing the flower, devoured all in their compass."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[erasmus111]

That smiley face at the bottom of my last post? That was supposed to be after this...

Posted by searingtruth at 1:27 AM : Apr 29, 2009

: )


How it got at the bottom of the page is anyones guess. I'm tired. : )

[erasmus111]

The spirit of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, as simultaneously brilliant and imperfect as they were, still lives in the soul of most Americans.

Even if I do have to shake it out of them every once in awhile :)

Posted by searingtruth at 1:27 AM : Apr 29, 2009



"People will believe in almost anything, except reality."
SearingTruth


So VERY true!

Goodnight, again.





: )

[searingtruth]

"But thank goodness your daughters have you to protect them, and I know you will.

Posted by searingtruth at 12:45 AM : Apr 29, 2009

Yes I will! : )

Goodnight!"
erasmus111


Then they are indeed lucky to have such a loving and caring parent fellow citizen erasmus111.

And please, let them know that not everyone in America is unjust and brutal, and most are proud to call all those who share our common humanity fellow citizens, no matter which country they call home.

The spirit of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin, as simultaneously brilliant and imperfect as they were, still lives in the soul of most Americans.

Even if I do have to shake it out of them every once in awhile :)

Goodnight my friend. And please take care of yourself, and most especially, your children.
ST


"People will believe in almost anything, except reality."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[erasmus111]

But thank goodness your daughters have you to protect them, and I know you will.

Posted by searingtruth at 12:45 AM : Apr 29, 2009

Yes I will! : )

Goodnight!

[erasmus111]

searingtruth

Below is a comment to me from Irishwench.


"I responded to your comments filled with misrepresentation about this country....not your opinion of mrcrosby. Your comment contained much more than what you were chastising him about and you know it.
Go ahead and play the innocent if you choose, the only person you are fooling is yourself, including your flat out lie of not attacking people. You do it regularly, in addition to baiting people so that you have additional openings to to your usual rants against a country that you really know very little about, as is evident by the continual ignorant and biased statements you make. "
Posted by IrishWench01 at 9:54 PM : Apr 28, 2009

She is saying that my comments to mrcrosby are about more than the racism, I think. Which could quite possibly be. I'm really too tired to go back an look at all the comments. If I did, it would only be because he was bringing up other stuff. Which he did, because he was on the defensive.

I believe there was another comment from Irishwench too, where she was commenting on things I have said. I do not deny that I say things about the U.S. I have very strong opinions on health care and guns. She says that I don't know anything about the U.S. That is not so. There are some people on here that no nothing about their own country! Seriously! There are also many Americans that agree with what I say.

[searingtruth]

"...On the subject of the swine flu, I agree with what you are saying.

I believe that there are two kinds of people. There are the ones that accept reality and will do what they need to do to prepare for the worst. When they do, they are accused of panicking. Then there are the people that live in denial. They can't accept what might be. My daughters are like that. They don't want to hear about it, they want to believe that everything will turn out fine. Then when things happen, they aren't prepared. Those are the people that will panic."
erasmus111


Very intuitive fellow citizen.

Recognizing an enemy, and planning realistic defense against attack, is not panic.

The failure to recognize an enemy, and finding oneself in surprise of its aggression without defense is panic.

But thank goodness your daughters have you to protect them, and I know you will.
ST


"Children should not know fear, or death, or suffering, for it is not their lot to know. Theirs is a time for joy, and wonder, and a time of great discovery. Let them never despair, or hurt, or want. This should be our highest calling, and our most sincere dedication."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[searingtruth]

"searingtruth

As far as the racism goes, I do not believe myself to be a racist. They called me a racist because of my views of guns in the U.S., I think.

And mrcrosby was accusing me of saying all sorts of things that I did not say. He is a particular kind of person that I have come across before."
erasmus111

"I think when it comes to mrcosby and Irishwench, it's all about getting even. mrcosby for calling him a racist and Irishwench because she doesn't like my view on things."
erasmus111


Okay fellow citizen. I'm not familiar with mrcosby, but he was certainly spewing a plethora of racist comments tonight, which is why I was initially confused when others were claiming you were racist.

As for IrishWench, she is a forum friend of mine, and I've never known her to be vengeful, although she and most others are certainly more personally disparaging than I usually am, so I will have to discuss with her why she made the comments she did this evening.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm human, and sometimes get angry and engage in discourse that I normally would not. But for the most part I try, to an extreme, to be level headed and fair.

So my decision is that you were unjustly accused and disparaged this evening, and the next time we are all together if they unjustly attack you I will stand by your side, at least to the point where you are not falsely accused or maligned.

But of course if we disagree on something, I will fervently engage you in debate. But only according to our ideological or political differences, not on a personal level of disparagement.
ST


"It's not that there are so many bad people in the world, just many good people who can't see each other for who they are."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[erasmus111]

"....How the hell did 60 confirmed cases of a freaking flu bug turn into a pandamic event?..."
Rowdy108


Fellow citizen, although we rarely agree....

Posted by searingtruth at 12:01 AM : Apr 29, 2009

I got a chuckle out of this. I don't think that there are many people that do. : )



On the subject of the swine flu, I agree with what you are saying.

I believe that there are two kinds of people. There are the ones that accept reality and will do what they need to do to prepare for the worst. When they do, they are accused of panicking. Then there are the people that live in denial. They can't accept what might be. My daughters are like that. They don't want to hear about it, they want to believe that everything will turn out fine. Then when things happen, they aren't prepared. Those are the people that will panic.

[searingtruth]

"...This Flu is a Weaponized Lab Created combination of Equine, Swine, Bird, and Human (H1N1) Flu, that has been purposefully released into the environment..."
veteran71


Fellow citizen, this is one of the first possibilities I explored.

And while I could be wrong, here is why I judged it to be natural.

It's mortality rate is simply not high enough, given any scenario I could conceive.

Weaponized biological virus's or bacteria typically have a mortality rate of at least 60%, and more typically 80% to 100%.

But I know, the goal of a biological weapon need not be to simply kill as many as possible as quickly as possible. It could simply be designed to disrupt societies, but this virus does not exhibit any extraordinary properties beyond the Spanish Flu, which was a natural avian mutation.

It also doesn't contain any protections for the subtleties of variant human species. In other words, all humans are susceptible to its infection. And weapons biologists have long been capable of building in protections for at least a major subset of a given population.

So if it is a biological weapon, whoever created it was willing to kill as many of their own people as others.

A possibility for those desiring the end of the human species, but then it seems they would have made it much more lethal. For while this virus will certainly kill many if we do not appropriately defend against it, it will not end humanity.
ST


"Truth is defined by the weakest of us who must suffer through it."
SearingTruth

A Future of the Brave

[erasmus111]

searingtruth

As far as the racism goes, I do not believe myself to be a racist. They called me a racist because of my views of guns in the U.S., I think.

And mrcrosby was accusing me of saying all sorts of things that I did not say. He is a particular kind of person that I have come across before.