Obama declares swine flu a national emergency

President Barack Obama declared swine flu a national emergency, the White House announced in a statement yesterday.

The declaration is designed to help US medical treatment facilities deal with a surge in H1N1 influenza patients by waiving government rules on a case-by-case basis, the announcement said. That might make it easier for hospitals to set up separate emergency facilities to deal with an influx of flu patients.

Swine flu is now widespread in 46 states and accounts for 411 confirmed deaths since August 30 and more than 8,200 hospitalisations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers reflect what would be the peak of a typical flu season, CDC Director Thomas Frieden said on October 23.

millions of cases” have occurred in the US since the outbreak began earlier this year, he said.

Swine Flu vaccine production is slower than anticipated and drug makers are unlikely to hit the US government’s targets for delivery, Frieden said.

The amount of vaccine available as of October 21 was 16.1 million doses, with 11.3 million doses shipped to doctors and clinics in local communities, he said during a conference call with reporters.

“We’ve had difficulties with the projections we’ve had so far,” Frieden said of vaccine production. “The numbers will continue to increase. We think supply will become much more widespread within the next several weeks.”

The US won’t reach its target of 195 million doses by the end of the year because of productions delays at two drug makers and GlaxoSmithKline’s failure to gain regulatory approval for its product, said Nicole Lurie, Health and Human Services assistant secretary for preparedness and response.