Swine flu cases double in U.S.: 40

by Mark Silva and updated

The numbers are small, but today they have doubled, with the Centers for Disease Control confirming 20 additional cases of swine flu in New York City, doubling the national count of infections to 40.

The United States is distributing yellow cards to people arriving at ports of entry "so that people coming into the United States have information... what to do if they become sick,'' said Richard Besser, acting CDC director.

And for Americans, the CDC said, it was recommending that a travel advisory should be issued "out of an abundance of caution.... We are recommending that non-essential travel to Mexico be avoided.'' The travel advisory will come from the State Department -- with the White House saying that it is "likely'' that will be announced at 3 pm EDT.

At a press briefing, Besser said the government has "folks on the ground'' in Mexico working "to understand this outbreak.''

"Control of an outbreak of an infectious disease is a shared responsibility,'' he said, suggesting that individuals also "have a key role to play'' - washing their hands, covering their mouths when coughing and, if ill, avoid going to work or school.

"It matters less what we call this than what action we take... We are acting aggressively,'' Besser said. "There is no single action that will control an outbreak, but the combined actions that we are proposing and are taking... will help stem the tide of an infectious outbreak. ''

Keep track of the latest guidance here:

The CDC is discussing the possibility of developing a new vaccine.

"We don't think that any of the existing vaccines are effective,'' Besser said, and discussions are underway about developing one.

"As we continue to look, I expect that we will see additional cases,'' he said, and "the spectrum of the disease'' will expand. "As we investigate the cases, we look for connections,'' he said, and so far they have found no contact with pigs in any of the Americans infected.

With Congress eyeing hearings on the problem, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) today called for additional funding for pandemic preparedness. Harkin is chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds pandemic preparedness.

"Pandemic influenza is one of the biggest public health threats facing our country today,'' Harkin said. "Pandemics start as a few isolated incidents, but can spread faster than a wildfire.

"The spending bill currently traveling through Congress should again ensure the CDC has the resources it needs,'' he said, "and I intend to make that my mission as well as work with the Department of Health and Human Services to see if additional resources are needed to address the recent outbreak.''

The Department of Health and Human Services on Sunday had issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration.

This morning, as President Barack Obama appeared for a planned address at the National Academy of Sciences, 20 cases of swine flu had been confirmed in the U.S. by the Centers for Disease Control.

By 1 pm, with the disclosure of 20 new cases identified in New York City, the total nationwide count had doubled to 40.

And Obama acknowledged the situation with a few lines added to his prepared remarks about the need for more scientific research:

"If there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it's today,'' the president said.

" We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States,'' Obama said. "And this is obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert. But it's not a cause for alarm.''

Obama said the Health and Human Services alert was "a precautionary tool to ensure that we have the resources we need at our disposal to respond quickly and effectively. ''

The president said he was getting regular updates on the situation from various agencies, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano would be offering regular updates for the public.

"But one thing is clear -- our capacity to deal with a public health challenge of this sort rests heavily on the work of our scientific and medical community,'' said Obama, pledging a major boost in scientific research. "This is one more example of why we can't allow our nation to fall behind. ''

The European Union also added the U.S. to its own travel advisory. Europeans "should avoid traveling to Mexico or the U.S.A. unless it is very urgent for them," EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou told reporters in Luxembourg today. "Otherwise they should avoid traveling" to the affected areas.

The EU confirmed that one person in Spain had been diagnosed with Europe's first known case of the disease. Another 16 people were being tested for the flu, Spanish Health Minister Trinidad Jimenez said - all involving people who had been to Mexico.