By Jim Tankersley
Top Obama administration officials are taking to the airwaves today, hoping to reassure the nation that the federal government is responding to the threat of a human swine flu outbreak.
The issue is "serious enough to be a great concern to this White House and to this government," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said this morning on NBC'S "Meet the Press".
President Obama is being briefed regularly by the Centers for Disease Control and the Department of Homeland Security - two agencies whose heads will brief reporters at the White House on swine flu response this afternoon - Gibbs said, and the government is ramping up monitoring.
"We are taking the proper precautions to address anything that happens," Gibbs said. "It's not a time to panic."
A swine flu outbreak in Mexico is being blamed for at least 1,000 infections and 60 deaths. There have been 19 reported cases in the United States, none fatal. That includes cases in California, Kansas, Texas and New York, where officials reported probable infections Saturday in eight students from a private high school in Queens.
The U.S. patients have ranged in age from 9 to 50. All are recovering or recovered.
Comments
Chicago Boys at work once again in Latin America?
Constant Gardiners, they!
I'll have to see if I can find that stale box of Tamaflu.
This could be a major embarrassment to a lot of people.
So nice that U. of Chicago ties to Latin America are being renewed.
Posted by: Milton Friedman | April 26, 2009 12:01 PM
Gibbs Napolitano and acting head of NIH (?) just had a press conf.
Missing were the Secy. of HHS and Surgeon General.
At a time like this, I would rather be briefed by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Something just tells me he would do a much better job of explaining it all so everyone could understand it.
Maybe it was that programs of his where he actually performed brain surgery and simultaneously explained the procedure.
But he apparently did not suit
some folk, so now we have Dr. Gibbs and Dr. Napolitano.
No need for Dr. Gupta's talents--it is only a pandemic.
Posted by: ornery | April 26, 2009 1:20 PM
Good grief Milton and Ornery, what the heck are you guys on? Overdosing on flu medication?
Posted by: Joe | April 26, 2009 2:03 PM
Have they linked this to Bush yet? If not, the Dems will figure something out.
Posted by: bubba Porter | April 26, 2009 6:18 PM
Have they linked this to Bush yet? If not, the Dems will figure something out.
Posted by: bubba Porter | April 26, 2009 6:18 PM
No, because this is clearly entirely the fault of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. I
Posted by: Rushpublican | April 27, 2009 12:36 PM