Behind the Headlines

The breaking news headline this afternoon is that the World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert for swine flu to a 5 on a scale of 1 to 6.

CNN report:

The U.S. government is distributing 25 percent of its stockpile of antiviral medications Tamiflu and Relenza to all states, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday. Health officials stress that the medications are effective only if taken in the early stages of the infection.

In the meantime, the government is working on developing a vaccine and hopes to have a pilot version ready for testing in a few months, Fauci said.

Newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, “We are committed to ensuring that these vaccines are safe. HHS and the [Food and Drug Administration] will monitor the manufacturing of a potential vaccine and will have strict oversight to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective for use.”

President Obama called on schools with confirmed or possible swine flu cases to “consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible.”

Michigan.gov now has a Swine Flu page with state links and resources.

– Paula Wethington