# 3099
Today’s CDC briefing just ended.
At 1 PM, the HHS will begin a live Online Telecast of their PlanFirst series of webinars, with newly sworn HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Director of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, and Dr. Rich Besser of the CDC.
The subject will be the H1N1 `swine’ flu outbreak and you can watch it HERE.
Today’s briefing, which lasted about 45 minutes, reiterated a number of points we’ve heard before. The `new daily numbers’ were updated, now with 109 confirmed cases in 11 states.
Dr. Besser indicated that at some point testing of every case probably won’t continue, and that the numbers will become murkier. Localities being affected will be the focus, more than numbers, at that point.
The CDC Swine Flu website is getting between 6 and 8 million hits a day, and the toll-free information hotline about 4,000 calls each day.
1-800-CDC-INFO
The CDC has put on extra staff to handle the telephone and email inquiries. The average wait for an operator is down to only about 90 seconds now.
We should be getting more details on the course of illness in Mexico later today when the CDC releases a new MMWR Report.
And finally, Dr. Besser stressed once again the importance of Shared Responsibility. That means practicing safe, and sensible flu hygiene (stay home if sick, cover coughs, wash hands, etc.) and he said it is TIME TO PULL OUT YOUR PANDEMIC PLAN.
You need to be deciding what will do when it reaches your community.
The audio and transcript will be posted later today on the CDC PRESS BRIEFINGS page.
Today’s CDC status update is as follows:
Swine Influenza (Flu)
Swine Flu website last updated April 30, 2009, 10:30 AM ET
In response to an intensifying outbreak in the United States and internationally caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 5 on April 29, 2009.
A Phase 5 alert is a “strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”
The United States Government has declared a public health emergency in the United States. CDC’s response goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this emergency.
CDC is issuing and updating interim guidance daily in response to the rapidly evolving situation. CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak.
The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. In addition, the Federal Government and manufacturers have begun the process of developing a vaccine against this new virus.
