By BETSY MCKAY and CAM SIMPSON
The Obama administration, worried that tens of thousands of people could fall ill with H1N1 swine flu before a new vaccine is available later this fall, is urging Americans to adopt a series of preventive actions to slow the spread of the disease.
The emphasis on measures such as washing hands often and staying home when sick comes as schools across the country report a surge in flu-like symptoms.More than 2,500 students at Washington State University have reported becoming ill since the semester began two weeks ago, in one of the largest school outbreaks yet. Emory University in Atlanta, which has had more than 220 ill students, set aside an empty dormitory to house several in isolation.
About 25,000 students were dismissed from 24 secondary schools Friday due to the flu, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The administration has been concerned that the virus would spread widely once school started and weeks before a vaccination program gets into full swing. An advisory panel to President Barack Obama warned in August of a possible scenario in which a new wave of infections could peak by mid-October.
The timing could be bad because the first doses of a new swine-flu vaccine won't be ready before Oct. 15, and the 45 million to 52 million doses expected on that date won't be enough for the roughly 159 million people the government has determined should get the vaccine first, such as pregnant women, health-care workers and people with underlying medical conditions. It also takes a couple of weeks after getting a shot to build immunity to the virus, and it still isn't clear whether most people will need one or two doses of the vaccine.
The message of prevention through basic behavioral techniques has become a mantra across the government. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have urged schools to stay open, businesses to plan for extended employee absences, hospitals to prepare for a potential surge in critically ill patients, and students to wear masks when they are sick and take disposable wipes to their dorm-room doorknobs to keep viruses from spreading. |
