United States Declares Public Health Emergency as Disease Spreads

By: Peter Fribert

The United States government declared a public health emergency today as the number of identified cases of swine flu in the nation rose to 20. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said that the declaration is part of a "standard operating procedure" that will make additional government resources available to fight off the rapidly spreading virus. No one has reported any deaths in the United States from the swine flu.

The United States is not the only country that has reported cases of the swine flu. The World Health Organization, WHO, advised all countries to be on the lookout for "unusual" outbreaks of the flu, after an emergency meeting Saturday as the seriousness of the outbreak became clear. By today, 81 deaths in Mexico had been deemed "likely linked" to the swine flu. Testings have confirmed 20 cases, said Dr. Jose A. Cordova Villalobos, Mexico's health secretary. Canada confirmed its first cases of the swine flu on Sunday, with reports of four people said to have the virus in the eastern province of Nova Scotia, health officials said. In New Zealand, officials said 22 students and three teachers back from a three-week-long language trip to Mexico may have been infected with the swine flu virus. Many countries, such as Israel and Japan will be conducting tests on how the flu virus is rapidly spreading.