President Barack Obama is working with Mexico's president on ways to keep the swine flu from spreading further and says the U.S. will be ready if the flu strain develops into something worse.
Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke for 20 minutes Saturday to share information about each country's efforts and the importance of close U.S.-Mexican cooperation, the White House said.
Swine flu, or H1N1 flu as the U.S. government prefers to call it, has caused only one confirmed death in the United States. But medical authorities fear the flu could become much worse.
About a third of the 160 confirmed U.S. cases of swine flu are people who had been to Mexico and likely picked up the infection there. But investigations indicate many newly infected people are getting the illness here, and that it probably still is spreading, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC officials said the agency knows of confirmed cases from 21 states, with Connecticut, Florida and Missouri the latest to join the list.
"This is a new strain of the flu virus, and because we haven't developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to cause us harm," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it's a flu that is spreading from human to human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively."
The virus, which has claimed far more victims in Mexico than elsewhere, has not proved as potent in the U.S.
Obama recapped his administration's efforts. They include asking schools with confirmed cases of the flu virus to close for up to 14 days; urging employers to let infected workers take all the sick days they need; and reminding Americans to wash their hands often, cover their coughs and stay home if ill.
Obama has asked Congress for $1.5 billion to buy more medicine and equipment if needed.
Obama and Mexican President Felipe Calderon spoke for 20 minutes Saturday to share information about each country's efforts and the importance of close U.S.-Mexican cooperation, the White House said.
Swine flu, or H1N1 flu as the U.S. government prefers to call it, has caused only one confirmed death in the United States. But medical authorities fear the flu could become much worse.
About a third of the 160 confirmed U.S. cases of swine flu are people who had been to Mexico and likely picked up the infection there. But investigations indicate many newly infected people are getting the illness here, and that it probably still is spreading, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CDC officials said the agency knows of confirmed cases from 21 states, with Connecticut, Florida and Missouri the latest to join the list.
"This is a new strain of the flu virus, and because we haven't developed an immunity to it, it has more potential to cause us harm," Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address. "Unlike the various strains of animal flu that have emerged in the past, it's a flu that is spreading from human to human. This creates the potential for a pandemic, which is why we are acting quickly and aggressively."
The virus, which has claimed far more victims in Mexico than elsewhere, has not proved as potent in the U.S.
Obama recapped his administration's efforts. They include asking schools with confirmed cases of the flu virus to close for up to 14 days; urging employers to let infected workers take all the sick days they need; and reminding Americans to wash their hands often, cover their coughs and stay home if ill.
Obama has asked Congress for $1.5 billion to buy more medicine and equipment if needed.
President Barack Obama & Felipe Calderon working together on swine flu?
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