United Nations Day | |
---|---|
Also called | UN Day |
Observed by | Worldwide |
Type | United Nations |
Date | 24 October |
Celebrations | Meetings, discussions, exhibits, cultural performances |
Related to | World Development Information |
So what is President Obama, also President of the U.N. Security Council, doing for the U.N. on U.N. Day?
FOLLOWING THE W.H.O. DICTATES TO THE LETTER ( as I had predicted).
http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/10/24/america-in-the-midst-of-two-major-national-emergencies/
Under the U.S. health emergency, the FDA may authorize the use of unlicensed vaccines, according to Peper Long, an agency spokeswoman.
It’s official: Swine flu is a public health emergency.
Today, the White House announced that late Friday the president signed an emergency declaration for the H1N1 flu.
White House officials said the declaration is a “pro active measure” to make sure health care facilities have the freedom they need to address the growing swine flu epidemic. They said the announcement “removes legal hurdles” for health care facilities as they decide on a case-by-case basis whether to implement emergency protocols to deal with swine flu.
The declaration itself does not allow facilities to bypass federal regulations. Instead, it allows them to apply for a waiver from the Department of Health and Human Services that will allow them to, as one senior White House official told ABC News, “establish alternate care sites, modified patient triage protocols, patient transfer procedures and other actions that occur when they fully implement disaster operations plans.”
Obama declares swine flu a national emergency
WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said on Saturday.
The declaration will make it easier for U.S. medical facilities to handle a surge in flu patients by allowing the waiver of some requirements of Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health insurance programs as needed, the White House said in a statement.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that swine flu has become widespread in 46 of the 50 U.S. states, a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons but far earlier and with more waves of infection expected.
Obama signed the statement on Friday night.
The White House statement said the declaration was intended to prepare the country in case of "a rapid increase in illness that may overburden health care resources." It was similar to disaster declarations issued before hurricanes hit coastal areas.
"It's important to note that this is a proactive measure -- not a response to a new development," an administration official said.
"H1N1 is moving rapidly, as expected. By the time regions or healthcare systems recognize they are becoming overburdened, they need to implement disaster plans quickly," he said.
Seasonal flu normally peaks sometime between late November and early March and kills about 36,000 Americans in an average year.
Swine flu has hit young adults and children the hardest, while seasonal flu normally is more dangerous for people over age 65.
H1N1, declared a public health emergency earlier in the year, has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States and put more than 20,000 in the hospital since it emerged earlier this year, the CDC said. But health officials are quick to note that the actual number of cases cannot be measured.
The new declaration clears the way for waivers of federal requirements that, for example, could prevent hospitals from establishing off-site, alternate care facilities that could help them deal with emergency department demands, the White House said.
The Health and Human Services Department is trying to deliver vaccines against H1N1 but says production is falling short of projections because companies are having trouble making them.......
For some perspective, here are death statistics for several flu viruses that have occurred:
Spanish Flu (1918-1920): 50 million
Asian Flu (1957-1958): 1.5-2 million
Hong Kong Flu (1968-1969): 1 million
Asiatic Flu (1989-1990): 1 million
Influenza (Normal yearly world-wide): 250-500,000
H1N1/Swine Flu (2009 world-wide): 5,000
[ and by the way, the great majority in immunocompromised individuals, DS]
http://wizbangblog.com/content/2009/10/24/obama-revs-up-the-swine-flu-hysteria.php
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