Obama declares swine flu emergency

AFP ^ | 10/24/09

[TigerLikesRooster]

Obama declares swine flu emergency

9 mins ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama has declared swine flu a "national emergency," the White House said Saturday, as the United States reels from millions of cases of infection and over 1,000 deaths.

[Freddd]

This is BS.

It’s a mild flu. Only 1% of people who get it will have a bad time with it.

They claim there isn’t enough vaccines, so why declare National Emergency?

It’s not about the flu. It’s about CONTROL.

[abclily]

I think our chief executive is actually name Orahma.

[Marty62]

WILL SOMEONE THAT KNOWS HOW, FIND A COPY OF THIS THING.
IT’S NOT ON THE WH SITE.

PAAALLLLEEEEEZE

[Condor51]

*** Where is FOX NEWS on this?? ***

They (Brian Wilson) just announced it over the air a couple minutes ago. They're waiting for more info from the White House.

[paulycy]

I know these are anecdotals but something’s not right here.

My wife works in a lab in a hospital in central virginia. There has only been one swine flu death in a large, multi-county area. They do several flu tests a day and swine flu diagnoses are few and far between.

I agree. Something is wrong here.

I don't trust the Marxist-in-Chief.

[gatorhead]

I remember catching the Hong Kong flu in 1968. I was in second grade and to this day I believe that was the sickest I’ve ever been in my life.

[fatima]

At my daughter in law’s school one class had 21 of 26 students out.That was last week.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I would call your local Republican Congressman (if you can on a Saturday!)--maybe a Hill Staffer here is lurking or Freeping on this Saturday and can fill us in--and find out if they can ascertain from the House Leadership if there as ANY kind of briefing on this "Presidential Emergency Act" in advance to the Congress, and furthermore

what is the exact language, statute, ramifications of this "emergency" that has been declared out of the White House.

[SouthTexas]

The last two deaths in this part of the country, attributed to swine flu, had an added “had other medical issues” at the end of the news report. Of course, no references to what that was.

[omega4179]

fwiw Finland has de-listed swine flu as a contagious disease.

[DvdMom]

what’s the product name of the non-standard cleaner ?

[SevenofNine]

I was wonder what took Obama so long to declared medical emergency

[omega4179]

And the Internet and Talk Radio!

[ElectricStrawberry]

Yeah...because Bush never hyped a disease.

Bird flu?
SARS?

I get it that this move at this time is quite ludicrous, but as an epidemiologist, I also get it that this particular flu is not killing the traditional flu victim...29 and otherwise healthy is not the traditional victim.

I’m not saying this will be the atrocious outbreak they are pre-hyping, but the potetntial is greater than a general flu and it strikes in a nontraditional cohort.

[imfrmdixie]

Fox just had some “former secretary” on and he said this emergency would allow the POTUS to call out the National Guard if it was necessary to control the public if there is panic. I find that most interesting.

[Jim Noble]

We need 3 things (and only 3 things) from CDC, right now. Since CDC is, or was, the premier data shop on the planet for human epidemiology, this should be easy:

1) H1N1 case fatality rate, all comers, compared to 2006-07 "seasonal" flu.

2) H1N1 case fatality rate, ages 6 months-24 years, compared to 2006-07 "seasonal" flu.

3) N1H1 case fatality rate, pregnant women, compared to 2006-07 "seasonal" flu.

We're getting an avalanche of stuff from CDC, including labor relations advice, child care advice, stress management advice - but not the data needed to put this episode into some kind of context and enable rational decision-making.

H1N1 is real. There are a lot of cases, it's an interesting virus (very fit), spreads very fast - but how much of an emergency it is, or can be, is yet to be determined.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

” So...what does that mean exactly? “

It’s hard to tell because every single article has the same nebulous wording.
Back in May, the HHS issued a waiver which allowed hospitals to erect temporary screening areas off site-like in tents in the parking lot.
And I think they released some Tamiflu stockpiles.
But, who knows what the edict means since the wording is so vague.
And the crack media apparently has no curiosity.
Right now, a lot of ERs are swamped with panicked parents and their children.
Screening tents in hospital parking lots and unusually long waits in ERs might make citizens believe we really do have a health care crisis.
Instead of a flu outbreak.

[AmericanInTokyo]

If it is a power grab, CNN will have been in on it, being a part of the government-controlled media, so it will be very instructive to watch them closely for any kind of statments or urgings that look like the are part of some planned agenda for control. I would watch CNN (barf!) today just as much, if not more, than FOX NEWS today, for hints — as to whether there is more to this as I suspect there may be.

[AmericanInTokyo]

So is our President going “Mel Zelaya” on us...as many of us guessed in advance?

[arasina]

Now, he’s preparing for something else. Presumably, among other things, he intends to use it to ram Government Health Care through without the usual discussion—perhaps with just a 50 vote majority.

Exactly. Hop on board the cattle cars, everyone. We're going on a one-way trip.