Swine Flu Fading

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swine flu, pandemic, vaccine

Published Dec. 17, 2009 at 12:32 p.m.

The swine flu pandemic has peaked, but federal health officials today urged the public to get vaccinated to prevent another outbreak.

“We have an ebbing second wave (of the flu) but we face an uncertain future,” said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the Centers for Disease Control.

“It’s easy to say it’s over,” Frieden added, “but actually we don’t know what the future will hold” before the traditional flu season ends in May.

Since the flu first surfaced last April, 47 million cases have been reported worldwide, resulting in 10,000 deaths, Frieden said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius urged the public “to take advantage of the increased supply” of the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine. “I got my shot yesterday,” she said.

Nationwide shortages of the vaccine have been eased by increased production and “the gap between supply and demand has closed very nicely,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.




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