Adm officials brief House on swine flu

Posted: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:32 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: White House, Congress

From NBC's Mark Murray
Earlier this afternoon, brand-new Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano briefed a bipartisan group of House members on the latest regarding the swine flu.

After the briefing, a small group of Dem lawmakers spoke to reporters and news cameras. John Larson (D-CT), chairman of the House Democratic caucus, said the administration officials were stressing this message -- making sure we're prepared but not panicked. "We have the right people moving at the right time," added Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA), vice chair of the caucus. Both, however, said the death of the child in Texas was a terrible event.

Before those Democrats spoke, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, mostly repeated that same message to reporters (although his remarks weren't on camera). "The system seems to be working," he said.

King also said they were told that a vaccine for the swine flu could be ready by September.

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Comments

Kathleen and Janet are so correct to stress that we need to be concerned with the swine flu, but not panicked.

What a disgusting excuse fox and freaks is as a news channel as they freak out and panic over this swine flu epidemic and what swine they are to play petty partisan politics with this issue. MSNMBC tv does a good job of keeping us informed without playing petty partisan politics.

Good thing we already have the antidote for the Elephant Flu - namely Barack Obama!

In Obama We Trust!

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:41 PM)

We're spending how many billions on how many cases of the sniffles?

Janis Coffer (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:42 PM)

Where's Brownie when you need him.

The W stands for War Criminal (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:42 PM)

Could someone please inform Micheal Bachmann who was the president the last time there was a flu issue1976.Yesterday she stated that the last time this happen J Carter was President,When it was Ford.But she was close.Please people of the United States don't think all Gopher landers are like Bachmann.she is not the norm,and I don't mean Coleman.She is a Rush repeater,she has no real knowledge of what is really going on,she is loco,nut case,wacko who reps a county that is pro-puke.Shes a midwest version of Palin.

jesse St.Paul Minnesota (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 2:56 PM)

"My office, along with the Department of State Health Services and other state, local and federal partners, have a plan in place to protect Texans should there be a pandemic flu outbreak or other health emergency.”

Hairspray Perry opens his trap again, per an article in the SA Express News. Not the evil overtaxing federal partners! All the ditto head tea-party goers should feel really STUPID!

Go ahead and secede Perry, and handle the business of your new nation. Watcha' gonna do with ALL of the many military installations in Texas. Did you forget about all of that! It will really be YOU against the REAL world! Maybe the tea-bag, aka KOOL-AID will save you as you wander, lost forever!

Ed, SanAntonio (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:12 PM)

Close the borders! (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:24 PM)

Eric, Salinas, Ca----Love the antidote for the Elephant Flu - namely Barackly Obama! That's Good!

Also, for the low-information Repukes, participating/commenting here may eventually provide them with info that they never would get from their leaders OxyRush and InsanHannity!

Where is the man behind the curtain "high-schooler Rove"?

Ed, SanAntonio (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:28 PM)

enough with the liberal rhetoric, he has barely taken office,and you parade him as a prophet, and the swine flu is a legitimate spend, due to its relation to the influenza virus of 1914.

Bill (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:29 PM)

Glad Kathleen Sebelius was finally approved. Guess the GOP would have trouble explaining the hold up when we have a potential health crisis. Too bad they don't use common sense more often.

As Keith Olbermann pointed out last night, FOX was busy blaming immigrants for the flu outbreak. It's beyond me how those FOX characters can be called show hosts because they constantly lie and stoke the hate and fears of the right. I know it's free speech but there should be accountability for truth in that speech.

Jody, Iowa (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:40 PM)

Vaccine for the swine flu could be ready by September. Kidda late don't you think?

cheryl, laredo, texas (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:46 PM)

You folks who scoff at this being a waste of money over a case of the "sniffles" must be unaware of the potential for this virus to mutate and become more lethal. I suggest you read John Barry's The Great Influenza. A preventative approach is the right idea with this. We all should be planning for the worse case scenario while hoping for the best.

Anonymous, Massachusetts (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:47 PM)

Now is the perfect time to send the Repiglicans down to Mexico to talk trade and immigration.
They say they have all the solutions and God on their side so why not go down and solve all the problems?
I would recommend they take Rush Limpbag so they can have approval on site.

Last living Republican, DC (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:48 PM)

As Swine Flu is spread by human to human contact, and children are the # 1 spreaders of germs, it becomes imperative to educate children on how germs are spread.
Young children don't spread germs because they want to, they don't know how NOT to.
Germy Wormy Germ Smart for Kids educates and entertains kids while teaching them how to NOT spread germs.
Please pass along to anyone who has young children and is concerned about the spread of the Swine Flu
http://www.germywormy.com

Margaret Back, Menifee, CA (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:52 PM)

Vaccine for the swine flu could be ready by September. Kidda late don't you think?

cheryl, laredo, texas (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:46 PM)
_______________________________________________________

Actually, one of the scenarios (and one that has happened in the past) is that spreading of the flu will greatly slow and then come back in the fall.

This is typically about the time of year that flu cases slow down and that may (or may not) happen this time. There is nothing that is a sure thing with the spread of viruses.

To Close The Borders . . .

I think it is political, economic, and practical. Isolating Mexico at this point probably wouldn't do much, even if the entire world did. If other countries didn't, it would just continue to spread through other routes.

Chris - IL (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 4:10 PM)

What few cases there are in the US have been by and large mild. Unfortunately a baby died of the flu but that is one of several that got the virus. Local, state and federal agencies are working very hard to ensure the virus doesn't spread. Taking a pro-active approach is the right way to go. So far so good.

This is your tax dollars at work. If there were no tax dollars because people whine about paying taxes and they are cut so severely that there is no money left imagine the impact. The 1918-1919 pandemic would be nothing. Just pointing this out for the teabaggers. Close borders and so the germs stop right there and don't cross? Germs don't know borders.

eagle1776 (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 5:01 PM)

The sheer ignorance of some of the remarks I'm reading here are mindboggling to me. Check out the dialogue among medical professionals here: http://community.comcast.net/comcastportal/board/message?board.id=news&thread.id=662147. Among the very interesting tidbits are: This hospital's pharma supplier was ordered to send its entire supply of Tamiflu to Mexico and, thus, has none for it's local patients. One commented that Napolitano and Gibbs were causing a panic with uneducated remarks and had to be reined in by the CDC speaker. Better read this quick before DHS notices that the writers are questioning whether DHS should have dominance over CDC (it should not, in my opinion) and makes comcast take it down.

Billie Jo, San Diego, Calif (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 5:23 PM)

Most of the cases reported in the us traced back to american citizens going to Mexico for spring break.

And the borders will probably be closed if it gets worse but right now, our response has been swift. There might not be a vaccine yet but we do have anti virals that help if you catch it.

Julie, Palm Desert, CA (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 6:50 PM)

I still don't understand why we aren't temporarily closing the borders with Mexico. If schools are closing to avoid close contact, why would we not close the border to Mexico to better quarantine this thing since Mexico is where it started and has the most severe cases? Are politics getting in the way of doing what's right here?
Close the borders! (Sent Wednesday, April 29, 2009 3:24 PM)

That answer is simple - Because our president cares more about offending mexico than he cares about american lives.

In Mexican Obama We Trust

Obie Bites (Sent Thursday, April 30, 2009 7:45 AM)

I wonder if "Cantor's Crazy Cronies" in the House of Representatives were actually paying attention?? Their attention spans are so "challenged" already. That it is difficult to truely gauge what they really can comprehend. They have so many difficulties in their learning procedures already. Remember GOP/RNC!! It is a bad thing to cut spending in the areas of proactive medical research. Especially, in the areas of possible disease epidemics. Oh! Like the Swine Flu!!

Rock.Janesville, Wisconsin (Sent Thursday, April 30, 2009 8:28 AM)

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