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Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) officials say they are planning for the potential resurgence of the H1N1, or swine flu, virus in the fall with a Texas Pandemic Influenza Summit in Austin on Aug. 10. The conference, which will be followed by a series of regional sessions in August and September, will brief physicians and public health officials.
Additional information about the conference will be available in the next few weeks, DSHS says.
Earlier this month, Obama administration officials said states should begin preparing for the fall flu outbreak. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is making $350 million in swine flu preparedness grants available to the states.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at a flu preparedness summit in Atlanta on July 9 that an H1N1 vaccine should be ready in October and that federal officials will begin a voluntary nationwide immunization program.
The Washington Post reported that the federal government should get about 100 million doses of vaccine by mid-October, if production stays on schedule. According to the Post, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said officials "would absolutely welcome" the idea that the nation's schools be a principal venue for delivering the vaccine. Secretary Sebelius added that children, pregnant women, adults with chronic illnesses, and health care workers probably would be vaccinated first, the Post said.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says antiviral treatment of H1N1 infection needs improvement.
The latest information and resources to help physicians deal with the outbreak of the H1N1, or swine flu, virus are posted on TMA's H1N1 Resource Center and on the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Web sites.
Action, July 15, 2009
Last Published: 7/16/2009 Print this page
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