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Swine Flu Could Infect Nearly Half of U.S. Population
President Obama's science advisers recently warned that swine flu could infect nearly half the United States population this fall and winter and cause up to 90,000 deaths, mostly in kids and young adults.
The estimate is double the deaths normally associated with the seasonal flu.
The report by the President's
As many as 1.8 million people could be admitted to hospitals with up to 300,000 of them requiring treatment in intensive care units, the council found.
The number of people hospitalized could put a strain on the U.S. healthcare system because those patients could completely fill intensive care beds at the peak of the flu season.
The report estimates that the epidemic will peak on
"This is going to be fairly serious," said Harold E. Varmus of
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the H1N1 virus "unusual" because it typically infects children and young adults. "This isn't the flu that we're used to," Sebelius said. "The 2009 H1N1 virus will cause a more serious threat this fall."
The council recommended that manufacturers speed up the preparation of the flu vaccine so it can be distributed to high-risk patients such as pregnant women by mid-September. Originally, the government expected 120 million doses to be available on
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Obama Advisers: Swine Flu Could Infect Nearly Half of U.S. Population