Posted by
Cecilia Trent on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 12:57:44 PM
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
By
Susan Jones, Senior Editor
CNS
Posted By Cecilia Trent
President Barack Obama leaves the White House on Wednesday, April 29, 2009, for a trip to St. Louis, Mo. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
-President
Obama assured the American people on Wednesday that his administration
is closely monitoring “the H1N1 flu virus” – he refrained from calling
it swine flu.
And while the government is prepared to do what it can to stop the
illness from spreading, he said individual Americans must also do their
part: “Keep your hands washed, cover your mouth when you cough, stay
home from work if you are sick, keep your children home from school if
they are sick,” Obama said.
“This is obviously a serious situation, serious enough to take the utmost precautions.”
Obama said his thoughts are with the family of a baby who died of the
flu in Texas. It is the first confirmed fatality in the United
Statesfrom this particular flu virus.
Obama said schools with confirmed or suspected cases of H1N1 “should
strongly consider temporarily closing so we can be as safe as
possible.” That means parents need to think about alternative child
care arrangements, in case schools do shut down. Sending sick children
to daycare because school is closed “is not a good solution,” the
president said.
Obama noted that he has asked Congress for an immediate $1.5 billion in
emergency funding, for “adequate vaccine supplies” and equipment to
handle a potential flu outbreak.
Obama said his “entire team” is in close contact with state
authorities, and he urged local communities to be vigilant as well in
identifying suspected flu cases and reporting them immediately to
federal authorities.
President Obama has not curtailed his own schedule. He flew to Missouri
on Wednesday – his hundredth day in office, for those who are counting
– for a town hall meeting in suburban St. Louis.
He’ll return to Washington Wednesday afternoon to prepare for this evening’s prime-time news conference.
Obama made his comments on the flu during a photo-op with Sen. Arlen Specter, the newly minted Democrat from Pennsylvania.
posted by cecilia trent