US declares swine flu 'emergency' [Emergency powers info]

BBC World News America ^ | 24 October 2009

[delacoert]

US President Barack Obama has declared swine flu a national emergency.

The White House said the president signed the proclamation concerning the 2009 H1N1 outbreak on Friday evening.

It increases the ability of treatment facilities to handle a surge in H1N1 patients by easing the implementation of emergency plans.

Last week US officials said swine flu activity was widespread in 46 states. More that 1,000 deaths have been linked to the virus.

Health officials say the infections are already comparable to peak season flu levels.

Vaccine warning

US officials said the president's declaration was similar to ones issued before hurricanes make landfall.

It allows authorities to bypass certain federal requirements in order to deal more effectively with emergencies.

[left that other site]

Glad you are better. You are probably VERY IMMUNE for several years now!

[left that other site]

Michigan is a BIG state! That’s good news.

[exnavy]

My point is, flu yes, swine flu not to many.

[olivia3boys]

My kids have 3 confirmed cases in their school now, and my best friend’s children have both had H1N1 (confirmed)—one in the summer, one last week.

My kids got vaccinated against it last Thurs.

[goodnesswins]

TAKE Vitamin D3 (2-5000) daily....AND Garlic supplements.

[RtWngr]

To watch how our government has dithered on this issue is frightening. The numbers don't lie and there are more cases of this flu now than typically are seen at the peak of a flu season - and it is only October! (check out this graphic: http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/updates/us/#iligraph)

Those of us in the health profession that are dealing with H1N1 every day know that these changes should have happened weeks ago. If you go the emergency department now, you are forced to sit with coughing, virus shedding patients and the hospital has no choice because the law won't let them be seen in other locations. These changes will allow hospitals to set up remote locations to collect ILI patients and segregate them from other patients who need emergency services for other illnesses.

While H1N1 is not a killer in the sense that it is more lethal than any previous flu, it is 10 times easier to catch and the sheer numbers of people who will get sick is what can overwhelm the existing health care system. This thing has the potential to fill ICUs to capacity in short order.

I hate to turn a crisis into political advantage, but this one will show people what it is like not to be able to get an ICU room for their heart attack, because they will be filled with pneumonia patients. A taste of what happens with rationing. Plus, the government is simply not capable of getting the vaccine out where it needs to be, and taking this function away from the private sector for this particular vaccine will turn out to be a huge mistake. Bush got wrongly hung with Katrina around his neck - Obama will rightly get blamed for the H1N1 fiasco.

[TigersEye]

In his proclamation statement, Mr Obama says the 2009 H1N1 pandemic "continues to evolve". "The rates of illness continue to rise rapidly within many communities across the nation, and the potential exists for the pandemic to overburden health care resources in some localities."

IOWs "flu season has started."

[Explodo]

It's funny though, my wife and daughter weren't infected...and they were in close proximity to us through the whole ordeal. Also, the daughter is in kindergarten. there are 2 confirmed cases in her school...just this last week.

It's around, but it's not something that is horror movie scary. Not scary enough as to be calling for emergency powers. that's my humble opinion of course. My heart goes out to those families that lose someone to this thing.

[mlizzy]

Just a few towns over a high school has over 900 kids out sick, but they don't state swine flu, just flu-ish symptoms and there have been no deaths so far. Our town's high schools are fine (my husband is a teacher) and our family has had two illnesses with flu and were treated with oregano oil (it works VERY well) and we're doing fine. Even our dog was sicker than an ... err ... dog and we treated her with oregano oil as well and she's back to her normal self. This president is such an alarmist. I hope to God when he goes for a final takeover that our military backs us and not him.

[crazyhorse691]

Just in the nick of time to temporarily postpone voting...and you thought that the Rats were going to lose big in 2010.

[mkjessup]

Considering that the United States has remained in a continuing state of "national emergency" since March 9, 1933 when FDR declared such, this should come as no surprise.*

This 76 year old 'national emergency' is just a scam to continue the issuance of those 'executive orders', many of them sitting on the shelf waiting for that future day when martial law is actually declared.

Some will tell you that this state of 'national emergency' was ended in 1976 with the 'National Emergencies Act, which placed a two year limit on any declared 'emergency'.

Which means that all a President (or Usurper) has to do, is to keep signing off on such declarations every other year to keep the 'national emergency' in force.


* - Foreword & Introduction to Senate Report 93-549 (1973).

[delacoert]

The emergency declaration is said to lift certain (federal) requirements:

• both in treating patients and moving equipment to where it's most needed.
• allowing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements" to help health care facilities enact emergency plans
• contained in Medicare, Medicaid and state Children's Health Insurance programs, and the HIPAA privacy rule.

[eyedigress]

If it is a matter of expediency, which is normally slowed by government intervention, I have no problem with it.

[Cyber Liberty]

A damn good thing we’ve laid in our ammo supply.

[delacoert]

I agree with you.

However, things done in the name of “expediency” sometimes have uninteded consequences that more conservtive people are always weary of and are often inpugned for as being anal (or some other derrogatory term) for sounding the alarm.

For this reason I am willing to ‘risk’ beinr Chicken Little.

[eyedigress]

The fact that it is the “government” telling “granny” to go ahead and treat the folks without impunity is a little refreshing.

[PugetSoundSoldier]

Bypass certain federal requirements... like the Constitution...

...an old piece of paper written by a bunch of dead slaveholders (like it has anything important to be considered)...

or like the endangered species act?

Hey now, let's not get crazy... Some things are just a moral imperative to keep! You must be one of those right-wing dittoheads whose a closet racist and evil rich guy, too!

[Vermont Lt]

My wife works at a hospital and they have several severe cases. However the infectious control doc told her that 99% of cases will fine in a couple of days. It is serious, but this is not “The Stand”.

[hyperconservative]

Yes, particularly the under 25 crowd.

[Domari Nolo]

50+ schools closed in south-western micigan this past week for 4 days due to the flu. Some "officials" said almost all cases were swine flu. Don,t know about that but I do teach in a High School in Ottawa county and we do have alot of sick kids.