Obama also conveyed his thoughts and prayers for the family of the 23-month-old child in Texas who became the nation's first reported death. The president's remarks came at an event welcoming Sen. Arlen Specter to the Democratic Party, and hours before Obama's evening televised news conference.
"This is obviously a serious situation," Obama said, that "we are closely and continuously monitoring." He urged local authorities to be vigilant in reporting any suspected flu cases.
Obama said it is the recommendation of public health officials that authorities at schools with confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu "should strongly consider temporarily closing so that we can be as safe as possible."
He advised parents to get ready for such disruptions.
"If the situation becomes more serious and we have to take more extensive steps, then parents should also think about contingencies if schools in their areas do temporarily shut down, figuring out and planning what their child care situation would be," Obama advised.
Just moving children from schools to day care centers in infected areas "is not a good solution," he said.
Obama said the federal government is "prepared to do whatever is necessary to control the impact of this virus." He noted his request for $1.5 billion in emergency funding to ensure adequate supplies of vaccines.
And he advised individuals to take their own precautions - washing hands, staying home if they are sick, and keeping sick kids home.
---
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For facts about influenza, and more information about swine flu, please visit the Health Department and CDC websites. Some specific resources:
From New York City Health Department
Facts about flu
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cd/cdinflu.shtml
From Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
General information about swine flu
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm
Swine Flu Case Definitions
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/casedef_swineflu.htm
Swine Flu Infection Control and Patient Care
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidelines_infection_control.htm
Preventing the Flu
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm
MORE POLITICS FROM AP
NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS
USEFUL LINKS:
E-MAIL UP CLOSE || REPORT TYPO || GET WIDGET
UP CLOSE ON FACEBOOK
