U.S. says cautiously optimistic H1NI is mild

ATLANTA (Reuters) - The U.S. government is cautiously optimistic that the H1N1 influenza virus is more mild than was first thought, new Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Tuesday.

"There has been aggressive action and appropriate action to get out ahead of what was a brand new viral strain," she said. "We will continue to accelerate the work on vaccine manufacturing."

Speaking to the Council on Foundations, Sebelius said "We are cautiously optimistic that what we are seeing right now is presenting itself as a much milder virus than the initial cases ... in Mexico."

In her first public address since being confirmed one week ago as U.S. President Barack Obama's Health Secretary Sebelius described the H1N1 virus as "great baptism by fire."

Mexico is the epicentre of the flu outbreak that has now infected more than 1,200 people in 21 countries.

To date, 27 deaths have been confirmed -- 26 in Mexico and one in the United States. The flu's global spread has kept alive fears of a possible pandemic, although scientists say this strain does not appear more deadly than seasonal flu.

(Writing by Matthew Bigg; editing by Bill Trott)