U.S. officials flood public with flu talk
* U.S. message is right out of playbook
* U.S. rehearsing for pandemic for years
* Talk therapy to soothe pandemic fears
By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - As the new H1N1 swine flu spreads, U.S. officials are making sure there is no shortage of words as they seek to calm public anxiety.
Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, on her first full day in office on Wednesday, joined the government blitz of media briefings, Capitol Hill hearings and television appearances.
It was straight from the playbook on how to keep the public calm on a day when the first flu-related death in the United States was reported and the number of states with confirmed cases rose to 10.
Also on Wednesday, the World Health Organization raised the flu pandemic alert to level 5, just one step below the highest alert level of 6. [nLT672274]
U.S. officials spent the day speaking in calm tones about the virus that has spread from Mexico, where up to 159 people have died, into the United States and to some parts of Europe.
"We think we're at the beginning of a flu cycle which typically brings with it some severe illness and death," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at an afternoon news briefing. She met earlier with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and testified at a Senate hearing.
"We are likely to see more states, more cases and some more hospitalizations over the coming days, and we are prepared for that," she said.
Officials have been pounding the same message: wash hands, stay home if sick, cover mouths when coughing and don't worry about eating pork.
It is not a new message -- the U.S. government has been rehearsing this very scenario for years as part of its pandemic response plan, which started with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS in 2003 and continued with the threat of H5N1 avian influenza.
The practice proved handy for dealing with the new H1N1 strain, which the World Health Organization says has brought the world to the brink of a pandemic.
"We know that the cases will continue to rise," Sebelius said. "Today was the first confirmed death. Unfortunately, there will be more. And we don't want folks to see this as a sign that things are out of control. It actually is what happens with a flu virus," she said.
On Thursday, the government will focus the message online and give the public a chance to ask questions of top officials.
Sebelius, Napolitano and Dr. Richard Besser, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will conduct a webcast at 1 p.m. (1700 GMT) at www.hhs.gov and www.cdc.gov. Public questions can be submitted by e-mail to hhsstudio@hhs.gov. (Editing by Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney)
* U.S. rehearsing for pandemic for years
* Talk therapy to soothe pandemic fears
By Tabassum Zakaria
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - As the new H1N1 swine flu spreads, U.S. officials are making sure there is no shortage of words as they seek to calm public anxiety.
Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, on her first full day in office on Wednesday, joined the government blitz of media briefings, Capitol Hill hearings and television appearances.
It was straight from the playbook on how to keep the public calm on a day when the first flu-related death in the United States was reported and the number of states with confirmed cases rose to 10.
Also on Wednesday, the World Health Organization raised the flu pandemic alert to level 5, just one step below the highest alert level of 6. [nLT672274]
U.S. officials spent the day speaking in calm tones about the virus that has spread from Mexico, where up to 159 people have died, into the United States and to some parts of Europe.
"We think we're at the beginning of a flu cycle which typically brings with it some severe illness and death," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said at an afternoon news briefing. She met earlier with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and testified at a Senate hearing.
"We are likely to see more states, more cases and some more hospitalizations over the coming days, and we are prepared for that," she said.
Officials have been pounding the same message: wash hands, stay home if sick, cover mouths when coughing and don't worry about eating pork.
It is not a new message -- the U.S. government has been rehearsing this very scenario for years as part of its pandemic response plan, which started with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS in 2003 and continued with the threat of H5N1 avian influenza.
The practice proved handy for dealing with the new H1N1 strain, which the World Health Organization says has brought the world to the brink of a pandemic.
"We know that the cases will continue to rise," Sebelius said. "Today was the first confirmed death. Unfortunately, there will be more. And we don't want folks to see this as a sign that things are out of control. It actually is what happens with a flu virus," she said.
On Thursday, the government will focus the message online and give the public a chance to ask questions of top officials.
Sebelius, Napolitano and Dr. Richard Besser, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will conduct a webcast at 1 p.m. (1700 GMT) at www.hhs.gov and www.cdc.gov. Public questions can be submitted by e-mail to hhsstudio@hhs.gov. (Editing by Maggie Fox and Peter Cooney)
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