It's time to take swine flu threat seriously

• Published August 02, 2009

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Public health officials have an enormous task ahead, preparing for the 2009-10 flu season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predict that the swine flu, which was first identified last April, could strike with a vengeance in the 2009-10 flu season.

As much as 40 percent of the United States population could get swine flu this year, according to CDC estimates released in late July. Without an aggressive and thorough vaccine campaign, anywhere from 90,000 to several hundred thousand Americans could die.

In a typical flu season, about 36,000 people in the United States die from the flu or complications, according to the American Medical Association.

The initial vaccines to combat swine flu won’t be ready until September and October and other vaccines aren’t expected on the market until well into the flu season. Public health officials must step up their efforts to prepare for the flu season, making sure government stockpiled, anti-viral drugs such as Tamiflu are distributed to pharmacies in advance of the flu season.

In addition, health officers need to begin an intensive public education and awareness program to spell out in a candid way the serious nature of the upcoming flu season and what measures the public can take to protect themselves.

It’s never too late to remind people of the importance of good personal hygiene. Both hand washing and covering of the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing are simple, yet essential ways to stop the spread of germs.

The World Health Organization recently predicted that as many as 2 billion people could become infected with the swine flu virus in the next two years — one-third of the world’s population.

Summer usually isn’t a time when people are thinking about flu. But think again: The 2009-10 flu season could be disastrous without a concerted preparation effort by the federal, state and local public health communities, and the public they serve.