The World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of a swine-flu pandemic had been expected and the United States is well prepared, U.S. officials said Thursday, adding that a vaccination effort may start later in the year. “What this declaration does do is remind the world that flu viruses like H1N1 need to be taken seriously,” Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement. While there had not been large numbers of influenza deaths in the United States, “things could possible be very different in the fall, especially if things change in the southern hemisphere, and we need to start preparing now in order to be ready for a possible H1N1 immunization campaign starting in late September,” Sebelius wrote. “We responded to the H1N1 outbreak from the outset with the presumption that a pandemic was likely, so this decision comes as no surprise,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in the joint statement. “We acted aggressively to stay ahead of the virus as it spread across the country. Now our challenge is to prepare for a possible return in the fall,” Napolitano wrote. “We are working with our scientists to test and prepare a possible vaccine. We are working with governments around the world to share what we know and learn from what is happening in their countries.” The swine-flu outbreak has grown into the world's first influenza pandemic in 40 years, the WHO declared Thursday, after the virus infected tens of thousands of people in 74 countries. At the end of last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported 27 people had died of the H1N1 flu in the United States, and there were a total of 13,217 cases spread across all 50 states.
