Swine Flu Update
The state is considering a plan to vaccinate thousands, or possibly millions, of Floridians against the swine flu virus.
Florida has 941 confirmed cases of swine flu and two deaths from the illness. The deaths include a 9-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman. Both victims were suffering from other illnesses at the time of their deaths, according to the Capitol News Service.
Despite the growing number of cases, Florida’s Surgeon General, Dr. Ana Viamonte Ros, says swine flu hasn’t been a major problem in the state, but she’s not taking any chances.
“The disease continues to be mild in its severity in the majority of the cases," Ros said. "At the national level, we are looking at what’s happening in the rest of the states as well as what’s happening internationally and getting ready for a mass vaccination campaign in the fall or winter. It still hasn’t been determined exactly how that will proceed, but we are working very closely with our partners on the national level.”
If the state moves forward with a mass vaccination plan, schools would be used as health clinics to administer the shots, according to the news service.
Nationwide, more than one million people have contracted the disease and 127 people have died from swine flu. The seasonal flu kills an estimated 36,000 people every year.
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