White House arranges H1N1 flu summit

WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- White House officials announced an influenza A H1N1 Preparedness Summit with states to prepare for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of swine flu.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan are scheduled to host an all-day H1N1 Flu Preparedness Summit July 9 with states, to prepare for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of H1N1 flu in the fall or when school starts.

"Scientists and public health experts forecast that the impact of H1N1 may well worsen in the fall -- when the regular flu season hits, or even earlier, when schools start to open -- which is only five or six weeks away in some cases," Sebelius said in a statement. "The goal of the summit is to launch a national influenza campaign by bringing federal, state and local officials, emergency managers, educators and others together with the nation's public health experts to build on and tailor states' existing pandemic plans, share lessons learned and best practices during the spring and summer H1N1 wave, and discuss preparedness priorities."

The H1N1 flu virus is spreading in at least 100 countries around the world, Sebelius said.

The World Health Organization in Switzerland said the reported number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases has reached 71,201 worldwide, with 332 deaths. There have been 27,717 confirmed cases and 127 deaths in the United States.