Obama: Be ready for fall H1N1 outbreak

BETHESDA, Md., July 9 (UPI) -- Health officials must prepare for a potentially "significant" H1N1 flu outbreak this fall, U.S. President Obama told a flu preparedness summit Thursday.

"I think it's clear that although we were fortunate not to see a more serious situation in the spring when we first got news of this outbreak, that the potential for a significant outbreak in the fall is looming," Obama told the 500 participants via teleconference while attending the Group of Eight summit in Italy. "We want to make sure that we are not promoting panic, but we are promoting vigilance and preparation."

The H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., was jointly hosted by secretaries Janet Napolitano of Homeland Security, Kathleen Sebelius of Health and Human Services and Arne Duncan of Education, and John Brennan, White House homeland security adviser.

Among other things, the administration officials said they want to ensure state and local officials are prepared to implement a vaccination program in the fall, develop an overall public education plan and address possible scenarios in schools that already are experiencing significant outbreaks of H1N1.

"I think that if we are all working together in a thoughtful, systematic way based on the best science possible, that even if this turns out to be a serious situation, we can mitigate the damage and protect our neighbors and our friends and co-workers," Obama told participants from 54 states, tribes and territories.

Sebelius said federal, state and local officials would "move aggressively" to prepare the country for a potentially more severe outbreak of the H1N1 virus.