DHS

May 15, 2009 -- “This evening I was informed by New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg that New York City has made a decision to close an additional three schools due to high absenteeism and reports of influenza-like illnesses. The three schools are:

o JHS 74Q - Nathanial Hawthorne School, 1021 students in Bayside: 26 students with documented flu-like symptoms.
o P.S. 107Q - Thomas A. Dooley, 891 students in Flushing: Flu-like symptoms were documented as being persistently high this week and 49 students were documented with flu-like symptoms.
o I.S. 318K - Eugenio Maria De Hostos, 1517 students in Williamsburg: 53 students were documented with flu-like symptoms this week.    » read more »

May 15, 2009 -- “Health experts have said all along it was inevitable that swine flu would eventually show up in Mississippi, and they were right as three cases have been confirmed in south Mississippi. But, this is no time to panic; instead, it is a time to be cautious and mindful of good health practices with which you and your families are already familiar.

“The state Department of Health is on top of the situation in Mississippi and will continue to monitor and issue guidance as necessary. I encourage all Mississippians to stay alert for additional information.”

Source: Mississippi Governor

PHOENIX (May 14, 2009) – Maricopa County Department of Public Health and the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed today that a woman in her late 40’s with underlying lung disease died last week from complications of Novel H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu). This is the first death in Arizona associated with the new flu strain and the fourth in the nation.

“Unfortunately, we knew this was coming. Flu is serious, especially for those with underlying health conditions,” said Dr. Bob England, director of Maricopa Department of Public Health. “However, I need to emphasize that this death does not change our course of action here in Maricopa County.”    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced today her plans to visit Florida on May 22 to see hurricane preparedness efforts underway and law enforcement activities at the Miami port of entry.

She will be accompanied by new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator W. Craig Fugate and new Assistant Secretary for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) John Morton—both confirmed yesterday by the United States Senate.    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- “Today, I joined New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg to announce that the New York City Health Department has recommended closing three schools in Queens after documenting unusually high levels of influenza-like illness. The schools will close tomorrow and remain closed for at least five school days.

“We will continue to work closely with New York City officials to monitor the situation at these three schools and schools across the State to ensure that we are taking all necessary precautions to protect our children and families. I continue to urge residents across New York to remain alert, but not alarmed.”

The three schools that closed in Queens include:    » read more »

May 14, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed 9 new cases of novel H1N1 flu (swine flu) among Connecticut residents. Eight cases were confirmed by the Connecticut DPH Laboratory and one by the Massachusetts State Laboratory.

Positive results for H1N1 flu were confirmed for Fairfield, Manchester, Ridgefield (2), Southbury, Stamford, Trumbull, Waterbury, and Woodbury.    » read more »

14 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 14 May 2009, 33 countries have officially reported 6497 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 2446 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 60 deaths. The United States has reported 3352 laboratory confirmed human cases, including three deaths. Canada has reported 389 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the Department of Public Health has confirmed 5 new cases of novel H1N1 flu (swine flu) among Connecticut residents.

Positive results for H1N1 flu were confirmed today at the department’s Public Health Laboratory for two residents of Ridgefield as well as for residents of Hamden, Redding, and Wilton.

“We are fortunate that the cases that we are seeing in Connecticut continue to be relatively mild and folks are recovering without hospitalization,” Governor Rell said. “However, just like seasonal flu, H1N1 can lead to serious illness and it is important that people take simple precautions to protect themselves. People with flu-like symptoms should call their doctor.”    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- "Mr. Chairman, Senator Collins, and Members of the Committee:

Let me begin by saying thank you for the strong support you have consistently shown the Department, and I look forward to working with you to make certain that we have the right resources to protect the homeland and the American people and that we make the most effective and efficient use of those resources.

I am pleased to appear before the Committee today to present President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Budget Request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). I will also summarize the progress we have made since the start of the new administration along with some of our key accomplishments from last year.
FY 2010 BUDGET REQUEST    » read more »

12 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 12 May 2009, 30 countries have officially reported 5251 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 2059 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 56 deaths. The United States has reported 2600 laboratory confirmed human cases, including three deaths. Canada has reported 330 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the Department of Public Health has confirmed 5 new cases of novel H1N1 flu (swine flu) among Connecticut residents.

One of the positive results for H1N1 flu was confirmed today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the other four were confirmed today by the department’s Public Health Laboratory. The confirmed cases are residents of Darien, Greenwich, Pawcatuck, and Fairfield.    » read more »

11 May 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 11 May 2009, 30 countries have officially reported 4694 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.

Mexico has reported 1626 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 48 deaths. The United States has reported 2532 laboratory confirmed human cases, including three deaths. Canada has reported 284 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Costa Rica has reported eight laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.    » read more »

11 May 2009 -- An early look at the H1N1 flu outbreak suggests that the World Health Organization was justified in its 29 April decision to raise the global pandemic alert level to phase 5, out of a possible 6.

"The new research, posted Monday 11 May on the Science Express Web site, indicates that the H1N1 virus is more easily transmitted than seasonal flu, and appears to be transmissible at levels comparable to lower estimates for previous flu pandemics.

"Our early analysis would suggest this is going to be an outbreak comparable to that of 20th century pandemics regarding the extent of its spread—it's very difficult to quantify the

human health impact at this stage, however," said study author Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London.    » read more »

Louisiana total rises to 20

May 11, 2009 -- BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals officials announced today that 11 more of the state’s probable cases of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) have been confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This increases the state’s total confirmed case count from nine to 20. The state’s total probable case count now stands at 29, which includes the addition of seven new probable cases: one from Jefferson Parish, three from Plaquemines Parish, two from St. Charles Parish and one from Vermillion Parish. These seven new probable cases had onset of illness on or before May 2 and are currently being investigated by state epidemiologists.    » read more »

May 11, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the Department of Public Health has confirmed 11 new cases of novel H1N1 flu (swine flu) among Connecticut residents.

Positive results for H1N1 flu were confirmed today at the department’s Public Health Laboratory for three residents of Ridgefield as well as for residents of Danbury, Darien, Derby, Greenwich, Old Saybrook, Waterbury and Wilton.    » read more »