The Wisconsin media have been waiting for this moment to arrive.
There are probably swine flu cases in Wisconsin.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Three probable cases of swine flu were identified in Wisconsin on Wednesday, including two in Milwaukee, prompting officials to close four city schools indefinitely as global health authorities warned that the virus could soon become a pandemic.
One adult and one child in Milwaukee are believed to have swine flu, Bevan K. Baker, the city's health commissioner, said during a news conference Wednesday.
The adult and child are not related, Mayor Tom Barrett said.
A third probable case was identified in Adams County, according to state health officials.
As of Wednesday, the state reported it has submitted 144 suspected cases for testing, 41 came out negative, 100 were pending and the three were listed as probable.
A number of children with connections to the two Milwaukee cases are exhibiting symptoms of swine flu, Baker said. Those children attend various Milwaukee Public Schools and are being monitored by health professionals, Baker said.
"Our goal is to minimize the spread of disease in this community," Baker said.
Officials did not identify any of the people who may have swine flu, provide information on their conditions, or say whether they had been hospitalized or quarantined.
But the Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, quoting a Wood County health official, reported on its Web site that the Adams County victim works in Wisconsin Rapids and had traveled to San Diego, where he was exposed to the virus.
The Journal Sentinel website is slow on getting the facts of the story out to the public.
According to WISN:
At least one swine flu case is being treated at Aurora St. Luke's in Milwaukee.
"An adult patient at Aurora St. Luke's Medical Center in Milwaukee has a probable case of swine flu. We have taken all appropriate steps at the hospital to make sure the flu does not spread to other patients, visitors or caregivers," the hospital said in a release.
From FOX 6:
"Local and state public health officials are investigating the circumstances of all three of these cases," State Health Officer Seth Foldy said at a news conference late Wednesday. "This should not be a surprise at this point. We've been anticipating and planning for something like this."
Milwaukee Health Commissioner Bevan Baker said the two probable cases involved one adult and one child. Officials said the adult and child are not related, but couldn't say whether the two had any contact with each other.
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he didn't want to alarm residents, but he decided to go ahead and release limited details in the interest of public safety since a number of children had symptoms consistent with swine flu and were linked to the probable cases.
"Because I'm concerned about children being exposed to this, because we think there is a relationship between the children who has shown symptoms at these four schools, the prudent action is at least through the weekend, we've decided, the commissioner has decided, is these schools should be closed," Barrett said.
Releasing the very limited details does cause some alarm.
A little information is dangerous and likely to cause panic because people will attempt to fill in the gaps by speculating. Rumors and misinformation will spread faster than the virus itself.
I think it does make sense to close the schools.
It can't hurt and may help slow the spread of the virus.
That's what I don't get about the way the Obama administration has approached this flu outbreak.
Obama keeps yapping about the damn barn door.
From his alleged "news" conference last night:
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. With the flu outbreak spreading and worsening, can you talk about whether you think it's time to close the border with Mexico and whether -- under what conditions you might consider quarantining, when that might be appropriate?
OBAMA: Well, first of all, as I said, this is a cause for deep concern, but not panic. And I think that we have to make sure that we recognize that how we respond intelligently, systematically, based on science and what public health officials have to say, will determine in large part what happens.
I've consulted with our public health officials extensively on a day-to-day basis, in some cases an hour-to-hour basis. At this point, they have not recommended a border closing. From their perspective, it would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States.
Obama says there's no point in closing the border, yet he recommends closing schools.
OBAMA: Our public health officials have recommended that schools with confirmed or suspected cases of this flu strongly consider temporarily closing. And if more schools are forced to close, we've recommended that both parents and businesses think about contingency plans if their children do have to stay home.
That makes absolutely no sense.
Why close the school doors and not the border?
Isn't shutting down schools with infected students "akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out"?
Of course it is.
There's a disturbing lack of consistency in the way the Obama administration is addressing the outbreak.
If closing schools is a tactic officials believe will help, why not close the border?
Bryan Walsh, TIME, reports:
In hearings on Wednesday, members of Congress sharply questioned Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on the possibility of virtually sealing off the border with Mexico. Said Republican Sen. John McCain in a statement: "I continue to believe that all available options to end this crisis must remain under consideration, including closing the border if it would prevent further transmission of this deadly virus."
But Napolitano said the U.S. has no plans to close the border with Mexico, a stance that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the WHO support and which Obama reiterated at his press conference. "Intensive efforts at the border are not effective means for protecting against an infectious disease," said acting CDC director Richard Besser. Still, if the swine flu continues to worsen in Mexico, it's not hard to see how Obama and other world leaders would come under increasing pressure to try to wall off Mexico - just as an infected patient might be quarantined to prevent the spread of the disease.
Health officials argue that because the H1N1 swine flu virus is already present in so many countries, and readily capable of spreading from person to person, it's far too late to try to isolate one or two countries. Although uninfected countries may be able to delay the introduction of swine flu by imposing draconian limits on international travel, they would not likely be able to stave off the virus for good - and the economic losses resulting from the travel bans may far outweigh any benefits. One 2007 study by the Brookings Institution estimated, for example, that a 95% reduction in U.S. air travel would cost the economy $100 billion a year.
"Once the virus has spread beyond its initial focus, travel restrictions just aren't effective," says Ira Longini, a biostatistician at the University of Washington. With 4,000 flights a day between the U.S. and Mexico, "it's not worth the social disruption it would cause."
Again, why close schools but not restrict travel in an effort to minimize the spread of the virus?
If it's too late to stop, then it's too late.
Obama is playing politics with the public's safety.
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Biden, Besser remain against border closing idea
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News Release: State of Wisconsin Department of Health Services
News Release: Milwaukee Public Schools
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