The U.S. government will donate 420,000 treatment courses of the drug Tamiflu to help treat severe cases of influenza in Latin America and the Caribbean. U.S. Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius announced today that the donation will go to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to combat the novel H1N1 virus driving the swine flu pandemic. “The U.S. is committed to supporting and enhancing the health security in the region by reducing transmission and severity of illness," Sebelius said at a meeting in Cancun, Mexico, that gathered health ministers from the region.
The United States currently has a stockpile of 50 million courses of the drug, and made the donation after receiving a request from PAHO last week.
Sebelius will also co-chair a “flu summit” to be held next week at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The other co-chairs include Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Sources tell ScienceInsider that the day-long summit will focus on making sure that states are prepared in the fall should the spread of the novel H1N1 virus increase as temperatures drop, which many experts predict will occur. Invitees include governors and state health officials, and the draft agenda includes discussion of vaccine distribution, the role of schools, community mitigation, and risk communications.
—Jon Cohen
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