100,000 in U.S. have swine flu; youth hospitalization rate "very unusual". Would border security have reduced spread?

On a conference call yesterday, the Centers of Disease Control said that around 100,000 people in the U.S. are infected with the swine flu (link). While it's currently a mild disease, it's affecting more young people than usual, with Dr. Anne Schuchat saying:

"That's very unusual, to have so many people under 20 to require hospitalization, and some of them in (intensive care units)... We are now experiencing levels of influenza-like illness that are higher than usual for this time of year... We are also seeing outbreaks in schools, which is extremely unusual for this time of year."

We'll never know whether its spread could have been halted or reduced if common sense precautions had been taken. For instance, a school in New York City that was the site of an initial outbreak later held a public event of some kind. And, aside from Joe Biden, government officials have worked to downplay the possibility of a major outbreak, with Matron Barack Obama simply telling people to wash their hands and with Janet Napolitano and the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security nearly failing to do their job and protect our borders.

Tue, 05/19/2009 - 02:55 · · Importance: 4