Hospitals, officials gear up for swine-flu fight

For years, there's been talk of how the U.S. health establishment might react if a deliberately-inflicted outbreak of infectious diseases treatable with flu drugs--notably bird flu--were to break out and become a pandemic. Now, it seems we're getting a dress rehearsal of sorts.

With confirmed cases of swine flu popping up across the United Sates, health departments are rolling out emergency plans. Hospitals, for example, are upgrading plans for how their emergency department should handle a mass outbreak, taking steps such as distributing masks to employees.

Many states have actually declared a public health emergency, even though an actual pandemic has not been confirmed. Some states are asking for a share of the federal government's stores of flu medicine. Meanwhile, the CDC has activated its preliminary pandemic plans, which include daily communication with the public and healthcare providers.

To learn more about the preparations:
- read this USA Today article

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