US declares public health emergency

WASHINGTON: The United States declared a public health emergency yesterday amid an outbreak of 20 confirmed cases of swine flu and will screen visitors arriving from infected countries, officials said.

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The US Department of Health and Human Services “will declare today a public health emergency in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said. The emergency declaration was “standard operating procedure,” she added as officials said there had been 20 confirmed cases of swine flu in five US states More...