Congressman Cohen's Statement on H1N1 Flu in the 9th District

Understandably, this has raised some deep concerns in our community; however, this is not the time to panic. Right now, the experienced scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are working on a vaccine to combat the spread of H1N1 Flu. I am so pleased that St. Jude is leading the way with this research. In fact, St. Jude is home to the only World Health Organization lab that specializes in the transmission of flu viruses from animals to humans.

I have been in touch with officials in the Obama Administration and I am keeping in close contact with the Administration to monitor the situation. I am also working with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that the 9th District has the resources and funding needed to deal with this situation.

I have been an outspoken proponent of expanding National Institute of Health (NIH) funding for medical research and feel that such research is not a luxury but critical to the lives of our citizens. This is another example of the importance of medical research, such as that conducted by St. Jude, is to the welfare of our city and our country.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued guidelines to help prevent the spread of the H1N1 Flu virus.

• Wash your hands
• Try not to touch contaminated surfaces
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
• Get plenty of sleep
• Drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious foods

Please visit the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ to stay abreast of latest information. Congressman Cohen’s office will continue to work with federal and local agencies to ensure that the 9th District has the resources that it needs to address this problem.

# # #

Contact:
Marilyn Dillihay, Press Secretary, 202-225-3265
Charlie Gerber, Communications Assistant, 202-225-3265