Obama seeks $1.5 billion for swine flu as cases jump

By Andrew Quinn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama asked Congress on Tuesday for an additional $1.5 billion to fight swine flu as the confirmed caseload jumped to 65 people across six states in what doctors fear may become a pandemic.

Lawmakers convened an emergency hearing on Capitol Hill to assess the government's preparedness for a more severe outbreak.

"With a new infectious agent you don't sit back and wait and hope for the best. You take bold steps, and then you pull back if you need to," Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news briefing.

The CDC total included 10 cases in California, 2 in Kansas, 45 in New York, one in Ohio and 6 in Texas. An additional case was reported by Indiana state authorities.

While the new flu strain has killed up to 149 people in Mexico, cases seen in the United States and elsewhere have been mild. CDC officials said only five U.S. cases have required hospitalization, but they have said they expect more serious cases -- and possibly deaths -- as surveillance expands.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency over the outbreak, enabling deployment of funds and personnel to fight the disease. Federal officials declared a national public health emergency on Sunday.

Worldwide, 79 cases have been confirmed in laboratories recognized by the World Health Organization.

MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY

Obama, in a letter to Congress, said the additional $1.5 billion would give the government "maximum flexibility" as it fights the disease, supplementing antiviral stockpiles, adding medical equipment and starting preparations for a vaccine.

As public health headlines gripped the country, senators approved the last of Obama's Cabinet nominees -- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as Health and Human Services secretary.

Republican critics had delayed confirming Sebelius because of her stance on abortion.

Analysts said the addition of Sebelius and the filling of other senior health vacancies would help Obama, who hopes to appear concerned and in control while seeking not to generate panic.

"You're almost always going to basically deal with the possibility that there will be some other crisis that emerges just as you're juggling other balls. Obama seems ready to do that compared to other presidents," said Norm Ornstein, a political expert at the American Enterprise Institute.

On Capitol Hill, health officials told an emergency hearing the funding would be crucial if the flu virus spreads.

"In the face of these cutbacks and layoffs and vacancies, we don't even have the workforce we had two years ago," said Dr. Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.