40 swine flu cases in US

WASHINGTON -  U.S. officials said Monday they were acting aggressively to confront the spreading swine flu virus – now confirmed in 40 victims – while President Barack Obama said there was concern but not yet “a cause for alarm.” A travel advisory was being prepared, suggesting Americans not travel to Mexico, the center of the outbreak.

Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, said that so far the disease in the United States seems less severe than the outbreak in Mexico, where more than 1,600 cases have been reported and where the suspected death toll has climbed to 149. No deaths have been reported in the United States.

“I wouldn’t be overly reassured by that,” Besser told reporters at CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta. He raised the possibility of more severe cases in the United States.

Besser said a new U.S. travel advisory was being prepared that suggests “nonessential travel to Mexico be avoided.”