According to news releases issued early this afternoon, both Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Governor Chet Culver (D-Iowa) have begun using the name "H1N1" rather than the "swine flu." President Obama and former Mount Pleasant, Iowa mayor/former state senator/former Iowa Governor/2008 Democratic presidential candidate/current US Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack called it H1N1 yesterday.
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
H1N1 (referred to as “swine flu” early on) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those caused by other influenza viruses. Health authorities across the globe are taking steps to try to stem the spread of swine flu after outbreaks in Mexico and the United States. The World Health Organization has called it a “public health emergency of international concern.”