Swine Flu to Return with a Vengeance

As families begin back-to-school shopping, it might be worth swinging by the pharmacy for some TheraFlu. A resurgence in the H1N1 virus is expected to coincide with the start of school around the country, and a White House panel has predicted that 90,000 Americans could die as a result. A report by the panel envisions "a plausible scenario" in which "every aspect of the health system" is pushed to the limit. The report states that those that require more serious care for the virus "could occupy 50% to 100% of all ICU beds in affected regions of the country at the peak of the epidemic." The government has begun making plans to spend $2 billion on swine flu antidotes, though most pharmaceutical companies have only recently begun clinical tests.