 U.S. officials observed that six years of concern about H5N1 avian flu did much to prepare for the current H1N1 flu outbreak , noting that after H5N1 emerged in Asia , ultimately killing about 60 % of the few hundred people infected by it over the years , many countries took steps to try to prevent any similar crisis from spreading further . The CDC and other U.S. governmental agencies used the summer lull to take stock of the United States ' response to H1N1 flu and attempt to patch any gaps in the public health safety net before flu season started in early autumn . Preparations included planning a second influenza vaccination program in addition to that for seasonal influenza , and improving coordination between federal , state and local governments and private health providers . On 24 October 2009 , U.S. President Obama declared swine flu a national emergency , giving Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius authority to grant waivers to requesting hospitals from usual federal requirements . 
