BE PREPARED: In flu crisis, US has planned for the worst. “Government leaders at all levels, and major employers, have spent nearly four years planning for the worst in a series of exercises. Their reports, as well as interviews with policymakers, paint a grim picture of what could happen if the swine flu gets severely out of control. . . . Even if the new swine flu from Mexico turns out to be especially aggressive, the worst consequences could be averted. The nation has made strides in stockpiling antiviral medicines, speeding the production of vaccines and laying down basic public health guidelines. The government got serious about worst-case planning during the 2005 bird flu scare, as the lessons of Hurricane Katrina loomed large.”

From the details in the story, I’d call the worst-case scenario they’ve prepared for more of a moderately-bad case, but still it’s something.

UPDATE: Why is the swine flu killing only Mexicans? “It’s a confounding question on the lips of disease detectives: Why have the only deaths from the swine flu outbreak happened in Mexico? . . . There are no hard answers, but a consensus is emerging: The disease in Mexico has likely been around longer and infected more people than investigators can confirm.” I suspect that’s right, and that — unfortunately — the numbers in the United States will start to look more like Mexico’s as the cases grow in number.

More: Schumer video bragging about cutting pandemic fund surfaces.

DHS Sets Guidelines For Possible Swine Flu Quarantines.

Mexican Reports: Flu Much Worse Than Reported. We’ll see. Stay tuned.