TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A top state medical official says 5 million Floridians could contract the swine flu within a year if the virus follows the pattern of previous pandemics.
The acting state epidemiologist, Dr. Richard Hopkins, said Thursday that pandemics are deadly because so many people get sick, noting that 30 to 40 percent of the population was infected in previous outbreaks.
And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said the illness is shaping up as a category 2 pandemic similar to the 1957 Asian flu outbreak.
The state has reported that 22 of more than 2,900 Floridians infected with the H1N1 virus have died, including 10 in the last three weeks. Officials expect more cases after public schools open next month.
