Government Teams With Company To Track Swine Flu

DAVID TWIDDY

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The federal government is teaming up with a medical software maker to better track the spread of swine flu nationally.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the program with Cerner Corp. on Tuesday. Sebelius said the company has already begun providing information.

She said the information is more current than the data federal officials have and will allow authorities to better target efforts to respond to the H1N1 virus.

Cerner said it is paying for the project, which will continue through the end of 2010.

Sebelius also strongly encouraged people to get the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines as they become available. U.S. health authorities hope to give swine flu vaccinations to more than half the 300 million-plus population in just a few months.