The declaration of this national swine flu emergency, was done on Friday night (October 23), and comes just days after U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warned that swine flu vaccine demand was outstripping supply. As Americans wait for more vaccine doses, 46 of the 50 U.S. states have reported an early flu upsurge. The flu season typically peaks in January or February.

Swine flu is now more prevalent than ever before in the U.S., and production delays have undercut the Government’s initial somewhat optimistic estimates that as many as 120,000,000 swine flu vaccine doses would be available by the middle of this month.

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, so far, only 11,000,000 swine flu vaccine doses have gone out to doctors’ offices, health departments and health care providers across the U.S.

At a previously-scheduled speech that he delivered to scientists in Washington earlier today, the President personally addressed the swine flu issue for the first time, saying “We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States. This is obviously the cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert, but it’s not a cause for alarm. Science is more essential for our prosperity, our security, our health, our environment and our quality of life than it has ever been before. If there was ever a day that reminded us of our shared stake in science and research, it is today.”