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President Obama signed a proclamation declaring the H1N1 influenza a national emergency, giving doctors and medical facilities greater leeway in responding to the flu pandemic.

Obama signed the declaration late Friday, which the White House said allows medical treatment facilities to better handle a surge in flu patients by waiving federal requirements on a case-by-case basis.

"The foundation of our national approach to the H1N1 flu has been preparedness at all levels -- personal, business, and government -- and this proclamation helps that effort by advancing our overall response capability," the White House said in a statement.

In the proclamation, Obama said the pandemic keeps evolving, the rates of illness are rising rapidly in many areas and there's a potential "to overburden health care resources."

Because of vaccine production delays, the government has backed off initial, optimistic estimates that as many as 120 million doses would be available by mid-October. As of Wednesday, only 11 million doses had been shipped to health departments, doctor's offices and other providers, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The government now hopes to have about 50 million doses of vaccine for the so-called swine flu out by mid-November and 150 million in December.

The flu virus has to be grown in chicken eggs, and the yield hasn't been as high as was initially hoped, officials explained.

H1N1 is more widespread now than it's ever been. Health authorities say almost 100 children have died from the flu, and 46 states now have widespread flu activity.

Worldwide, more than 5,000 people have reportedly died from swine flu since it emerged this year and developed into a global epidemic, the World Health Organization said Friday. Since most countries have stopped counting individual swine flu cases, the figure is considered an underestimate.

The flu has infected millions of Americans and killed nearly 100 children in the U.S. The chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that over a thousand people have died as a result, with 46 states reporting widespread H1N1 activity.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, we've seen more than 1,000 deaths and 20,000 hospitalizations," said Dr. Thomas Frieden, head of the CDC. "We expect it to occur in waves, but we can't predict when those waves will happen."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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The move will allow health officials to bypass some federal regulations and paperwork as they take measures to combat the outbreak and deliver scarce vaccine supplies across the country.

More than 1,000 people have died from so-called flu in the US, including nearly 100 children, and 20,000 have been treated in hospital. Health authorities expect the figure to increase markedly as the regular flu season starts.


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Swine flu: Barack Obama calm in the face of emergencyThe White House said the proclamation, which Mr Obama signed on Friday evening, was similar to orders issued before a hurricane makes landfall to speed up emergency response operations.

Conservative critics led by outspoken radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh and FoxNews presenter Glenn Beck have accused Mr Obama's administration of whipping up a scare.

They have insisted that they will not take a new vaccine that they claim may not be safe, but health officials insist it has been fully tested.

Officials have however been struggling to obtain sufficient supplies for priority cases, including children and emergency workers.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that HIN1 strain has become widespread in 46 of the 50 US states - a level comparable to the peak of ordinary flu seasons but far earlier and with more waves of infection expected. Outbreaks normally peak between November and early March.

The White House statement said the declaration was intended to prepare the country in case of "a rapid increase in illness that may overburden health care resources".