NCLR LAUNCHES NEW BILINGUAL WEB FEATURE TO KEEP LATINOS INFORMED ON LATEST H1N1 DEVELOPMENTS

Washington, DC-As the number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases continues to swell throughout the United States, NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., has launched a new bilingual H1N1 Flu Information web feature on its main site, www.nclr.org, to communicate the latest guidelines and virus developments from key resources.

"NCLR has partnered with the Office of Minority Health to reach the Latino community with relevant, up-to-date information about the flu virus," said Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. "Intense media coverage of the virus may have diminished, but this is not the time to let our guard down. There are now at least 3,009 confirmed cases in the U.S. This continues to be a serious public health issue that we must all work on together."

Everyone can indeed do his or her part to be on the lookout for symptoms, said Dr. Garth Graham, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Office of Minority Health. "The symptoms of H1N1 flu are similar to symptoms of seasonal flu with fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people have also reported diarrhea and vomiting. Individuals who experience severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, chest or abdominal pain, sudden dizziness, or persistent vomiting, should seek immediate medical attention," Dr. Graham said.

NCLR's "H1N1 Flu Information" web feature delivers-in Spanish and English-the latest public health guidelines from doctors and other experts, including virus developments and multimedia informational resources from entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Mexican Government, hundreds of NCLR Affiliates, and other partners. A mechanism for the public to report any new developments in their own communities will also be available.

"All too often we see that Hispanics, especially Spanish-speaking Hispanics, are forgotten during times of emergency," Murguía said. "We will continue working with our partners to make sure that all Americans have the knowledge to protect themselves and their families from the illness."

Murguía praised the Obama administration for coordinating a highly informative Spanish-language town hall on the H1N1 virus last Friday. The town hall was televised on Univision's newscasts and its Sunday morning talk show, Al Punto, and is available for widespread viewing and downloading on the White House website, here: Latino Town Hall.