A report released Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust For America's Health finds the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak highlighted flaws in the U.S.'s "ability to respond to public health emergencies," HealthDay News/Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (12/15). "Layoffs and spending cuts in the public health sector," caused, in part, by the recession, "weakened U.S. efforts to battle the [H1N1 (swine flu)] pandemic, which has killed an estimated 10,000 Americans," Reuters reports. "The Trust, which has repeatedly criticized U.S. preparedness for pandemics, recommended increased spending for public health and more funds to modernize flu vaccine production and for vaccine research and development," the news service writes (Allen, 12/15).

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