U.S. officials say the public health emergency is a precaution. Americans are told to prepare for outbreaks but not to panic.

By Jim Tankersley, The Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Washington — Federal officials today declared a public health emergency involving human swine flu, warning Americans to prepare for widespread outbreaks now or in the future, yet urging them not to panic.

In a briefing at the White House, the acting head of the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Richard Besser, confirmed a 20th case of the flu, this one in Ohio. He said the government will likely find more cases — and cases that are more severe than the relatively mild ones seen in the United States so far — as it ramps up detection efforts.

Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s chief public health officer said today that the east coast Canadian province has four confirmed cases of swine flu. And in Mexico, the country’s health minister said the disease had killed up to 86 people and likely sickened more than 1,400 since April 13.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said the government would release a quarter of its 50-million-unit strategic reserve of antiviral medications, which combat the disease in infected patients, to states where outbreaks have occurred. Besser said the CDC has begun laying the groundwork to manufacture a swine flu vaccine if one becomes necessary.

The symptoms of swine flu are nearly identical to the symptoms of other influenza, including high fever, aches, coughing and congestion. It appears to spread through human-to-human contact and human contact with live pigs but not by eating pork products, officials said.

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