Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said today that the H1N1 Virus has not evolved to become more deadly. Dr. Frieden added that 36 US children who died from the flu last year had other underlying conditions like Muscular Distrophy and Cerebral Paulsy.

Dr. Frieden also said at a midday press briefing that the vaccine will be available starting in Mid-October and will be administered by state and local governments. He recommended that all children, regardless of past health problems, be vaccinated.

The CDC expects to see more cases in the coming months, especially with the school year getting underway nationwide. The states of Georgia and Alaska and the US Territory of Puerto Rico are the only places in the United States that are currently listed as “widespread” for H1N1 cases. Dr Frieden said that as of now the CDC has not seen any drug resistant strains, so treatment with medications has proven to be very effective. He says time will only tell how severe the H1N1 outbreak will be but note that it is very unusual to see flu cases continue through the summer and to spike this early in the season. In response to a question about announcements that Chinese and Swiss vaccine companies have developed vaccines that would require one dose, Dr. Frieden says that the CDC looks forward to data from Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac Biotech and Swiss vaccine maker Novartis. Both companies announced that although two-doses proved to be most effective, studies show that just one dose might do the trick in holding off the H1N1 virus. But Frieden stopped short of saying that a one dose vaccine might be possible here in the US, stressing that the CDC needs to focus on US drug companies vaccinations that currently will require two-dose vaccines.