Prevention Matters

Vaccinations will be the main defense against the swine flu epidemic in the US, says HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

"I think it's important that people begin to anticipate that we will have a vaccine," Sebeilus said in a "TODAY Show" interview. "We think it's likely that we're going to need two shots for the vaccine."

She said people should plan ahead for this, particularly those with pre-existing medical conditions, pregnant women and health care industry workers. Sebelius said federal health authorities also are recommending that people should immediately get their regular "seasonal" flu vaccine to bolster their health for the scenario yet to play out later this year regarding the swine flu virus.

"What we learned last spring is that shutting a school down sort of pre-emptively doesn't stop the virus from spreading," Sebelius added.