By Andrew Quinn
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. swine flu caseload rose to 65 in six states on Tuesday as lawmakers launched emergency hearings to evaluate the government's response to what doctors warn could become a pandemic.
President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion extra to strengthen the country's response to the outbreak.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control said on its web site that the new total included 10 cases in California, 2 in Kansas, 45 in New York, one in Ohio and 6 in Texas.
An additional case was reported by Indiana state authorities.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency over the flu outbreak, enabling rapid deployment of funds and personnel to fight the disease. Federal officials declared a national public health emergency on Sunday.
The new strain of swine flu has killed up to 149 people in Mexico, but cases seen elsewhere have been mild. One CDC official said five of the U.S. cases had required hospitalization.
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday the current outbreak could lead to only a mild pandemic but warned that even this could have serious consequences.
Worldwide, 79 cases have now been confirmed in laboratories recognized by the WHO and officially notified to the United Nations agency.
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