WASHINGTON – So far, the H1N1 or swine flu virus is not a killer on par with the Spanish flu of 1918, but if that changes, local leaders have the power to take steps that might surprise you.
“The powers that are given to governors and often to the chief executives of localities are truly extraordinary,” says Michael Greenberger, founder and director of the Center for Health and Homeland Security at the University of Maryland. “They virtually can constitute martial law.”
He says in Maryland, if there’s a public health emergency, the governor can order residents to receive vaccines, even if they don’t want them.





