Swine Flu Hits Nation's Capital?

The swine flu may have hit a federal employee who was on President Barack Obama's recent trip to Mexico.

An Energy Department employee is suspected of coming down with the virus and transmitting it to his family.

But White House officials said the situation didn't raise concerns about the president's health. Meanwhile, it sounds like the federal worker has fully recovered.

An excerpt from a Washington Post story:

An Energy Department employee who was part of the security advance team for President Obama's recent trip to Mexico is suspected of having contracted the swine flu virus and transmitting it to his family in Anne Arundel County, the White House said today.

The man is on the staff of Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who traveled with Obama to Mexico on April 16. He is believed to have transmitted the highly contagious virus to his wife, son and nephew, press secretary Robert Gibbs said. The woman and young boys appear to be the three Anne Arundel County residents who, official said yesterday, have tested positive as "probable" victims of the virus.

Neither the president nor Chu experienced any symptoms of the virus, Gibbs said, and White House doctors do not think Obama should be tested.

The security staffer "was asked specifically if he ever came within six feet of the president, and the answer was 'no,' " Gibbs said at a news briefing.

 

In the Anne Arundel community of Severna Park, news of the White House connection to the virus spread quickly this morning among parents at Folger McKinsey Elementary, where the security staffer's children attend school. The wife of the staffer reportedly posted a Facebook account of how her family fell ill, parents who had seen the account said.

Although Obama recommended last night that schools with suspected cases of swine flu strongly consider closing, Anne Arundel officials elected to keep the school open today after a thorough scrubbing overnight. Parents said many families kept their children home out of fear of contamination, however, and some of those who did come to school said they had done so only after careful thought.

Not far from the White House, the World Bank said an employee who had been on official business in Mexico is suspected of having been sickened by the virus but is also reported to be fully recovered.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2009—The World Bank today announced that a Bank staff member in Washington DC on April 29 was preliminarily diagnosed with the Swine Flu.

The infection is believed to have resulted from exposure while on business travel in Mexico between April 13-18, before Mexican health authorities and the WHO recognized and announced the epidemic. The final diagnosis has to be confirmed by a second test performed by the Center for Disease Control, a process which is underway.

Fortunately, the staff member sought treatment from his physician upon his return from travel and has made a full and rapid recovery. World Bank management and the Bank's Health Services department staff are in contact with the individual and will continue to monitor the situation.