WASHINGTON (CNN) – A government official who traveled to Mexico City to support the delegation accompanying President Barack Obama later came down with flu-like symptoms, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday.
Testing is underway to determine if the individual - an Energy Department staffer - contracted the swine flu virus.
The H1N1 virus outbreak originated in Mexico.
The unnamed individual has since recovered.
From CNN Politics
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wouldn't that be justice...the current adminstration, despite it's valiant attempts to breakdown the United States into a 3rd world country, gets wiped out by a disease from a 3rd world country...now, that's change I could live with! HOPE!
Keep him away from my President.....thank you!
I am starting to believe this whole 2009 H1N1 flu strain is being hyped up way, way out of proportion, even considering this is a new strain, with no human being (except those previously and already afflicted with it) have any kind of natural immunity. I believe that Mexico, as "ground zero" for this flu, was hit the hardest and had the most fatalities, then the flu got passed on to people visiting Mexico, kind of making that a "second go round" with the bug (first round: animal to human), and although severe, fatalities are lower than the initial impact. My belief is the more this strain is passed around, the more it's mutuating into a relatively milder flu strain. Now, if you look at how many people in Mexico got this flu, and how many of them died from it, it is relatively 1.5 – 2% of those who got it that died. The Spanish flu of 1918/1919 killed approximately 5% of the poeple who got it. That's double the amount of people who so far have been killed by this current strain. Over-hyped? Absolutely.
Swell – shouldn't have been down there to begin with. All he managed to do was to embarass the US sucking up to Chavez and now this!
Why is the media treating this like its an outbreak of Ebola virus?
Look up statistics on deaths this year from normal flu and realise just how dumb all this hype is.
P.S. Delete the percentages I put above, as I am wrong on the numbers. However, I still believe the more the bug is spreading, it is maintaining itself as a "mild" strain, as the reports keep saying.
Are you serious!!! My question is, "Why is the government trying to scare the American people?" Is this a preparedness strategy for the real pandemic that's coming? What are they doing??? It seems like they're testing how far they can go in causing an uproar, panic, and chaos with the American people, in order to get some type of statistical measure of how it's going to be when the world really does get out of hand and terrorism really does strike again (the plane over New York). Are they trying to boost the economy by taking tourist money away from Mexico? What is it? Why are there so many fashionable pictures of people with mask on? The mask that is not even going to prevent the "swine flu"!! The media is the source of confusion of the American people. You guys just keep on feeding it and feeding it and beating that dead horse. What in the world.....
I don't know when you guys are going to close the bonder. Not only do we have drugs coming in, now diseases. Give me a break.
This whole swine flu "pandemic" is being sensationalized by the media over and over again to get ratings. Do you people have any idea how many people die a year from plain ol' influenza????? 36,000! Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough, use hand sanitizer. this isn't the end of the world people. Geeeezzzzz.
Shoot. He's already recovered so what's the big deal. Chill folks. Too much news.
They should have asked Biden first, so that they could have all driven in separate cars and ont have been confined on that plane. I hope that persion didn't sneeze while on the plane, if so, our government is doomed.
Thankfully he recovered. One really has to be careful whether or not the flu is going around. Kissing, shaking hands and sharing personal items have to take a back seat sometimes. Maybe we should do like the Japanese – bow when you meet someone. As to general hygiene – I have seen some downright gross things taking place in and around NY. It is amazing that we are not smitten with more contageous diseases all year long. Kudos to the Mexican government for seemingly doing all they can to control the virus. I hear that the cases seem to be leveling off.
Good job Mr. President.
Perhaps a mandatory quarantine should be enacted .... before this virus spreads even more.
Make up your mind. Is the staffer "sick" or "since recovered"?
Everybody gets sick when they come back from Mexico City! It's called Montezumas Revenge! This swine flu has been blown way out of proportion. It's a way to sell the drug tamaflu and control our population and the Mexican population. It seems to be working...
Regular Flu 36,000 deaths in the U.S. per year
Swine Flu 1 death in the U.S.
BREAKING NEWS THE W.H.O. RAISED THE THREAT LEVEL TO LEVEL 5!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!
Seriously, Biden's comments were stupid and FEARMONGERING!
As a progressive and a reluctant Obama voter, you liberals need to realize that Paul Krugman was right. Obama should have listened to the left and done things the right way instead of the Wall Street way. It's obvious the economy isn't getting better. These policies are failing.
Was he in the confined space of Air Force One with VP Biden? If so, watch out Joe!
Must be from all the pork he and his staff shoved in the budget.
To those of you joking or making fun of this person shame on you – you really need to ask yourself if you are really that mean spirited...
Just think if the U.N. took terrorism as seriously as the W.H.O. is taking the swine flu?
Closed borders don't stop viruses. That includes the virus of xenophobia.
Give me a break already...
How can they test now to see if this person had the N1H1 flu since he had recovered?
Thank you