First Swine Flu Case Reported in D.C. Area
A World Bank employee here in Washington has been preliminarily diagnosed with a case of swine flu, Bloomberg is reporting. The employee in question had reportedly traveled on business in Mexico between April 14 and April 18. An email sent to local World Bank offices said that the employee has already recovered from the illness, but colleagues who were in contact with him when he was in the D.C. office on April 20 have been asked to work from home for the time being. A second test to confirm the swine flu diagnosis is reportedly underway. UPDATE: Official statement released by the World Bank is after the jump.
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 14-18, 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.
Because the individual contracted the virus before we knew about the epidemic, he was in the office for part of the day on Monday, April 20. As a precautionary measure, Bank management is directly contacting colleagues who were in close contact with the staff member, and we have asked them to work from home until we get further guidance from the D.C. Department of Health authorities on next steps - including being tested for the virus.
We are also informing Mexico office staff who may have been in contact with the staffer to determine whether testing is warranted.