Apr 28, 2009 4:03 am US/Eastern
Swine Flu Hits Ernst & Young In Times Square
N.J. Department Of Health Confirms 5 Probable Cases
By JEFF CAPELLINI, WCBSTV.com Senior Producer
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Pigs at farm, outskirts of Xicaltepec, Veracruz state, Mexico on April 27, 2009.
AP
CBS 2 HD has learned of a confirmed case of swine flu at the Ernst & Young headquarters in Times Square.
One of the staffers became ill over the weekend after coming into contact with a family member who had been exposed to the virus.
The staffer is said to be resting at home and the company believes, due to the virus' 24-hour incubation period, that no one else at Ernst & Young was exposed. The company released a statement on Monday night:
"An employee in our offices at 5 Times Square was diagnosed on Sunday with swine flu, which she contracted from a family member. The individual had not been in offices since last Thursday. According to the Center for Disease Control, the disease has a 24-hour incubation period. Given the timeframe, we believe that it is unlikely that any other of our people have been infected.
"The health of our people is our foremost priority. Since learning of the diagnosis, we have followed the procedures outlined by the Center for Disease Control, including closing the offices on the floor where she worked and retaining a skilled sanitation service to clean the area. We have alerted our people and have told them to feel free to work from home if they would be more comfortable doing so. We have also notified the appropriate authorities."
Earlier Monday,
Mayor Michael Bloomberg confirmed 20 new cases of swine flu in New York City, in addition to the eight that were confirmed over the weekend. It is not known if the Ernst & Young case is related to the outbreak at St. Francis Prep in Queens, where several students had recently traveled to Mexico.
In addition, the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services has identified five probable cases of swine flu and is currently arranging for confirmatory testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
All five individuals have mild forms of the flu and are recovering at home. None were hospitalized. Four of the five probable cases had traveled recently to Mexico and the fifth had traveled to California. The patients include residents from various counties throughout New Jersey. No further information is available while CDC confirmation is pending. Confirmatory results are expected back within 48 hours.
The cases were identified through enhanced statewide monitoring and preliminary clinical samples were tested at the New Jersey Public Health and Environmental Laboratories.
"We recognize that swine flu will likely be an ongoing public health issue. Fortunately, as elsewhere in the country, these probable cases have mild illness," said commissioner Heather Howard. "Right now, I want to emphasize that the best form of prevention is to observe good health hygiene, including covering your coughs and sneezes, washing your hands frequently and staying home from school or work if you're sick."
As for the St. Francis Prep outbreak, Bloomberg had said 27 students and 1 teacher have been confirmed, while another 17 were considered probable for the virus.
Bloomberg said it appears to be a controlled outbreak and that New Yorkers should not panic.
"We believe that there were probably more than 100 cases of swine flu at the school and lab tests are confirming what we have suspected," he said. "We are dealing with a single cluster of swine flu cases all associated with this one school."
Q&A: What Is Swine Flu?
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