Swine Flu Hits Ernst & Young In Times Square

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Swine Flu Hits Ernst & Young In Times Square

N.J. Department Of Health Confirms 5 Probable Cases

QUEENS (CBS) ― 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?

Over the weekend, more than 100 students from the Queens high school came to Long Island Jewish and Schneider's Children's Hospital emergency rooms concerned they too had contracted the illness.

Doctors say those who tested positive for swine flu have a mild strain and were treated with antiviral medications like Tamiflu, and are already improving.

"Nobody in the North Shore Long Island Jewish health systems is being hospitalized with swine flu. No one has needed to be admitted at the current time," said Dr. Bruce Farber.

St. Francis is shut down until at least Wednesday while cleanup crews finish disinfecting the school. Brother Leonard Conway said teachers have begun calling in complaining of flu symptoms. He does not want to take any chances by reopening for classes too soon. "We are now hearing that there are about 10 teachers who have flu-like symptoms, and one has been confirmed," he said.

STUDENTS FALL ILL AT ONCE

As their desks at St. Francis sat empty, Anthony and Danielle Santucci were at home, just trying to get better.

"I felt really weak, I was coughing a lot," said Anthony. "I had a high fever. I felt dizzy."

Danielle, a freshman, had a temperature of 104 degrees.

"It was 104. It was just so hot. I was sweating I remember. I was really dizzy. I was coughing horribly," she recalled. "I can't believe it really. I just thought I had normal flu, but it turned out it was the swine flu. When I first heard, I was really scared because I didn't know about it."

The two joined dozens of their classmates in the school infirmary where it seemed like case after case came out of nowhere.

"The nurse's office was packed with kids. You couldn't get through the halls, it was pretty bad," said Anthony.

The Santuccis are like a lot of students at St. Francis – people who are showing symptoms of the swine flu, but who were never tested specifically for the swine strain.

"When you have to live through it, it's a very, very scary time," Peter Vallone Jr. (D-NYC Dist. 22).

Councilman Vallone's daughter visited St. Francis for one day last week and got sick. Now her dad wants some answers.

"A hundred people died in mexico, thank God that strain didn't come here or we could have a thousand dead kids right here in Queens," he said. "The government got extremely lucky. Why were there no warnings? They knew about it since the beginning of March about these deaths."

Back at the home where misery is loving company, the Santucci siblings are feeling better and their mom breathing easier...

"These things happen. They're not going to die. It's not like Mexico, we have medicine. I feel fine as far as that goes," said Karen Santucci, their mother.

The duo hopes to get back to their desks when school re-opens Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in Westchester County, yet another school is being scrubbed down because of swine fears. Administrators closed the Rye School of Leadership on Monday so workers could disinfect it after several students and teachers came down with flu-like symptoms last week. The Westchester County Health Department said there have been no reported swine flu cases in that county, which includes Rye.

EXTRA AIRPORT SAFETY?

Planes at John F. Kennedy International Airport were arriving from and departing to Mexico on numerous airlines Moday. Air Mexicana, American, AeroMexico, and Delta passengers CBS 2 spoke with – most of whom had business appointments or scheduled vacations – did not cancel plans, but carried hand soap and wore surgical masks.

Mexican families heading to their native land told CBS 2 that their relatives back home were nervous.

"They're like crazy," said Ricardo Zableh. "The schools are closed for like seven or eight days. All the movie theaters, the concerts [are closed]."

Late Monday, planes from Monterrey, Mexico City, and Cancun landed on time, but passengers didn't seem to be tended to by medical help or brought in by official for examination.

"The situation is so normal at the airports, except some people use these masks, " said Saul Sanchez Barbova, who flew in from Mexico wearing a white sanitary mask.

A passenger arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport on a flight from Mexico City says she was surprised no effort was made to screen arriving passengers for swine flu symptoms.

Lourdes Pizano of Montgomery Township, returning Monday from a visit to relatives, says she was expecting to be treated differently, ushered through a special gate or checked out by health officials.

Instead, she says no mention was made of the swine flu outbreak except when U.S. Customs officials at Newark handed her a copy of an advisory from the CDC on possible swine flu symptoms.

About one-third of the passengers on the plane wore paper hospital masks as a precaution, but the airline did not give them out.

The State Department is prepared to issue a travel alert or warning regarding swine flu should the Centers for Disease Control advise it. Department officials are in regular contact with CDC and other federal and international health officials who are monitoring the situation. Some foreign countries have taken stronger measures and have formally advised travelers to stay away from North America.

The NY State Department of Health has set up a hot line number for residents who have questions about the swine influenza. That number is 1-800-808-1987.

CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez, Sean Hennessey, and Jennifer McLogan contributed to this report.