The White House on Thursday said that an Energy Department member was one of the six proposed swine flu cases that were identified in Maryland. Though White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs refused to specify the name of the official, he did say the man was part of the security advance team for Energy Secretary Steven Chu. Chu traveled to Mexico about two weeks ago alongside U.S. President Barack Obama for the Summit of the Americas. The individual went to the doctor after experiencing flu-like symptoms, and was diagnosed with a probable case of the swine flu. The individual's wife, son, and nephew received a similar diagnosis. All four individuals initially experienced mild symptoms, and have since recovered. The Energy Department member was cleared to return back to work today, Gibbs said. On his trip back from Mexico to the United States, the individual took a commercial United Airlines flight, Gibbs told White House press. Gibbs was unsure whether passengers on the United flight were notified. Gibbs assured the press that Secretary Chu, along with President Obama did not possess any flu-like symptoms, and thus were not tested for the flu. He also said the individual reportedly did not come into close contact with the President. “This individual never flew on Air Force One. He was asked specifically if he ever came within 6 feet of the president and the answer to that was no.”
