OUTBREAK

White House Responds to Swine

As flu appears in NYC.

How did the swine flu get from the border with Mexico all the way to the northeast? At least eight high school students are suspected of having been infected with the dreaded swine flu virus, which is making health officials nervous all around the globe. The White House will hold a press conference featuring Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and officials from the Center for Disease Control to detail the government's response to the outbreak. The virus is a combination of bird, pig, and human influenzas; it remains unclear just how contagious it really is, though the WHO chief said there is "pandemic potential." Hospitals in NYC have already been inundated with people who suspect they have contracted the sickness. Even the White House had to check for infection, as President Obama was in Mexico when the outbreak began and even met with an archaeologist who died shortly afterwards from flu-like symptoms. The president received a clean bill of health. So far, there have only been 11 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., with no fatalities.