Once swine flu has been diagnosed
With Tamiflu, you will be dosed
Now places not distant
Have cases resistant
Here's hoping you won't be a ghost

Enough of such sadness and gloom
This week brought good news for the groom
The motion has carried
So go on, get married
The question's not if, but to whom?

The season is here for bright lights
With gifts of big trees and new rights
Amidst the warm fuzzies
Watch out for those scuzzies
Who try to start carjacking fights

• Yesterday afternoon, City Desk posted the latest WaPo article about the Metro crash, which basically announced that circuits on four of the five lines have failed to detect the presence of trains.  The 6 pm newscasts featured commentary from a variety of concerned commuters and so to quell their concerns, Metro GM John Catoe and Councilman Jim Graham held a press conference announcing that the Post got the story wrong.  The system is safe, says Catoe, and the article is a gross misstatement of facts.  Watch WUSA's interview with Catoe – he could be a dreidel with the way he's spinning this new information.

Swine flu, social networks, and the Secret Service after the jump.  Plus, a new alternative to saving the Nats!

• Swine flu isn't going anywhere soon.  Yet another group of local students from the District and Maryland are quarantined in Beijing after testing positive for H1N1.  Although it sucks that their trip is on hiatus, at least they have access to their Facebook accounts.
• Speaking of social networks, Facebook and Twitter are now too accessible to the general public, so Congress had to make its own. 3121, named after the extension of the Capitol Hill switchboard, will premiere in September and hopes to make communication among staffers more efficient.  Really, it's just a more localized version of any other site, so that you can stalk the hottie in Rep. Whatever's office and make awkward eye contact with your new "friends."
• President Obama granted Dick Cheney's request for a six-month extension of his Secret Service protection.  Apparently he has been concerned with his security and privacy in recent years, and plans on asking for another extension when this one expires.  Because when the federal government is hemorrhaging money, cashing in on a former Vice President's security detail is really an investment in the future.
• And finally, the Nationals might seem like a better team if they had better media coverage.  And who better to help them with their image than Ari Fleisher of Ari Fleisher Sports Communications!  Yep, Bush 2's first press secretary has launched a business to train athletes and teams on how to deal with the media.  He's currently busy promoting the Olympics but maybe he can help our fledgling batters in the future.

“It’s like snow in the summer,” Gaurov Dayal, chief medical officer at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, told the Post.

Put that news together with this AP story and we’ve got a pretty freaky scenario. In a nutshell: AP reports that the government is gearing up for a massive immunization effort but there are likely to be some serious and mysterious side effects. In 1976, the last time Swine Flu was on the rise, U.S. officials vaccinated 40 million people.  At least 500 came down with “a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It's still unknown what caused the condition,” according to AP. This time, the government plans to roll out 600 million flu shots, enough to vaccinate everyone in the country twice.

• In other deadly virus news, two Virginia sisters are being detained at a health camp in China because an individual on their flight tested positive for H1N1, according to WUSA 9.  They took Tamiflu and hope to leave China tonight so they can continue filming their show on the Home Shopping Network.

• Sad But True: Prince George's County's top prosecutor says that charges are not likely to be filed in the death of Ronnie White, almost a year after he was found dead in his jail cell.  White was charged with murder after running over a police officer with his truck last June.  

• The Washington Times announces that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join House and Senate leaders when a new statue of Ronald Reagan is unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda this morning.  Jelly beans were not among the materials used.

• And finally, Prince of Petworth reveals that Columbia Heights is getting what it always wanted:  a Chipotle.  Because in these trying times, burritos are the way to go.  Seriously, you can live off of one of those for a week and still not finish.  Too bad all the new DC Chipotle franchises won't be applying for liquor licenses, however.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is minutes from convening a press conference to discuss the cases.

LL is told that both students have recovered and that they continue to be quarantined out of an abundance of caution.

UPDATE, 4:50 P.M.: Here is the official press release:

DC Announces Two Probable Cases of H1N1
311 Launches H1N1 Call Center, New Resources for Residents, Schools and Businesses
 
Washington, DC – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director of the DC Department of Health (DOH) today announced the District’s first two probable cases of the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu.  The Mayor also announced new informational resources for District residents, businesses and educational institutions.
 
 
DOH has sent samples from two probable cases of H1N1 influenza to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further testing to confirm whether the two individuals have the virus.  The two cases are both students at George Washington University in the District.  One of the students has a history of travel to one of the H1N1 virus areas of interest, the other is linked through exposure to the first case.  Both have been treated, and neither students have been hospitalized.  DOH and the George Washington University are working together to identify any possible exposures and prevent the further spread of the virus.
 
“Thankfully both of individuals appear to be recovering well,” said Fenty. “Over the past week the H1N1 virus has spread across the country and we are working with the CDC using best practices from other states who have already had cases and put in place measures to curb the spread of this virus.”
 
“As we identify potential cases in the District and the greater metropolitan area it’s important for residents to remember that the best way to prevent the spread of disease is to wash your hands frequently, cover your cough with your arm or your sleeve and stay home from work or school if you are sick,” said Vigilance.  “As with any flu virus, we should do our part to help prevent others from getting sick.”
 
DOH continues to actively monitor the known and potential cases in the region and across the country.  The CDC expects the number of cases in the United States to continue to increase and be identified in new locations.
 
 
New Information Resources Available for Residents, Schools and Businesses
Residents can now use the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center to ask questions about the H1N1 virus to health professionals.  By dialing 311 residents can get the latest information from the District, the CDC and on the virus.  Residents calling from a non DC number can call 202-737-4404.
 
The District has created a H1N1 information page at www.doh.dc.gov to provide up to date information on H1N1 and resources for individuals, homes, schools and business.  DOH will continue to update the site regularly with new resources and guides.
 
The site includes information on:
·         the H1N1 virus
·         safely caring for family members who potentially have H1N1
·         sanitizing areas that may have been contaminated by the virus
·         preparing for a possible influenza outbreak at your education campus or business
·         talking to children about H1N1
·         preventing the spread of H1N1
 
About the H1N1 Influenza Virus
The H1N1 virus is a new strain of influenza (the flu) that is a combination of four strains of influenza including swine influenza.  Symptoms of influenza include runny nose or nasal congestion, cough, sore throat and a fever above 100 degrees. The incubation period from time of exposure to illness is 2 to 5 days. Anyone who thinks they have     flu-like symptoms should call their healthcare provider.  Healthcare providers can advise residents on treatment and prepare to see a patient in person without putting other patients at risk of catching the disease.
 
This is the first time the strain has been documented in humans and there is not currently a vaccine to protect people from contracting the disease.  The best way to prevent the spread is to follow simple hygiene rules:
·        Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water
·        Avoid touching the eyes, mouth and nose.
·        Influenza is spread from person to person by sneezes and coughs – cover sneezes and coughs with your sleeve or a tissue.
·        Avoid contact with those who are already ill.
·        Individuals who are ill should avoid crowded public places as much as possible and keep a 6 foot distance between people at work and other public places.
·        Anyone with a fever and respiratory illness should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections, including influenza and other respiratory illnesses, to others in their communities.