The Flu Line State: Brace yourself for a pandemic. No, not of the flu, but of coverage of the flu. The region's flu season is officially underway, with news that someone in Baltimore has come down with swine flu. But unlike last year, vaccines appear to be widely available; at Safeway, where we got our shot recently, they give you a 10 percent off coupon if you get vaccinated. A year ago, word that a Safeway had flu shots available would have led to a riot that destroyed the store. +1

Rosslyn Goes Manhattan: The days when the USA Today building was the only tall edifice you saw looming over the Potomac River looking west from Georgetown are vanishing fast. For one, USA Today moved out of Rosslyn to a monstrous, sprawling complex near Dulles almost a decade ago; for another, the Rosslyn skyline has grown considerably in recent years. It's about to grow even more: Construction began today on what will be the region's tallest building. Yet another reason D.C. should seize back Arlington and Alexandria from Virginia! +2

Rally to Restore Media Sanity: At the Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert rallies in two weeks, it's a safe bet a few things will be in plentiful supply: Irony; iPhones; busloads of New Yorkers the Huffington Post has ferried to our fair city. What won't be around much: Off-duty journalists. The Washington Post, NPR, and other media outlets have banned staffers from "taking part" in the rally, though it's not entirely clear how that differs from "observing it," which the Posties will be permitted to do. Fear not, though: Washington City Paper has issued no such guidelines. So it'll be the perfect place to track us down and yell at us about [insert topic here]. -2

Blue Line to the Future: Metro will soon be a magical wonderland of working escalators, renovated bathrooms, and spacious platforms. As long as the concept of "soon" encompasses "by 2016, if everything actually stays on schedule." The transit agency announced plans today to overhaul significant portions of the Blue and Orange lines, during a meeting where they also dropped (for now) all the dopey ideas they had about changing how SmarTrip works. All told, the work will cost $272 million; that's on top of the $177 million Red Line renovation underway now. Better get riding—WMATA has debt service payments to make! +2

Yesterday's Needle rating: 32 Today's score: +5 Today's Needle rating: 37

There was a quick-draw showdown on the dusty streets of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, and Montana Senator Max Baucus came out swinging. Both Democratic proposals to create a government-run insurance plan were shot down by the committee, leaving saloon shutters flapping and the road wide open for Baucus to ride in with his plan by the end of the week.

And how does the committee chairman want to run this town? Like any good sheriff, he vies for the middle of the road: that is to say, nonprofit insurance cooperatives over the public option, and as an alternative to private companies. After all, no cowboy worth his salt will trust those private vigilantes...but neither will he tame the wild west.

And over in Foggy Bottom, the metro stop, in addition to a couple blocks of 23^rd street, was closed for several hours due to a “suspicious package.” As one GWU student put it, “[the package] was bouncing.”

If bouncy packages weren’t enough to worry about, the robbers have decided to take on the guise of D.C. businessmen—a mugger alert went out Monday on 16^th and K Street for a man wearing a black suit, black hat, white shirt, and carrying a briefcase. Maybe he had an interview later?

And finally, ABC7 reported that at the concert last night at the FedEx Field, “U2 fans” were concerned about the traffic, and a lot of “U2 fans” couldn’t get off work early. Sadly, the author didn’t realize that the 80,000 concertgoers were rushing to see the far superior unmentioned act, Muse. Any of these mythical U2 fans out there want to give a shout-out?

That's it for today—I think the swine got me, and there's no vaccine until the first week of October....

Photo by Freeparking, Creative Commons Attribution License

Background: A week back from Sunday, Wilbon had written an apologia for Michael Jordan on the occasion of Jordan's acceptance speech for his Basketball Hall of Fame induction. By many accounts, Jordan's remarks on that occasion were childish and small: He used the podium to belittle everyone who'd ever doubted him. He never came close to the high road. He invited to the speech an old schoolmate who was chosen over him for the varsity squad. He took to task people who'd slighted him over his career.

In comes Wilbon to—surprise!—defend Jordan. "Jordan said himself toward the end of his speech that he took all these perceived slights as challenges and turned them into wood that made the fire rage. Michael Jordan has always known who he is and what he needed to be Michael Jordan. It's just that few people knew this particular side until Friday night and almost nobody knew he was going to let the wall down when he did."

Anthony on this matter: "As someone who has had his own sports idols throughout his life, I understand how Wilbon continues to breathe the rarefied air of Jordan's greatness, but only a small measure of objectivity is required to see that what Jordan revealed with his self-absorbed, unkind comments during his Hall of Fame induction ceremony was the nasty, selfish side that accompanies many elite athletes' competitiveness."

The retirement of Jordan has saved the world from the frequent Wilbon paeans to the greatest basketball player ever. This is a columnist who'll excuse just about anything from the 6-foot-6 swingman. And in this column, Wilbon suggested why: "It wasn't a speech so much as it was an entertaining rant, something you saw pretty often if you were one of Jordan's golf partners or card-playing friends or, to be honest, a sportswriter with an off-the-record relationship with him." Gotta protect your sources.

Elsewhere, Post columnist Colbert I. King goes up strong against Peacoholics and Michelle Rhee over the Barry Harrison conviction. King sounds outraged that a ex-con should be bale to get access to a D.C. school, where he could prey on schoolgirls.

Must-read of the weekend, which comes via the New York Times. Here's an abstract:

*Egypt hears about swine flu, freaks out;

*Egypt decides it must take action;

*Egypt decides swine are responsible for spreading swine flu;

*Egypt's decision that swine are spreading swine flu is not endorsed by professionals;

*Egypt, freaked out about swine flu and convinced that swine are spreading it, kills all—or a least a great deal of—swine in Cairo;

*Egypt thinks it has done something positive;

*Egypt hasn't, in fact, done something positive;

*Egypt has done something dumb;

*Egypt watches helplessly as ancient system for handling trash crumbles, as a direct result of its swine slaughter. The entrepreneurs who handle a great deal of trash collection in Cairo, you see, had fed much of their organic rubbish to pigs, whom they later slaughtered for food; now that there are no pigs to eat that rubbish, it's all piling up in the streets;

*Egypt wishes that the goats would eat more of the quickly accumulating garbage, but that's not happening.

"Nothing's slower than a sick turtle," reads an anti-swine flu advert at the University of Maryland, reminding student Terps to practice proper coughing-and-sneezing etiquette and to wash their hands often.

Still, as of yesterday, there were 172 suspected cases of H1N1 at the university, according to the Associated Press. And the health center has canceled all non-emergency appointments (except for allergy and immunization services) for the rest of the week "due to the high incidence of influenza-like illness."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month issued a guide for higher ed institutions that outlined strategies to minimize the incidence of the flu. The strategies – sneeze into your sleeve, provide adequate supplies of soap and paper towels, have students "self-isolate" if they're sick, wipe down high-touch surfaces – make perfect sense from a public health perspective.

But here's the thing: These are students! And this is university life! I just can't see many people wiping down the study carrel at the library before sitting down, or doing the same when borrowing a friend's laptop. And will encouraging students living together to "regularly clean frequently used surfaces such as doorknobs, refrigerator handles, remote controls, computer keyboards, countertops, faucet handles, and bathroom areas" really make them do it? Students tend not to be big on cleaning.

There is one other strategy – "increase social distances" – that would also seem near impossible on campus, let alone, actually, anywhere. The CDC writes:

The goal should be for there to be at least 6 feet of distance between people at most times. This is not a simple or easy strategy and would typically require considerable flexibility. Possible options to increase the amount of space between students include moving desks farther apart, leaving vacant seats between students, holding classes outdoors, and using distance learning methods.

Maryland's plan does include potential use of a "'social distancing' protocol that allows only classes and essential group gatherings." Something called the Incident Response Team "will determine what activities are deemed essential."

Strategies or no, more flu cases are on the way. At Washington State University, some 2,500 students have already called health services to report symptoms.

I occasionally think it might be a good idea to create a kit and come up with a plan since we live in a place terrorists most likely dream about bombing, burning, crashing into, or … well, I think you get the picture. And, now with Swine Flu poised for a comeback, there seems even more reason to stockpile the canned food and water, though I don’t know where one is supposed to put all those rations in the average D.C. apartment. You’d need a separate storage unit. And, wouldn't that defeat the purpose? But some provisions seem appropriate.

Anyone know where I can get one of those face masks?

• 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.

Don’t you just love it when you get your own anecdote to back up a news story?

Today, an unusual offer arrived in my inbox: a sales pitch for swine flu vaccine. All I’d have to do is send in my contact info. and a major credit card and the cure would arrive in the mail. Depending on how bad the pandemic gets, it could be a decent deal. Sure, whoever sent me the email could steal my credit card number or completely make off with my identity before proffering the precious antidote. But, at least, I’d be protected against the dreaded scourge, know officially as the global H1N1 flu pandemic.

 OK, OK, so you’re on to me; I have no intention of providing my personal information to swine flu scammers. But, there must be some takers. The Food and Drug Administration has launched a crackdown on Internet purveyors of bogus flu cures.

AFTER THE JUMP: More on Internet scams and a new twist on pork-barrel politics.

Among the “unapproved, uncleared, or unauthorized” merchandise FDA officials have found in THEIR inboxes are shampoos, dietary supplements and anti-virus sprays. There is even an “electronic instrument” that supposedly uses “deeply penetrating mega-frequency life-force energy waves” to strengthen the immune system, protect against the flu, and God knows what else.

Speaking of swine scams, the pork industry is fighting congressional efforts to strengthen regulation of the country's food system. If enacted, the new rules would cover, among other things, the industrial-sized pig farms similar to the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, CAFOs, in Mexico, where swine flu allegedly got its start.

In a case of curious timing, one day after the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, the National Pork Producers Council announced it had “a number of concerns” about the Food Safety and Enhancement Act of 2009, which passed a vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health last week.

The trade association says it’s unnecessary to give the FDA authority to inspect farms, enforce animal quarantines and build a “farm-to-fork” system to trace public health threats back to the source. From the Pork Council’s POV, the Department of Agriculture already plays an oversight role, and it would be one big hassle for farmers to have to comply with a new set of federal rules.

In the wake of numerous food-related illness outbreaks – spinache, tomatoes, avocados, mad cow beef, etc – some may point out that the Department of Agriculture’s efforts have been far from robust. 

Beyond the food-borne illnesses, however, there is a swine flu angle here: The Pork Council also objects to letting the FDA set farm safety standards on such things as employee hygiene and what to do with all that manure – the very issues gadflies suggest may have played a role in incubating swine flu and passing it along to humans.

Those are suggestions that the pork council would like to slaughter. Ever since the pandemic made international news, the industry has been working overtime to convince consumers that their pigs have nothing to do with it. And, even some public health pundits have exonerated the massive Mexican pig farms and say CAFOs aren’t necessarily unsanitary.

But not all the experts are sure CAFOs are so healthy. Last year, the Pew Charitable Trusts published a report that concluded the industrial-scale farms often pose “unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves." 

• 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.

Yesterday, my sister Emily flew to Mexico for her birthday. There are benefits to making such a trip at this time. The District may have confirmed on Wednesday one swine flu case along with three probables, but are you going to let this virus win? Not my brave sister.

Emily called in to report on her courage. The benefits so far: A very empty plane ride. There were no worries about space for that carry-on suitcase. And there was plenty of leg room. Also, the flight attendants told her that she could have an entire can of Coke.

Expect a few more updates from our Mexico correspondent.

But when the girls from both teams lined up for the usual post-game handshake, they were told to steer clear of each other.

Not even fist bumps.

"They waved at each other and a few girls bowed," says a Tenleytown parent. "That's what the league wanted."

No player from either team has since been diagnosed with Swine Flu. Guess the no-handshake rule worked.

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.

"Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman said this probable swine flu case 'now affects Rockville High.' A decision was made to close the school Thursday on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and the Maryland state health department we are taking immediate steps to close the school.

Few details were released about the student, who is suffering from similar symptoms of the virus and is the ninth probable case in the state, officials said. The student was last in school on Monday, officials said."

Today, the school would be hosting an "AP Picnic" and at least one other student activity. Something called "Class Night." According to the events calender, students would be competing in the late afternoon to "prove which class is the BEST!" It concludes: "Come ready to 'BATTLE IT OUT'!" I guess the battle will be on hold.

At 5:30 p.m., I spot a woman wearing a mask exiting a metro bus at Mount Pleasant and Irving. Do I have Vice President Biden to thank?

Note: This post was amended and corrected at 3:34 pm to reflect the fact that this case is not officially classified as a D.C. case.