Children poured out of the doors of Folger McKinsey Elementary School, eagerly presenting their mothers paintings and paper birds that they had made. But some of the children were showing off another item they had collected during the day - bottles of hand sanitizer.
Dismissal time at the Severna Park elementary school, where one pupil was identified as likely having swine flu, was subdued Thursday afternoon because nearly half the students did not come to school. But parents who were picking up their children said that they were not very worried, even as the White House announced that an Anne Arundel County man who recently traveled to Mexico in advance of President Barack Obama also probably has swine flu, as do three members of his family.
"We told them to wash their hands often, and if there was a child coughing or sneezing to stay away," said Alix Bray, who was picking up her three children from school. "We weren't worried because the school had educated the parents enough about what is going on."
John M. Colmers, state health secretary, said that as of Thursday, there were no plans to close schools. The department is in constant contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about its recommendations on school closings, he said. The CDC "strongly considers" closing a school for seven days after a confirmed case has been found, he said.
"We are continuing to monitor the situation," Colmers said.
An aide who traveled to Mexico City on April 13 to plan for security during the president's visit came down with flulike symptoms after returning, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday. The man's wife, young son and nephew developed similar symptoms and are believed to have contracted the virus from him, Gibbs said. The man is the father of the Folger McKinsey pupil who was infected, and he was present at a museum April 16 with Obama and Felipe Solis, a Mexican official who died April 23, according to news reports.
The four members of the family had mild symptoms, were not hospitalized and have recovered, Gibbs said. The man, who was not identified, is an aide to Energy Secretary Steven Chu and has returned to work.
The man did not have any close contact with the president and did not fly on Air Force One, Gibbs said.
Health officials are expected to determine Friday whether the three Anne Arundel residents believed to have swine flu have indeed contracted the virus, county health department spokeswoman Elin Jones said.
