World Bank staff member diagnosed with Swine Flu

The World Bank announced Thursday that a Bank staff member in Washington DC was preliminarily diagnosed with the Swine Flu on April 29.

The man who is a Maryland resident had traveled to Mexico on business on April 14-18 and returned to the office before Mexican health authorities and the WHO recognized and announced the epidemic.

The final diagnosis has to be confirmed by a second test performed by the Center for Disease Control, a process which is under way, the bank said in a statement.

According to the statement, the Bank said that the staff member sought treatment from his physician upon his return from travel and has made a full and rapid recovery. The World Bank management and the Bank's Health Services department staff are in contact with the man and will continue to monitor the situation.

We are also informing Mexico office staff who may have been in contact with the staff to determine whether the testing is warranted, the Bank official said. Some 80 employees who were in contact with the man have been asked to work from home.

In order to fight the Swine Flu, the World Bank announced on April 26 that the Bank will support Mexico with more than $205 million in fast disbursing funds.

On Tuesday, authorities announced that a Mexican toddler was the first person to die in the United States. On later Wednesday at least 91 cases were confirmed infections in 10 states. About 100 schools in the United States have been closed in response to the outbreak, chiefly in hard-hit California, New York, Texas and South Carolina, the US Department of Education said.