Free Republic

Five of the US Senate's summer pages -- student-aged youngsters getting an inside glimpse of the congress -- have been quarantined because they may have "swine flu," according to officials. In a memorandum to Senate offices late Tuesday, Sergeant-at-Arms Terrance Gainer said the pages were resting comfortably "apart from their peers and will not be allowed to return to work until cleared" by doctors. The Senate's Office of Attending Physician "believes that they most likely have influenza, quite possibly the H1N1 virus," Gainer said. -Asked if there were any such cases among White House student workers, spokesman Robert Gibbs said:...

WASHINGTON -- Senate Sergeant at Arms Terry Gainer, the top administrative official for the chamber, says that six teenage Senate pages have "turned up with flu-like symptoms," though there is no hard evidence yet that the pages have contracted the H1N1 virus. Gainer described the symptoms as "mild," including a runny nose and a sore throat. He indicated that there was "no panic" in the Senate. At this stage, doctors do not test to determine whether it is the H1N1 flu, Gainer said, adding that's consistent with national policy. Four of the pages are roommates and have been restricted to...