Washington, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives Page Program reported its first flu-like cases this weekend. Of a total of 63 Pages enrolled in the program, 10 Pages are presenting with flu-like symptoms and four Pages have gastrointestinal issues. None of the affected pages have required hospital stays and no complications have been reported.

“We’ve been working closely with the Office of the Attending Physician to ensure the health of the affected Pages and we are taking every precaution to minimize additional illness,” said Maria A. Lopez, Deputy Clerk for the Page Program. “Like every other educational institution across the country, we have been preparing for H1N1 occurrences for some time.

“Parents of the affected students have been notified and The Page Board has received ongoing updates on the status of the affected Pages,” added Lopez. “Those Pages for whom we have parental consent will receive the H1N1 vaccine this week, consistent with CDC guidelines on vaccine allocation to those at greatest risk for adverse outcomes. We will continue to coordinate our efforts under the direction of the Office of the Attending Physician and are making every effort to keep the Pages as comfortable as possible as they recuperate.”