Ernst & Young Withdraws Swine Flu Confirmation

Less than a day after confirming to numerous media outlets -- including WCBS TV, which broke the story -- that one of its New York City employees had been diagnosed with swine flu, Big Four firm Ernst & Young today withdrew that confirmation.

"Based on new information, we can no longer confirm that an Ernst & Young employee who works in the Five Times Square building has a verified case of swine flu," the firm said in a statement released late Tuesday morning. "Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken appropriate steps to protect the health of our employees."

WCBS TV published the following statement it said it received from Ernst & Young Monday night: "An employee in our offices at 5 Times Square was diagnosed on Sunday with swine flu, which she contracted from a family member. The individual had not been in offices since last Thursday. According to the Center for Disease Control, the disease has a 24-hour incubation period. Given the timeframe, we believe that it is unlikely that any other of our people have been infected."

When a CPA.Blog reporter requested a statement from Ernst & Young this morning, confirming the diagnosis, a firm spokesman sent the updated statement backing off Monday night's confirmation. The firm did not elaborate on how or why Ernst & Young confirmed the diagnosis Monday night.

Of the 8.3 million people who live in New York city, 44 of them have been confirmed as sick with swine flu, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said during a press conference Tuesday, although more than 100 are suspected to have gotten sick from the virus.

"All of the cases that we've seen have been mild," city Health Commissioner Thomas R. Friedan said, adding that his department was monitoring new cases to make sure the flu is not increasing in its severity as it is transmitted.

Get swine flu facts on the New York City Health Department Web site.