Ernst & Young Backs Off Report of Employee With Swine Flu

Ernst & Young is backing off its announcement that a staff member at its headquarters in Manhattan was diagnosed with swine flu.

The company last night released a statement that said in part: “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... Since learning of the diagnosis, we have followed the procedures outlined by the Center for Disease Control, including closing the offices on the floor where she worked and retaining a skilled sanitation service to clean the area.”

But the company this morning released a statement saying that based on new information, “we can no longer confirm that an Ernst & Young employee who works in the 5 Times Square building has a verified case of swine flu.”

A company spokeswoman this morning declined to answer questions on what caused the confusion.

--V. Dion Haynes