Walden’s brave move

Using his official Twitter account, Walden tweeted, “Just diagnosed with likely H1N1. Ugh. Off to seclusion for awhile.”

{mosads}Walden was the first lawmaker to announce he had swine flu. It was a brave move, especially for a guy who makes his living by shaking hands and kissing babies.

The Oregon Republican could have simply said he was sick and stayed home for a couple of days. That would have been the safe move.

It is unlikely that Walden is the only legislator who has been hit by the swine flu. Ten House pages were recently treated for flu-like symptoms in order to prevent an outbreak of the sometimes-deadly disease. Rep. Melissa Bean’s (D-Ill.) daughter has swine flu, and so does Rep. Joe Wilson’s (R-S.C.) wife. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) suspects he may have had the swine flu.

It is a good bet that someone you know has it.

President Barack Obama last weekend declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency. And with just cause. Physicians’ offices have been inundated with sick patients in recent weeks. Emergency rooms are filled with people who have been asked to wear masks in order to minimize the spread of the flu.

Walden, who is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, returned to the House on Monday after being cleared by his doctor. While Walden’s case of the flu did not threaten his life, swine flu is a killer. Pregnant women and children are especially vulnerable to it.

The Hill’s Jordy Yager reported last week that lawmakers are divided on whether they will get the swine flu vaccine. Some, like Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), are choosing not to, while others, like Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.), want to be vaccinated.

Outside of his district, Walden is not well-known. But by admitting he had swine flu, he took some of the stigma away from the disease. In essence, his actions suggested that it is OK to say you have it. Like other lawmakers, Walden has a link on his congressional website that instructs people on what steps to take if they have the flu.

Politically, it may help Walden, because his admission is akin to saying to his constituents: I’m just like you. But regardless of the political ramifications, it was the right move.