skip to main |
skip to sidebar
What is swine flu?
Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs.
HOW SWINE FLU TRAVEL
As of today, swine flu has caused 152 deaths in Mexico and 1,600 people are infected with the respiratory illness in 19 of the 32 Mexican states. In the U.S., 64 cases have been confirmed in New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas, and California. Two cases have been reported in the province of Valencia, Spain, and one in Israel. Japanese immigration officials aren't granting entry visas to travelers arriving from Mexico and they're quarantining anyone arriving from the U.S. and Canada. The WHO has classified this as a Level 4 pandemic but has not recommended any official travel bans or the shutting of specific borders.
Additionally, many Asian countries are taking a hard line on the outbreak: Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore are using thermal scanners to check passengers arriving from North America for fever. China is requiring anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms within two weeks of arrival to report to the authorities. Russia says passengers arriving from North America who are running a fever can be quarantined until the cause is determined.
The British Foreign Office, the EU, and the U.S. State Department have urged travelers to avoid nonessential travel to Mexico at this point. But what if you have a trip planned to Mexico this week or in the near future? Should you go? Can you cancel? An MSNBC poll asked travelers if the outbreak changed their travel plans to Mexico; 37.9 percent say it hasn't, 27.1 say they'll still head to Mexico but avoid Mexico City, and 34.9 percent believe it's too early to make a decision.
