Swine Flu: Health Update for Travelers
Commuting to work on the Metro this week, the headline on the front page of The Washington Post was impossible to ignore: "Swine Flu Could Infect Half of U.S." As schools around the country, indeed the world, get ready to return to classes for the fall, doomsday scenarios surrounding the potential effects of the H1N1 virus appear to be ratcheting up day by day.
As someone who is planning to travel to the U.K. in December with two young children, it also got me thinking about what this all means for travelers. Do we really have to take the Joe Biden approach of swearing off public transport until the scourge passes? Does it make more sense to hunker down and mitigate the risk? Given some of the scarier estimates and scenarios, I decided to do some research on what we already know about H1N1 and what health experts are predicating for the next few months.
On August 18, The Wall Street Journal published this informative article about what you need to know about the coming "swine-flu season." It notes that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius recently commented that, "What we are seeing looks very much like seasonal flu so far," though that the virus is surprisingly affecting younger people more adversely than the typically susceptible over-60 age group. Of those who have died so far, about 80 percent had underlying medical conditions. But for the majority of reported cases, symptoms have been mild, not unlike "regular" flu. A vaccine is coming online and will be available in late September to early October, though initial limited supplies will likely be offered to at-risk groups first.
My takeaway as a parent? Don't panic but take the usual precautions to protect your children against the flu (i.e., wash hands thoroughly, keep fingers out of eyes and noses). If your kids are sick, keep them home from school and public settings. If you're sick, utilize your sick days as the Gods of Labor intended.
My response as a traveler? Same as above. Don't go canceling your vacation plans yet, but keep an eye on the situation and heed the advice of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) when it comes to traveling to areas reporting incidences of H1N1. "CDC recommends that travelers at high risk for complications from any form of flu discuss their travel plans with their doctor," the CDC website states, adding, "Healthy people may make travel plans as they normally would and take common sense precautions to protect their health during travel." According to the CDC, high-risk groups include children under the age of five, adults over 65, pregnant women, and those with pre-existing medical conditions. Likewise, take a look at the advice of the World Health Organization (WHO) as you're planning trips abroad, which is currently not advising travel restrictions with respect to outbreaks of H1N1. This despite the international body having raised the pandemic threat level to six, its highest level.
There's lots of information out there, but be a savvy traveler with your sources and keep the bigger picture in mind. I was on vacation in Florida with my family when news broke last April about the initial outbreak of swine flu. Listening to the cable-news coverage, you'd be forgiven for thinking that we were unlikely to make it home alive. That's not to trivialize the seriousness of the pandemic threat. The CDC estimates that on average there are some 36,000 fatalities from flu-related illnesses each year; the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology estimated this week H1N1 could cause up to 90,000 deaths. Sobering stats, no doubt. But take advantage of the information available to keep you and your family healthy and well-informed, and to make decisions you can be comfortable with regarding your travel plans. Safe—and happy—travels!
Illustration credit: Photodisc/Getty
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Now a days swine flu is not a big disease in the world and medicines are there for this particular disease . There is no risk if any air traveler took preventive action .
Posted by: Cherry Emery | October 11, 2009 at 10:26 PM
H1N1 notepad
www.conspirare.net
October 2009
On October 1 2009, a former federal health minister dismisses as "crackpots and conspiracy theorists" those who would actively discourage Australians from having their swine flu vaccine'. October 2nd, the San Fransisco Chronicle publishes that 'Everybody seems to be saying TRUST THE GOVERNMENT but it's hard to trust the H1N1 vaccination campaign' and on October 4rd, the Washington Post wonders 'When the swine flu vaccine finally arrives this week, will Americans line up to get it?' and CBS News writes about health care workers protesting the flu vaccine mandate. October 6th Foodconsumer publishes 'Do NOT Let Your Child Get Flu Vaccine -- 9 Reasons Why' and writes that 'modern medicine has no explanation for autism, despite its continued rise in prevalence. Yet autism is not reported among Amish children who go unvaccinated'. October 7th Healthnews writes that 72 percent are concerned about potential vaccine side effects and the Examiner writes that' theorists believe that government may force people to take the vaccine'. October 8th Times&Transscript publishes that 'a mercury-based preservative called thimerosal would be included as one of the substances in the H1N1 vaccine', Medill Reports writes that Dr. Mayer Eisenstein is advising his patients to say no and is convinced that vaccines cause autism and the Los Angeles Times Blog publishes that media commentators Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have apparently fallen prey to the loony websites of the anti-vaccine folks and that Beck would do "the exact opposite" of what the government recommended and attend a swine flu party.
September 2009
September 8th 2009, an article on EnjoyFrance reports that France, Greece the UK and the US have or are planning to make the Swine Flus vaccination mandatory and that those opposed are afraid of contracting the Guillain Barre Syndrome or even dying, an anxiety which is, according to this article, rooted in the '76 scare. On September 11th 2009, a Spanish security firm detects a 'swine flu' computer virus and this article quotes Margaret Chan, head of WHO, that she could not imagine major pharmaceutical firms to be behind the the Swine flu outbreak. On September 21th CanadafreePress publishes that the right-wing seems as enamored as the left, when it comes to using big PhRMA to make Big Money. Moammar Gadhafi Rants at U.N. General Assembly according to this article published September 23rd and suggests that the H1N1 flu virus was a military conspiracy. The 'Right to Say ‘No’ to Vaccine' is advocated by Khaleej Times on 24th September 2009.On September 26th, the Daily Contributor publishes that Dr Kent Holtorf, an Infectious Disease Expert wouldn’t even consider having his family take the vaccine'. On September 28th, PrisonPlanet asks the question 'Where Did the H1N1 Late-2009 Flu Season Virus Come From?'.
April - August 2009
April 2009, NaturalNews reports that as Swine flu spreads, conspiracy theories of laboratory origins abound. June 25th, Nature News reports that Austrian Journalist Jane Burgermeister filed charges against WHO and UN for Bioterrorism and Intent to Commit Mass Murder. In August, the NWO Observer reports that an official UK government report is warning the British public that there will be countless deaths and that freight containers and “inflatable” storage units may be needed to provide extra mortuary space.
Read the full article with references @ www.conspirare.net
notepad publishing (a non-profit news agency based in Switzerland)
Posted by: notepad publishing | October 09, 2009 at 10:01 PM