This whole thing is crazy. I'm going to Ireland in two weeks, and for a second I was thinking about cancelling because of just the fear of being on an airplane at all....but I think I"m just feeling the panic from the media hype, and no way am I cancelling. If I get nervous I'll just wear a mask....it is scary though

Going through passport control (or whatever it's called--where they just usually stamp your passport, few/no questions asked) took a long time in PHL on Tues. We couldn't figure what was taking so long with some people, and then I saw that a plane from Cancun arrived a few minutes ahead of ours from CDG. We sailed right through--no questions, but my guess is that they were spending lots more time with the folks getting off the Cancun plane. So my assumption is that it's already taking more time in airports; we had two hours between connections to PIT but it took every minute of that. Some personnel in airport were wearing masks.

Since the "fear" of germs on the plane has arrived.
http://www.aviation.com/travel/08050...on-planes.html


Basically the study (and others like it) show that the air in the plane is safer then the air on the ground!

As for a mask..... Healthcare Workers wear masks not to keep from catching something but to keep from infecting someone during "procedures" (or to keep from getting spashed with body fluids) Your real risk is touch. So don't kiss the Flight Attendanta and have a good flight!

As to getting through passport control..... I gess PHL is better then ATL. Two hours is NOT enough here on a NORMAL day. We specalize in Rude and inefficent. LOL!

I am not aware of any non-Mexican person on this planet dying from this renamed almost (stage 5) pandemic. The 23 month old child who died outside of Mexico had traveled out of Mexico. I grow more and more concerned each day about the way the news is reported to us all. Most people seem to have got over this form of influenza during a course of Tamiflu or other existing drug. I dont prescribe to complacent behavour but remain concerned about the way politicians seem to influence the news and the extent to which news has become core entertainment.

The media is hyping this to the point that people panic for no reason. Folks need to use common sense (like - gee, if you have a fever, DON'T go to work like you usually do!!! wash your hands, cover your mouth when you cough ;-), and educate themselves... as was mentioned before, no one has died but folks in Mexico - and those have been poor people with little or no health care. Thousands of people have died THIS year from the flu - regular flu - and how many have died so far from swine flu? And those affected so far have exhibited mild symptoms. I am traveling to Greece in a few weeks - have no plans to change anything and am hoping that some sanity comes to the media so that this can be clarified and the panic sybsides rather than ratchets up.

Travel insurance - from today's Sydney Morning Herald -'Travellers refused Mexican waive' -

http://tinyurl.com/crzw86

I don't understand this hysteria. The only place I won't go is Mexico and I started that before Swine Flu because of the drug wars.

35-40 thousand people die every year in the U.S. from the flu and we don't shut ever thing down and stay home.

I'm from Texas and they just shut down every academic/music/athletic competition for two weeks right as we are going into state finals. Some school district have shut down. Ft Worth has 80,000 students. They shut down all their campuses after a couple of kids in one school got it.

Yet we don't shut down the border--go figure! The only death in the U.S. was a Mexican girl who was visiting across the border in a border town.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...Swine-Flu.aspx

Sorry but I don't know enough about computers to make this link work by just clicking on it. However, it's an interesting spin on the swine flu issue from a noted doctor who has the insight and intelligence to question mainstream medicine. It's on Dr. Mercola's site.

Yo, I think the link actually works.

Emmanuel, Obama's chief of staff, is quoted as saying something like, "never waste a crisis."
So is this getting hyped up for political and money (drug co's) purposes? Duh, ya think?

I have been using a product called Flight Spray, a natural anti-bacterial and antiseptic nose spray. I purchase it from the Magellan (800-962-4943; item #KR897 @ $15.85) when I fly.

Actually I keep one in my purse at all times and use it frequently, when in crowds, in a waiting room at a doctor's office, etc.

To put this into some perspective, the flu (all types) kills 36,000 people in every year in the USA: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

According to a worst-case scenario published today, Swine flu would kill at most 1700 in USA. Of course, no one wants to be one of the ones killed. But I do not understand the sudden hysteria over Swine flu while there is total complacency over the huge numbers of people killed every year by non-Swine flu.

Maizy, May 1

We are going to Italy for sure, in a few weeks.

Ah, just don't kiss any pigs, and you will be fine!

Disclaimer: not ALL men are pigs.

Update from WHO today:

No rationale for travel restrictions
1 May 2009 -- WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus. Today, international travel moves rapidly, with large numbers of individuals visiting various parts of the world. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community.

Influenza A(H1N1) has already been confirmed in many parts of the world. The focus now is on minimizing the impact of the virus through the rapid identification of cases and providing patients with appropriate medical care, rather than on stopping its spread internationally. Furthermore, although identifying the signs and symptoms of influenza in travellers can be an effective monitoring technique, it is not effective in reducing the spread of influenza as the virus can be transmitted from person to person before the onset of symptoms. Scientific research based on mathematical modelling indicates that restricting travel will be of limited or no benefit in stopping the spread of disease. Historical records of previous influenza pandemics, as well as experience with SARS, have validated this point.

Travellers can protect themselves and others by following simple recommendations related to travel aimed at preventing the spread of infection. Individuals who are ill should delay travel plans and returning travellers who fall ill should seek appropriate medical care. These recommendations are prudent measures which can limit the spread of many communicable diseases and not only influenza A(H1N1).