Deadly swine flu virus in Mexico

that is good news... hopefully this will end SOOON!!

I just saw this on another forum:

"Greetings All!

I wanted to let all of you know that I just got off the phone with the CDC. I wanted them to clarify "non-essential travel" as it pertains to our situation. As of now they would NOT recommending that we cancel wedding plans as we have invested a lot of time and money in planning (therefore it is essential to us). I do understand that many of you have families that are your number one priority and that our wedding is not considered as essential to you as it is to us. Please know that we are monitoring this very closely. I will call the CDC back in a few days and will give you another update. A lot can change in 7 days.

The CDC did make several recommendations for those that still plan on traveling:

1. Call your doctor and tell them you are traveling to Mexico. Request a prescription for Tamiflu for Relenza to take with you. You will have it on hand should you start to develop any symptoms which will drastically reduce your infection. If necessary ask for several disposable masks to take with you (these will be great for pictures!).

2. Take all regular precautionary flu measures (i.e. wash your hands often or use antibacterial lotion (with 60% alcohol or more), sneeze into your sleeve, not your hand and don't shake hands with a lot of people, etc).

3. Monitor your health for seven days after your return."

Please understand that this is just another strain of the flu. Every year 300,000-500,000 people world wide die annually from the "regular flu". Mexico City is not very clean (for the most part) and is the 2nd largest city in the world with 22 MILLION people! It is of course sad that some fatalities have occurred, however 150 out of 22,000,000 is not to be unexpected from a flu outbreak like this (in other words, it is not out of the norm).

Here is a good article from CNN: Regular flu has killed thousands since January - CNN.com

Every single person outside of Mexico has survived this flu and in fact has only reported MILD strains. They are not sure why it hit Mexico City so hard, but that is currently under investigation. Cancun is about a 30 hour driving trip to Mexico City. I checked with the resort on yesterday and business is running as normal. It is reported that even in Mexico City, the flu is beginning to level out. Our contact in Mexico City states that they will re-open schools and other public places on May 6th.

** So, all in all - as long as there is not a travel ban imposed on Mexico, we plan on going! **

And as always, CNN is a great source for news. Please try and stay away from channels like FOX, etc. - they really feed off of sensationalizing these kinds of things.

A lot can and is expected to happen in the next 7 days. We of course have all of you in our thoughts and in the end it is your decision. We will continue to keep ourselves educated and updated on the situation, and hope you will do the same. If you choose to cancel I am aware that some of you have booked your trip on Expedia. We called Expedia on yesterday and they are willing to refund your hotel room fees but you will incur penalties on your airfare.

***There are 2 anti-viral medications which have proven very effective in treating this strain of the flu: those are 1) Tamiflu and 2) Relenza***

These MAY BE TAKEN AS EFFECTIVE PREVENTATIVE MEASURES if you are concerned! Just go to your doctor and tell them you are visiting Mexico and request a prescription. And hey - we don't mind if you want to wear masks - would make for some interesting photo ops!

We hope to have alleviated some of your fears, and let you know that we are thinking about everyone. We do not feel at this time that there is need for worry. Remember: "Fear" can be the worst 4 letter word out there!

I apologize that this is so long, however, I just got this from my TA and wanted to pass it along to others...

Just another little update - I wanted to let you know that all resorts are still operating as normal and have great occupancy levels. I have spoken with several resort contacts and they have informed me that all is completely normal - stores, airport, restaurants, etc are all open in the Cancun/Riviera Maya area. There have been no confirmed cases of the Flu in any of the tourist areas of Mexico...just in Mexico City, which is about 1,000 miles away. No flights to/from the United States and Mexico have been cancelled...again, everything is running as scheduled at this time...and I really do not foresee that changing. I know there have been a lot of rumors flying around and of course the media & other people love to make things sound a lot more crazy then what it really is. I understand concerns, as this is unnerving, especially since there are no so many cases in the United States. I just want to keep you informed and to let you know I am here if you need anything. I will do my best to get back with you as soon as possible.

Please take a minute to read this new article: ?Pandemic? means pay attention, not panic - Swine flu- msnbc.com

Here are some interesting clips from articles that I read today:

The threatened pandemic was the first item of business at President Obama's prime-time press conference Wednesday night. He struck a measured tone. "The most important thing right now that health officials have indicated is that we treat this the same way we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that because this is a new strain, we don't yet know how it will respond," the president said. "So we take some additional precautions — essentially take out additional insurance." Obama put aside the possibility of trying to seal the nation's border with Mexico. "It would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out," he said, "because we already have cases here in the United States."

Add it all up... Typical flu "has a typical hospital mortality rate of between 5 and 10% depending on the strain of the virus and in the most severe seasons can get as high as 15%. Currently based on the most recent figures provided in the news there are about 2,500 confirmed global cases of swine flu and there have been approximately 150 deaths. Thus, so far, the swine flu has an estimated mortality rate well within 'normal' flu limits at roughly 6%," writes James Bibbings in his Hog Heaven column at Commodities News - Quotes - Managed Futures - Funds - Stocks.

Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Swine flu, he said, "is not spreading all that rapidly. Take the St. Francis School in New York. There's been very little transmission from the schoolchildren to family members, and it certainly hasn't spread throughout Queens." But, Schaffner added, this doesn't mean we shouldn't pay attention to swine flu. "We should be alert, keep up with the information coming out daily, and take control by being attentive to your hygiene. Wash your hands very, very frequently and avoid people who are coughing and sneezing."

Here is a map to view locations:

H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps)

Morgan - you are always so helpful! I love that you're still around here helping people long after your wedding has come and gone.

Still sending lots of love and good wishes to all of you dealing with this now!

Morgan, Thank You! I feel so much better now. I have been sooo stressed that I made myself sick with a cold. I feel better now!!!

This article just came out today. It's great news for us girls! Also, in the US 36,000 people die a year from the regular flu strain. That's a lot of people that doesn't go documented by the news. However, bc the swine was new, they made it a bigger deal than it really is trying to document every little thing that could be something to worry about.

Scientists see this flu strain as relatively mild - Los Angeles Times

Just an FYI as I sit here in Mexico-I have seen a ton of people arrive in the past 24 hours and they all are saying the same thing-it was fine. My best friend just got here this morning and she was laughing because her flight was totally empty.

I am at Dreams Tulum and it is packed. You would never know there was anything wrong. Do not cancel your wedding-

Thanks Lisa! I am not going to lie-I was so upset for a few days that I just wanted to come home and hide and then my best friend came down and my other one came down today. I am not going to sit here and feel bad for myself-I am going to have a great time even if it is just the 6 of us!