CDC: Avoid Non-Essential Travel to Mexico
Monday April 27, 2009
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending that US travelers avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. The recommendation comes after forty cases of swine flu were confirmed in the United States, though all cases in the US so far have been relatively mild, unlike in Mexico where some 150 people are believed to have died from the illness. Read the CDC Travel Warning.
The WHO has updated its pandemic alert level to 4, meaning that the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human and is able to cause community-level outbreaks. The WHO has not changed its recommendations about travel to Mexico:
"WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders. It is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention, in line with guidance from national authorities." - WHO Web Site
Mexico City is at a stand-still with schools, museums, theaters, and other institutions closed, and the mayor has said that if the situation worsens the entire public transport system will be shut down. All schools in Mexico are closed until May 6 in an effort to curb the spread of the swine flu virus.
There is a popular travel company to Mexico – Funjet Vacations – that is lying to customers and not providing accurate state department and CDC warnings. They shouldn’t be booked ever, but the people that did, they will not treat you fairly.
Frank, you don’t say what your specific complaint is with Funjet Vacations. The CDC just updated the travel warning yesterday afternoon – up until that time they had been saying that they did not plan to restrict travel. It will take a little while for the travel companies to deal with this news and decide how to deal with it. It may well take them 24 hours or so to formulate their policy in the face of this new development, and update their websites.
I have LIVED here in Cancun in the hotel zone since 1996 and nothing has ever changed. It is as safe as it was then,now. We are so isolated from the rest of Mexicos problems and the gentle Mayan people do no harm…swine flu is no where to be found here and we just have the place to ourselves until the Media lets up. Oh well!
Iam an American living in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. First I need to say, I have never been shot at by any drug cartel at all in the last four years living in Mexico. Second, the Swine Flu is not in Baja California Sur as reported by our news in the states to avoid all travel to Mexico. It is safe to travel here to Cabo. Beautiful beaches and resorts await you all. Don’t get caught up in this hype from the news. After a week of destroying the tourism in Mexico. CDC and Homeland Security finally state that the A-H1N1 is just the common flu, go figure. Come to Cabo and leave you worries behind.