Spring Break
Denver travelers still head to Mexico despite flu
Ivan Moreno - Associated Press
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: News
DENVER (AP) - Mexico-bound travelers stocked up on surgical masks and hand sanitizer before leaving Denver on Monday but said they wouldn't change their plans despite a U.S. government travel advisory because of swine flu.
"A hundred people a day probably die in Mexico City in car wrecks," said Jeff Henderson, 39, who was headed to a friend's wedding in Mexico. "It's just playing the odds, really."
More than 1,600 cases of swine flu have been reported in Mexico, and the suspected death toll is nearly 150. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said an advisory was being prepared suggesting Americans avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.
Megan Tschopp, 28, and Isabel Hedges, 25, both of Jackson, Wyo., were flying from Denver to Guatemala for a six-week Spanish course with a stopover in Mexico City. They picked up surgical masks on their way to the airport and then turned off their cell phones so they wouldn't get flooded with calls from worried relatives.
"I mean, there's nothing they can do," Tschopp said.
No swine flu deaths have been reported in the U.S, and only one hospitalization.
Lori Maldonado of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said no swine flu cases had been reported in Colorado.
The state health department opened its emergency operations center and set up a phone line (877-462-2911 ) to answer questions. The state also asked the federal government for antiviral drugs and masks as a precaution.
The U.S. stepped up checks of people entering the country by air, land and sea, but Denver International Airport officials said they were taking only normal precautions.
Transportation Security Administration workers in Denver were allowed to wear gloves and masks but weren't required to, airport spokesman Jeff Green said.
Green said the airport had its normal contingent of paramedics on duty but no extra staff. If an incoming flight crew noticed passengers with symptoms, a paramedic would board the plane to check, but that's normal procedure, he said.
"A hundred people a day probably die in Mexico City in car wrecks," said Jeff Henderson, 39, who was headed to a friend's wedding in Mexico. "It's just playing the odds, really."
More than 1,600 cases of swine flu have been reported in Mexico, and the suspected death toll is nearly 150. The U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said an advisory was being prepared suggesting Americans avoid nonessential travel to Mexico.
Megan Tschopp, 28, and Isabel Hedges, 25, both of Jackson, Wyo., were flying from Denver to Guatemala for a six-week Spanish course with a stopover in Mexico City. They picked up surgical masks on their way to the airport and then turned off their cell phones so they wouldn't get flooded with calls from worried relatives.
"I mean, there's nothing they can do," Tschopp said.
No swine flu deaths have been reported in the U.S, and only one hospitalization.
Lori Maldonado of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said no swine flu cases had been reported in Colorado.
The state health department opened its emergency operations center and set up a phone line (877-462-2911 ) to answer questions. The state also asked the federal government for antiviral drugs and masks as a precaution.
The U.S. stepped up checks of people entering the country by air, land and sea, but Denver International Airport officials said they were taking only normal precautions.
Transportation Security Administration workers in Denver were allowed to wear gloves and masks but weren't required to, airport spokesman Jeff Green said.
Green said the airport had its normal contingent of paramedics on duty but no extra staff. If an incoming flight crew noticed passengers with symptoms, a paramedic would board the plane to check, but that's normal procedure, he said.
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