Traveling During the Swine Flu Outbreak

Just a week before a trip to Brazil, news started to emerge about Swine Flu. Within days, swine flu was on every news channel, every paper and media channel. I hadn't given it much thought until attending a disaster planning symposium sponsored by the Los Angeles Deptartment of Health. There was much adoo about Swine flu. A professional in disaster planning said she wouldn't travel anywhere if she didn't have to. Another suggested buying a mask and wearing it all the way from L.A. to my final destination in Brazil. Another asked if I hadn't gotten tamaflu as a precaution...which, admittedly I hadn't thought of.

After carefully following the travel nurses recommendations about vaccinations for yellow fever, typoid fever, Hep A, and boosters for measles and tetanus - Swine flu threatened a safe trip. My primary care physician was wonderful and after explaining my concern, he prescribed tamaflu. Little did I know how difficult it would be to obtain. There was a run on it. But thankfully, I was referred topharmacy and $50 later - had tamaflu in hand. I read that the US only has enough tamaflu for 16% of its population and many other countries fared less well statistically.

After a long flight, there is nothing like being greeting by a representative wearing a mask handing out warning flyers in English, Spanish and Portuguese. In fact, all the customs folks were wearing masks. There were a few folks that wore mask in the flight from Miami to Sao Paulo but I didn't see any masks being worn 8 hours into the flight. I did see lots of folks with their hand sanitizers. I am happy to report - I have no flu like symptoms and my travel plans have gone according to plan. So far.