To Travel or not to Travel?

With the number of Influenza A (H1N1) also known as the Mexican Flu or the Swine Flu hitting the 10,000th mark today, as an avid traveller, is that the question on your mind?

It was lucky for us that we made ou travel plans in April and by the time we stepped onto the Croatian soils again, the news of the above contagious Flu hit us. On our second day of our travel, the Flu begun to spread like wildfire but it hadn't left the country of origin (or not, no one is sure) Mexico when we completed our travels. Since then, the mood of fear is in the air. Every single traveller from Mexico is screened or in the Chinese case, the Mexicans were "contained" till the authorities were happy that the foreigners were not carriers.

Almost a month after the whole Pandemic (as WHO has raised the Pandemic to Level 4 worldwide) begun, we witnessed more than 5,000 cases in US alone with deaths in numerous countries. Countries such as the perfectly clean Japan are not spared. As of this hour, the number of cases are 200 and counting. My homeland Singapore seems to be the only one safe from all the hoo-ha at the moment. But we can never be too sure. As the standards of hygiene is not an influential factor in the spreading of this Flu.

Although global authorities have informed us that this Flu is not deadly, we are not exactly safe as vaccines are yet to be found. To the traveller, the thought of being stuck in a confined space (airplane or coach) for a few hours is a worry. You'll never know if the coughing man next to you is a carrier or simply ill.

For me, I will not take the risk. I have been through the horrifying episode of SARS in Singapore and I shall not attempt to be brave. They tell us that wearing a mask if we have a cold, washing our hands to ensure a high level of hygiene and taking lots of vitamins are the safest way to go? I tell you, the only way is NOT to travel. Yeah shoot me.