In the spring of 2009 were hearing a lot about an outbreak of swine flu that apparently has a focal point in Mexico. What are the chances of getting swine flu at this mission camp?
In early spring the swine flu outbreak was widely and frequently reported in the national news media. Health officials were warning that this disease might become a very deadly pandemic. However, as time has gone on it appears that this strain of flu does not (thankfully) pose the level of risk first feared. Several weeks after the flu first appeared there have been (as of May 2009) only 4 deaths in the U.S. and less than 30 deaths in Mexico (compared to a normal flu bug that kills about 35,000 people in the U.S. each year). In Mexico, the vast majority of swine flu cases have been centered around Mexico Cityover 500 miles away from where we have camp in Nuevo Laredo. As of this writing, there have been NO confirmed cases of swine flu near the border area where well be. Of course, we continue to monitor current border situations, but at this point it appears that swine flu is not a relevant concern for Crossing Borders program.
