CDC Kicks Off National Travelers' Health Public Awareness Campaign

/PRNewswire/ -- Every holiday season, millions of Americans travel through the nation's airports, seaports, and train stations to spend time with loved ones. Special holiday get-togethers - and traveling itself - bring people close together but also provide an ideal way for illness to spread. To help travelers avoid the flu this holiday season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today launched its largest ever public awareness campaign about staying healthy while traveling.

"The holidays are one of the busiest travel times of the year," said Anne Schuchat, M.D., director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. "People are in close contact - whether they're on a plane, train, ship or just visiting with loved ones. This campaign provides practical advice to help travelers prepare for their trips and stay healthy during their holiday travel."

CDC is urging people to take the following steps when planning their travel and to stay informed about what to do if they get sick while they're gone, including:

-- Traveling only when they are feeling well
-- Getting vaccinated for flu (both seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 if they
are in a priority group)
-- Washing hands often
-- Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve

"We know that flu - and specifically H1N1 this year - is a big concern for people, but flu shouldn't ruin the holidays," Dr. Schuchat said. "By practicing a little prevention, people can enjoy their holidays and stay well at the same time."

CDC developed the campaign in response to the emergence in April of the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. Since then, flu has spread throughout the country and around the world. In the United States, it has accounted for millions of cases and more than 4,000 deaths since April.

CDC launched the campaign at a joint event with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today in Washington, D.C. The campaign will run through the holiday season and use a variety of media, including informational posters at major airports, ports of entry and border crossings; national radio and print advertising; and social media and online outreach. CDC will also partner with local health departments, travel professionals, health care professionals, and colleges and universities to further educate the public. Campaign themes include "Prevention can be Travel-Sized" and "Stop, Wash and Go."

For more information about the CDC Travelers' Health campaign, recommendations regarding travel, visit http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/novel-h1n1-flu.aspx. For more information about the H1N1 virus, visit www.flu.gov.

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Updated CDC Travel Health Book Released

/PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Yellow Book includes new or expanded sections on medical tourism, traveling safely with chronic diseases and conditions, and expert perspectives on popular travel itineraries worldwide. The updated book, which is a definitive guide for healthy international travel, is now available online.

Nicknamed for its yellow cover, the health guide updated every two years is officially titled CDC Health Information for

International Travel. The resource provides travel health recommendations and other features that help international travelers prepare for trips and stay healthy while abroad.

"The profile of the international traveler is changing. Increasingly, we're seeing older Americans traveling with chronic medical conditions. The new Yellow Book provides tips to help these travelers, and all international travelers, be healthy," said Dr. Gary Brunette, chief of CDC's Travelers' Health Branch and managing editor of the 2010 Yellow Book.

The Yellow Book includes for the first time a section on medical tourism, the growing practice of traveling internationally for medical procedures and leisure activities in one trip. In 2006, more than half a million Americans traveled abroad for health care, according to one survey.

"More people are traveling abroad for medical reasons, often to undergo medical procedures at cheaper rates than they might get in the United States. Medical standards can vary by country, and traveling soon after a medical procedure can carry its own set of health risks. We're providing new recommendations to help people who choose medical tourism to do it as safely as possible," Brunette said.

A new section highlights select international destinations that are popular but may be unfamiliar to doctors advising travelers. CDC asked travel health experts with particular knowledge of these areas to write the new sections to give readers a sense of what it's really like to be there and what health risks exist at each location. The nine highlighted itineraries include Cuzco-Machu Pichu in Peru, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Iguassu Falls in South America, safaris in eastern and southern Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, and trips to India, China, Costa Rica and Nepal.

The 2010 edition also includes these new features:
-- In-depth information about 20 additional diseases that travelers might
not be familiar with, such as anthrax and scabies
-- A discussion on mental health and travel
-- A section about drug-drug and drug-vaccine interactions, which is
especially important since travelers may be recommended to take a
number of vaccines and medications before and during travel
-- A section about common respiratory infections in travelers
-- More in-depth information about common post-travel illnesses, such as
persistent travelers' diarrhea and fever, their causes, and when to
seek treatment


Popular past features have been updated in the 2010 edition. These topics include jet lag, cruise ship travel, traveling with disabilities, traveling with infants and children, international adoptions, and immigrants returning to visit their native countries.

The Yellow Book is published in hard copy by Elsevier Inc., and is available at bookstores, through Internet book sellers, or by contacting Elsevier at 1-800-545-2522 or www.us.elsevierhealth.com. The Yellow book content also is available at CDC's Traveler's Health Web site, www.cdc.gov/travel. The Web site allows travelers to look up information by travel destination and find information about basic travel health preparations as well as what to do if they get sick or injured while traveling. The site is updated as new travel health threats emerge and other new information becomes available.

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Deals Proliferate as Flu Travel Alert Lifted from Mexico

(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as the U.S. Department of State have now lifted their recommendations that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. This is good news for the travel industry, and it may be good news to consumers looking to stretch their vacation budget this summer.

Travel Experts report that recent events in Mexico have created a textbook example of a true “buyer’s market,” with hotel rates often 50% below what they were last summer. Hotels, resorts, airlines and other leaders within the travel industry are moving quickly to recapture lost revenue with extremely aggressive pricing to Mexico destinations.

Among the first to announce a major sale to Mexico is leading travel website BookIt.com who has released a “Half Price Flights to Mexico Sale.” The limited time sale combines low hotel rates with up to $600 in flight credits - delivering flights from most major airports at half price.

“Mexico is back in business for travelers – in a very big way,” said Jesse Henson, BookIt.com Vice President of Marketing. “With resorts and airlines competing for business, plus our new sale offering flight credits worth up to $600 – there are literally once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to experience an incredible Mexico vacation for a fraction of the cost.”

BookIt.com deals to Mexico include, but aren’t limited to:

* Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach All-Inclusive Resort in the Riviera Maya - $600 Flight Credit with 7 night booking
* Moon Palace Golf & Spa All-Inclusive Resort in Cancun - $400 Flight Credit with 7 night booking
* Melia Cabo Real All-Inclusive Resort in Los Cabos - $400 Flight Credit with 7 night booking
* Vallarta Palace All-Inclusive Resort in Nuevo Vallarta - $400 Flight Credit with 7 night booking

Visit www.mexico.bookit.com for details on the “BookIt.com® Half Price Flights to Mexico Sale.”

According to the official U.S. Department of State website, “The Department of State wishes to inform U.S. citizens traveling to and residing in Mexico that on May 15, 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted its recommendation that American citizens avoid all nonessential travel to Mexico. As a result of the CDC's decision, the State Department's Travel Alert relating to the 2009-H1N1 influenza outbreak is no longer in effect.” See the full release online here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_3028.html.

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