I met an interesting fellow a month or so ago named Roger Dow. He’s the head of the US Travel Association and is the point man when administration officials say things that are bad for travel in the US. He roasted some senators after they declared that trips to Vegas and to the Superbowl were a bad idea, and now he has an even bigger headache–Big Mouth Vice President Joe Biden.
Biden was on the Today Show this morning, declaring that he told his family not to ride in airplanes or on subway cars because of concerns about getting the Swine Flu. Airline reps have called his claims ‘fear mongering’ and as usual, his office is now backing away from their bosses overblown statements. Within two hours, word came that Joe was talking about travel to Mexico, not just across the US. He said that germs from one sneeze ‘go all the way through the aircraft,’ but the CDC doesn’t go as far.
This more knowledgable organization recommends avoiding nonessential travel to Mexico but not any other travel, such as to other countries or across the US. The White House Medical staff has this to add that shows the VP is not correct in his statements: Influenza is transmitted through respiratory droplets that travel between 3 to 6 feet when an affected individual coughs or sneezes. In addition, the influenza virus may survive approximately 2 hours when affected individuals wipe their hands on surfaces such as doorknobs or tables.
