Is Swine Flu worth the hype?

May 3, 3:52 PMNorthern California Getaways ExaminerMichele Bigley

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OK, people, take a step back and breathe for a minute.

I read all this talk about Mexico closing the country for five days, Egypt killing off its pigs, and people flooding doctors offices at the slightest sneeze. Sure, the spread of a tough strain of flu is something to pay attention to, but need we all become alarmist about it?

The flu, you know the one you had this year, kills over 10,000 Americans each year. How many people have died from the swine flu? 176 in Mexico? 1 in Texas?

Are we, in the wake of George Bush's presidency and their reaction to September 11th, so used to fear that we can't put this thing in perspective, just a little. Besides the tough Recession hurting our country, it is kicking Mexico's bootie as well. Tourism rates in the country have dropped to 20% in the last week. Basically, the country is ailing worse than its flu victims.

Now, I am not advising you to go into harms way, but do exercise some mental exercise of your own. How many cases of the flu has been reported in the place you were meant to travel to? For example Nayarit state, home to Sayulita,  and Jalisco, home to Puerto Vallarta, have zero cases. Yet cruise ships are docking in San Francisco instead.

I want to remind you all that tragedies strike. And we humans always recover. Usually with a little help. It took tourists a few months to feel safe back in Thailand after the tsunami, but what a welcome they received, with super sweet deals to up the ante! I guarantee that once Mexico "reopens" next week, if you go on travel-ticker, expedia, travelzoo and orbitz, your jaw will drop at the way local purveyors are trying to lure back the dollar.