Hautter

MAY 15th UPDATE - WELCOME BACK!

It's official!
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has officially removed the travel warning for Mexico. The first cruise ships have returned to Los Cabos, the planes are filling up, and business has resumed as usual. Make sure to take a look at our event calendar as you plan your trip back to sunny Los Cabos!

MAY 11th UPDATE

Concerns about A(H1N1) (aka Swine Flu) last week led some visitors to cancel upcoming trips to Los Cabos and other resort areas in Baja California Sur, Mexico. We at Hautter.com are still scratching our heads and asking, why? Even today, over a week after the media first sounded the hype, there are still 0 cases of Swine Flu here in Los Cabos, La Paz, Todos Santos, and the East Cape. Not 1, not 3, not 4 (or 2,600, as in the US) but ZERO.

In fact, as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently reported, the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) acting director Dr. Richard Besser has stated “Most new cases of [A(H1N1)] in the United States are now caused by person-to-person transmission and not some link to Mexico.”

That's right-- although A(H1N1) may have started in Mexico City (over 1,000 miles away from Baja Sur), the recently reported cases are being transmitted from person-to-person, just like regular flu, and have nothing to do with Mexico at all. Your biggest risk of obtaining A(H1N1) is from the people around you, especially if they are coughing or sneezing. Yet A(H1N1) is as easy to prevent as the common seasonal flu, and so far, it's much less deadly-- only 3 deaths have been recorded in the US, and each of those victims had “many” underlying health risks, according to the CDC, that made any illness dangerous. Although sad, 3 out of 3,204, in our opinion, is not cause for panic, especially considering that approximately 36,000 Americans die each year from the ordinary seasonal influenza.

Plus, A(H1N1), which has received a lot of press for its unusual viral makeup, is relatively easy to treat. Dr. Alvaro Atilano, of Integrated Medical Services in Los Cabos said today, “American's should not worry about traving to Cabo. In fact, Ameri-Med in Cabo San Lucas has a Quick Detection Test for A(H1N1). If a person is found to have suspected case of A(H1N1) from the test results, then the possible patient would be treated using standard anti-viral medications, such as Tamiflu or Relenza, which are readily available to medical professionals if needed to treat a confirmed case of A(H1N1).”

Dr. Alvaro Atilano

And to date, there are still several hundred more confirmed cases of A(H1N1) in the United States than in Mexico. (See details on this regularly-updated map http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com) California, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arizona, Texas and New York have the most number of confirmed cases. California has 191 cases alone; Illinois, 487; and Wisconsin, 384! Compare that to the number of cases in the state of Baja California Sur, where Los Cabos is located: 0!

Today, Los Cabos and Baja Sur are better than ever, especially for those of us lucky enough to live here! We're in one of the few places in North America UNTOUCHED by this flu.

When asked if they're worried about Swine Flu in Cabo, Derrick and Anastasia Grahn (Americans who live and work full time in Cabo San Lucas) said, “Absolutely not.” Derrick went on to say, “We are actually more concerned about an upcoming trip we have planned to visit family in Wisconsin and Ohio. This will be the first time we have visited family in the US with our five month old son, who was born here in Los Cabos.”

“The odds for getting the flu are low,” Anastasia added. “Getting in an auto accident by driving a car, for example, is far riskier.”

Today, since most new cases are occurring person-to-person, you are probably safer in Los Cabos and Baja Sur than in most of the United States. Especially considering the area's low population density and geographical isolation from large, populous cities.

And the Baja Sur State Tourism Ministry is taking special precautions to keep it that way. After thoroughly disinfecting all downtown tourist areas and shutting down schools and some offices as an early precaution, we appear to have nipped any risk in the bud. Our Ministry of Tourism now recommends NO unusual precautions whatsoever, deeming the municipalities of Los Cabos and La Paz safe and healthy, and has discouraged any businesses from shutting down for any reason related to flu.

Furthermore, at the Los Cabos International Airport, the Secretary of Public Health (SEP) is screening passengers for signs of flu as they go in and out to make EXTRA sure that no flu enters or leaves the area. To date, this has been a successful operation-- as there are still NO CASES IN BAJA SUR WHATSOEVER!

The primary ways to prevent the spread of influenza (be it A(H1N1) or the common Flu) are simple and easy to follow. If you take these precautions, you should be fine-- no matter where you are:

• Stay home if you or a family member are sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash your hands frequently and thouroughly, in hot soapy water, or use an alcohol-based hand cleanser throughout the day.

Again, unless you yourself are sick, there is still no reason to cancel a trip to Los Cabos, or to anywhere for that matter. And since many did cancel last week during the first days of fear and panic, you're actually in luck; many Los Cabos hotels, such as Casa Dorada and ME by Meliã Cabo are offering special deals this month. Airlines are also offering discounts to encourage more people to head south.

So call your travel agent or use your favorite travel websites to book your trip today, and take advantage of Baja Sur's beautiful weather this time of year!

Interesting Baja Sur and Los Cabos items of note:

• There will soon be 9 championship golf courses in Los Cabos
• San José del Cabo now has more than 20 galleries in its historic district, which you can visit during a weekly Art Walk until the end of May, and a thriving Organic Market every Saturday morning until the end of May.
• Cabo San Lucas is spending millions to widen its main avenue and move improved utility wires underground in order to modernize its downtown and make it a more attractive walking city.
• New developments like Cabo Riviera on the East Cape are creating new resort attractions within an hour of Los Cabos and La Paz.

For more about Los Cabos, read our ARTICLES, BLOGS or read CABO NOCHE MAGAZINE.

Map of Swine Flu as of May 9th, 2009

Resources:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
http://www.ajc.com/health/content/shared-auto/healthnews/cdc-/626964.html
The World Health Organization:
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/
The New York Times on A(H1N1) Flu:
http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/influenza/swine_influenza/index.html

APRIL 30th UPDATE

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the alert level, they are still sticking by their original recommendations-- "WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders." (See View this publishing on WHO's website at: www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_30_a/en/index.html

Meanwhile, although the number of confirmed cases has risen slightly, the number is still higher in the US (with 109 confirmed cases) and Mexico government officials say that cases are "leveling off" in the capital city and surrounding areas. The Center for Disease Control and other U.S. arms of government continue to recommend normal precautions: washing hands often and covering your mouth when you sneeze. And, as has been the case since last week, there are still ZERO CASES OF SWINE FLU IN ALL OF LOS CABOS AND NO CASES IN BAJA SUR, MEXICO, the state in which Los Cabos is located. Currently, Los Cabos and the entire state of Baja California Sur is safer than many U.S. cities and states.

APRIL 28th, 2009

Map of Swine Flu as of April 28th, 2009

Here in Los Cabos, we have managed to stay safe from Swine Flu. This means Los Cabos is safer than California, Texas, Kansas, New York, and other states who have reported confirmed cases of Swine Flu.

In Los Cabos, the sun is still shining, the Sea of Cortez is heating up after a mild winter, and the margaritas keep pouring. We assembled this list of facts to help you ease your mind and enjoy your trip safely and securely.

Facts

FACT: As of today (April 28, 2009), there have only been 26 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu in the entire country of Mexico. And there have been 64 laboratory confirmed cases in the U.S.!

FACT: A total of 0 of those cases occurred in Los Cabos. A total of 0 of those cases occurred in the entire state of Baja Sur (where Los Cabos is located).

FACT: Although the media is reporting that "152 people have died" in Mexico, these deaths have not been confirmed cases of Swine Flu.

FACT: US President Barack Obama today began a speech imploring Americans not to be alarmed and reminding the globe that both the U.S. and Mexico have sophisticated and well-coordinated systems in place to control and mediate the spread of any disease.

FACT: What the media ISN'T telling you is that 36,000 Americans die each year from the ordinary, regular and common seasonal flu. So although we are right to be alarmed by any contagious disease, particularly one like this which appears to be transmitted from human-to-human, so far, even the World Health Organization (WHO) has NOT recommended a travel alert, stating "WHO advises no restriction of regular travel or closure of borders."
View this publishing on WHO's website at: www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_27/en/index.html.

FACT: Swine flu is a type of influenza, or flu, that originated in pigs. This strain has been transmitted to humans and from human-to-human. That's why the media jumped on it; the occurrence of a flu of this type is out of the ordinary.

FACT: This swine flu is very similar to ordinary seasonal flu in that it appears to respond to antiviral treatment and transmission can be prevented with a few simple steps. In other words, wash your hands (in hot water) or use alcohol-based hand cleaners on a regular basis (70% alcohol strength), cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing and discard the tissue, and wipe down surfaces that may have been touched by anyone carrying germs with an alcohol-based cleaner, too. These are ordinary safety precautions, effective even to prevent the common cold!

FACT: Swine Flu is safer than your car! Keeping all of this perspective, in the U.S. alone, there are well over 100 deaths every single day caused by automobile related accidents. With Swine Flu, the odds are far less and chances for recovery are far greater. If you are thinking about not traveling due to Swine Flu, then you should probably refrain from driving too!

Click on image to view map.

Now, that isn't to say that Los Cabos is immune from the disease. We are only pointing out the facts. As of today, April 28th, 2009, there are NO REPORTED CASES of Swine Flu here in Los Cabos, or in the entire state on Baja California Sur, Mexico, the peninsula state where Los Cabos is located.

Many people do not fully comprehend the geographical location and isolation of Los Cabos. Did you know that the closest reports of "possible" Swine Flu are 1,000+ miles by car from Los Cabos? Depending where you may live in the United States (or elsewhere) in the world, geographically speaking, you may be far SAFER in Los Cabos. In fact, Los Cabos is so isolated from Mexico's mainland, that news travels quite slow to us here! But we've caught wind of the hype, and we want to assure regular Cabo visitors and even our Cabo neighbors that this swine flu thing may not be as widespread as the U.S. and world media are portraying it right now. For example, the media says things like "Mexico" when referring to a city or state no matter where it is in Mexico. When the "world media gods" report cases in San Diego or LA, why don't they simply say "United States," as they do when reporting on isolated cities in Mexico? We are unsure why the world media's standards and ethics allow for such lax labeling of Mexico, yet standards remain strict and detailed in reports about the U.S.. Frankly, this irresponsible misreporting of Cabo is quite frustrating for us here at Hautter.com, which is why we wrote this blog.

For more information, follow our updates on Twitter (www.twitter.com/hautter), read the Center for Disease Control's tips on preventing flu transmission at www.cdc.gov/germstopper, or visit the World Health organization website at www.who.int.