A Swine of the Times

Last week I booked a ticket to go visit my favorite ex-pat Stefi who currently resides in Monterrey, Mexico. But because of the current drug wars, my parents weren't too caliente on me gallivanting south of the border with my partner in crime and endless tequila.

Apparently, that was just the beginning of the crisis de Mexico. Hola, Swine Flu pandemic.

Now it looks like I'm not the only gringo who had to cancel their Mexican vacay.

I've been watching CNN all day, trying to understand the severity of this piggy problem and I'm still not sure how I feel about the situation. President Obama said not to panic, but it seems that the media is creating an international hype. Swine Flu is hogging up the news.

To get a better understanding of Swine Flu outside the Twitterworld and U.S. media, I talked to my Latinista corespondent, Stefi. She informed me that all schools in Mexico are closed until May 6 - conveniently the day after Cindo de Mayo. Also, their government is warning people not to kiss and to stay away from large crowds.

From my experience, Mexicans love to give besos and they are almost always in large groups. Passion and huge crowds practically make up Mexican culture.

Stefi says that she is trying to stay in, wash her hands like an OCD patient, and take mucho Vitamin C. Guess that means she won't be after-partying at discotec A.M. this weekend. ¡Cuídate Stefi!

149 deaths have been reported in Mexico, and there are 43 confirmed cases in the U.S. The World Health Organization just raised the Swine Flu pandemic to Level 4, two steps short of a full-blown pandemic. But Janet Napolitano reports that Americans won't be wearing masks à la SARS any time soon.

So who do we listen to? Twitterheads? Media pundits? Bloggers? Perez Hilton? Until our country can get a true grasp on what is happening both at home and below the border, we will continue to create a state of panic and confusion. Please try not to go Outbreak on us.

Nobody knows how severe this is going to get, but I think I'll skip carnitas at Chipotle, avoid Latin lovers, and wash my hands like crazy.

¡Aye dios mio!

The Swine Flu's passport worked in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South America, Australia, and counting. Looks like this little pig can fly.