The European Union issued a warning to its citizens Monday, urging them not to travel the Mexico or the United States in the face of the growing swine flu outbreak.
EU Health Commissioner Andorra Vassiliou told reporters that Europeans should delay non-essential travel to the areas hit by swine flu, which include the U.S. and Mexico. She did not specifically mention the United States, but with 20 confirmed cases it is the second hardest hit country.
"Personally, I would try to avoid non-essential travel to the areas which are reported to be in the center of the cluster," she said.
Swine flu originated in Mexico, and although the name may suggest otherwise it is not spread by ingesting pork. The symptoms are consistent with less severe strains of influenza. However, unlike them the new swine flu is resistant to any natural immunity.
Swine flu may cause more severe vomiting and diarrhea than a normal influenza strain, resulting in severe dehydration. In some cases, the flu virus attacks the lungs, which results in possible death.
It has recently been confirmed in Spain, marking the first case in Europe and the first outside North America.
However, Richard Besser, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told CNN Monday that the travel warning is unwarranted.
"At this point, we've identified 20 cases of swine influenza in this country," he told CNN. "Thankfully, all of those people have recovered, only one of those people has required hospitalization."
However, he cautioned that there are likely to be more cases and "possibly deaths" before the influenza outbreak has calmed down.
The White House held a rare Sunday press conference over the weekend to address the swine flu outbreak, declaring it a "public health emergency."
At the briefing, Besser addressed the situation, warning that the worst may be yet to come.
"We expect to see more cases of swine flu," he said.
There are at least 20 confirmed cases in the United States in five states - New York, albeit relegated to New York City, Ohio, Texas, Kansas, and California.
President Barack Obama said Monday that the spreading swine flu is something that should raise the country's state of alert but should not be seen as a cause for alarm.
At the National Academy of Sciences, Obama said he is getting regular briefings on the situation and the public will be receiving regular updates.
"We are closely monitoring the emerging cases of swine flu in the United States," Obama said.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
May 22, 2026 14:46 ET Minutes of the latest Fed policy session was the highlight of the week along with survey data on the U.S. housing market. In Europe, survey data signaled the trends in the euro area private sector. Further, consumer price inflation data from the U.K. was in focus. In Asia, various economic indicators from China drew attention to the health of the economy.