The swine flu outbreak should not stop people from flying or using mass transit unless they have flu-like symptoms, the nation's top health official said Thursday.
"I think flying is safe," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Going on the subway is safe. People should go out and live their lives."
Only people who have flu-like symptoms such as a cough and fever should avoid boarding a plane, Besser said.
Besser's statement contrasted with Vice President Joe Biden's on NBC's "Today" show. Biden, who has a reputation for making off-the-cuff remarks, said he advised his family to stay away from planes and subways.
"I would tell members of my family -- and I have -- that I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now," Biden said.
The remarks drew swift rebukes from the airline industry, prompting Biden's office to issue a statement suggesting he was talking only about travel to Mexico.
The CDC and the World Health Organization based in Geneva have not imposed restrictions although the CDC recommends avoiding nonessential travel to Mexico.
Major U.S. airlines are allowing those who booked trips to Mexico before the outbreak to reschedule or change destinations without penalty.
Besser said the CDC had confirmed 109 swine flu cases in the United States, but none in Pennsylvania, as of yesterday afternoon. The state Department of Health is awaiting test results of four probable cases, three in Philadelphia and one in Montgomery County.
Tests were negative in five of six suspected cases in Allegheny County. Results of one test are pending.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday raised its pandemic alert to phase 5, its second-highest level, indicating the H1N1 virus is spreading in at least two countries. Swiss drugmaker Roche is stepping up production of the antiviral drug Tamiflu, a WHO official said.
Besser encouraged people to use commonsense precautions such as washing their hands, covering their mouths when coughing and staying home from work if they are sick.
Typical swine flu symptoms include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite and coughing, although some people develop a runny nose, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea, the CDC said.
The first swine flu-related death in the United States involved a 22-month-old Mexican child visiting Houston with his family.
"I do expect that there will be more deaths," Besser said, noting that the seasonal flu in the United States kills about 36,000 people a year.
Luis Fabregas can be reached at lfabregas@tribweb.com or 412-320-7998. To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review