'Tis the season for giving thanks.
But on this Thanksgiving, people may have been spreading more than cheer.
Travel and close contact between family and friends may have caused an increase in swine flu cases, health officials said.
"When you close schools and have a whole bunch of families mixing from around the country, you're going to certainly be exposed to possibly even cold viruses that haven't made it to your neighborhood or city yet," said Joe Quimby, senior press officer at the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This Thanksgiving travel season, Nov. 20 to Sunday, nearly 1.5 million people were expected to come through Los Angeles International Airport, spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said.
According to the CDC, there has been a recent decline in the number of reported cases of the H1N1 virus, but the virus is still widespread in 43 states.
"It's tough to predict what the future will hold when it comes to influenza," Quimby said. "It's a very unpredictable disease. I think if you look back at recent years worth of flu surveillance, there has been a slight uptick (during holiday travel)."
The CDC estimates that 22million people have been infected with the H1N1 virus since April and 4,000 have died from the virus. The health agency urges people to travel only if they are well, get vaccinated against swine and seasonal flu, wash their hands often and cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve.
Officials at schools and colleges said precautionary measures have been put in place to prevent the spread of the swine flu at their campuses, but they are unsure of the effects of students' travel plans this week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. To see more of the San Bernardino County Sun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sbsun.com. Copyright (c) 2009, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif. 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, San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.