Flu does what drug lords couldn’t

Remember when the warnings went out to folks thinking of Mexico as a destination for spring break? Beware the violence that erupts around drug gangs who don’t care if innocents are injured or killed. Many people canceled, but others weren’t convinced because they would be in resort areas typically immune to the violence that occurs mostly in off-the-beaten paths where trafficking is rampant.

Now there’s no place to hide in Mexico. The flu knows no boundaries or social strata.

Any Alaskan thinking about going to Mexico now — regardless of location — would be stupid. Mexico City, believed to be near the epicenter of the outbreak, is for all practical purposes, at a standstill. Border towns in Texas have eliminated activities that would include large groups, such as sporting events. One school in New York is closed after its students returned from a spring break in Mexico. Most of the students were infected and the rest probably will be.

Alaska may seem safe from the outbreak because the distance from the Mexican border, and likely we are better off than most states. But Alaskans like to travel.

Aside from personal safety, any Alaskan who goes or has gone to Mexico recently can bring it home to the rest of us.

So it’s only prudent to think of people who have traveled to Mexico as possible carriers. Those people should go to their health care provider and be checked.

Authorities in Colorado just announced two cases there. One was a baggage handler at the Denver airport. See how easy this variation can spread. A guy who maybe has never even been to Mexico in his life gets sick by going to work.

There are cases being reported in Minnesota and Michigan, so the virus isn’t limited to the Rio Grande and its tributaries.

The good news coming from national health officials is that the overall picture is that even though the flu is spreading in the United States, most of the 100-plus cases have been fairly mild.

So nobody should be in panic mode. Awareness, and washing your hands, can go along way to preventing it from making its mark here.

Just the same, if anybody has been to Mexico lately, do us all a favor and get yourself checked out. Otherwise an outbreak here is on your head.

And if you have plans to travel south of the nation’s southern border, cancel them.