EU Health Minister Warns Against Travel To U.S. & Mexico Due To Swine Flu

Ugh, more swine flu panic. The health minister of the European Union today warned against "non-essential" travel to the United States and Mexico due to fears of tourists bringing swine flu back to Europe.

EU Health Commissioner Andorra Vassiliou met with the EU foreign ministers on the subject as Spain reported the first confirmed case of swine flu in Europe. That was also the first swine flu case outside North America. On arriving in Luxembourg, Vassiliou advised Europeans to reassess their travel plans. She told reporters "they should avoid traveling to Mexico or the United States of America unless it is very urgent for them." EU foreign ministers discussed the outbreak of swine flu on Monday and the EU health ministers were holding an emergency meeting on the subject Thursday.

NYC's St. Francis high school is closed today while a 50-member cleaning crew scrubs down the classrooms. A dozen St. Francis students came down with mild cases of swine flu last week after returning from spring break in Cancun.