2 swine flu cases diagnosed at Randolph - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

2 swine flu cases diagnosed at Randolph

The Air Force has not imposed new vacation travel restrictions to Mexico because of the swine flu outbreak, although restrictions already are in place because of border violence related to drug trafficking.

The Air Force Surgeon General, however, is warning airmen to consider the risk of the rapidly spreading virus, according to spokesman Betty Anne Mauger.

Airmen at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, near the Mexican border, haven’t been allowed to travel to Tijuana, Nogales, Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Acuna, Piedras Negras, Reynosa/Matamoros or Mexico City since March 6 because of the drug violence.

Randolph is the site of the first two cases of swine flu diagnosed on an Air Force base. Two dependents on Randolph contracted the flu in mid-April, according to a base spokesman.

The boys were diagnosed on the Randolph base clinic and both had mild cases.

It’s still unclear how the 16-year-old boys contracted the disease. As a result, Texas officials closed Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City for a week, starting Monday.

So far, thousands have fallen ill confirmed in Mexico, and the number of confirmed cases in increasing around the world, including the U.S., Britain, Israel and New Zealand.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control has confirmed 64 cases. On Tuesday, the center reported the first swine flu death, a 23-month-old boy in Texas,

CDC officials issued a travel warning Monday advising against “nonessential” travel to Mexico.

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