You may not be aware of it, but there IS a flu pandemic going around, and travelers are most prone to contracting the illness. If you have travel plans in the near future, then you should take precautions so as to lessen your chances of getting the flu. As a matter of fact, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has made it a point to increase the awareness of people in this regard.

So who are most likely to get the flu? In general, young children and the elderly are at risk. If you have children aged 5 and below, you might want to postpone your travel plans. Same thing applies if you are 65 years old and above. Pregnant women are also at high risk for complications arising from the flu.

According to the CDC, though, healthy individuals should not really postpone their travel plans as they are not that much at risk. However, they should still take precautions. Some of these include:

• Be aware – know which areas are affected. If your destination is a high risk one, you will know to take extra precautions.
• Keep vaccinations up to date. While the flu vaccine has proven to be ineffective in SOME cases, it still is considered to be good protection against the illness. If you are going to a high risk area, then make sure you do get the vaccine.
• Stay healthy. Your immune system is your best bet against the flu. If you get even slightly ill before you trip, then you may want to postpone it.

Travel safe!