The holiday season can mean a prime time for travel. With the large crowds and jammed flights comes heightened concerns of travelers contracting the H1N1 swine flu virus.
In effort to fight back against the contagious flu, the Centers for Disease Control is launching its largest ever public awareness campaign.
The "Travel Well" campaign is geared toward urging travelers to wash hands often and cover their mouths while coughing or sneezing. It also advises that those who are sick stay home instead of fly.
The CDC reports more people going to the hospital and even dying from flu-related illnesses compared to what's normal for this time of year.
Travelers on the move this holiday season are trying to not let H1N1 paranoia take over.
"I know everybody kind of shriveled up if somebody coughed or somebody sneezed," said Barbara Nelson, a local passenger arriving from Florida.
That sneezing, coughing and germ-spreading is what the CDC knows passengers are up against this holiday season. They're using posters inside airports and TV ads to reach out to travelers, reminding passengers of the simple precautions.
It's probably comes as no big surprise, that travelers don't want the H1N1 virus complicating things for the holidays. Many are going the extra mile to try and avoid getting sick.
"I bring my own pillows just to make sure. I use my coats so I don't get germs from the blankets," said traveler Rosemary Underwood.
The "Travel Well" campaign will continue through the first of the year, in an effort to keep this holiday season as healthy as possible.
Meantime, health officials promise that more swine flu vaccine is on the way.
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