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This story was nothing to sneeze at...

I'm happy to say that I’ve survived a few days in Mexico City and have none of the symptoms of swine flu. One thing however does feel different; how unconsciously alert I am to my own body and all sorts of warning signs/hazardous behaviors around me. Perhaps it is just a case of biological adaptation to increase your chances of survival in more dangerous environments (if anyone has research on that - please do send my way) or it is a layer of your subconscious that just heightens your peripheral awareness under changing circumstances, but it is oddly cool.

When our producer on the ground welcomed my outstretched hand at the airport with a warning that hand shakes should be avoided, that is when the story started to sink in. Saturday evening when I sneezed at a restaurant and people three tables over turned to look, it sunk in a little deeper.

By the time I woke up on Sunday, my body had gone into this state of being. I noticed a man coughing as he walked into the elevator and instinctively pressed the button with a knuckle instead of a fingertip. I didn’t touch the handrails on the way down to the lobby. I took notice of the doorman who sneezed and oddly I searched for him the next couple of days to make sure he still seemed healthy. I washed my hands far more often, became conscious of otherwise unconscious actions like how many times my fingers touched my eyes to relieve an itch(eight times since landing) or how many times I had coughed (three) or sneezed (seven) over the past few days.

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It's like a scene from a Michael Crichton novel: medical workers in biohazard suits and people wearing surgical masks in the streets.

These images on television seem to contradict President Obama's message - that swine flu is not a cause for alarm.

We do know the illness is serious. More than 100 people have died from it in Mexico, and there are several dozen cases right here in the United States.

That said, doctors say it responds well to traditional anti-viral medicine like Tami-flu. As of now, everyone in this country who has contracted it has recovered.

Here's an interesting statistic to keep in mind: The CDC reports that 36,000 people die from flu-related illnesses every year.

The flu is always a concern, especially for small children and the elderly.

As this outbreak runs its course, we need to stay informed, but we also need to remain calm.

A sense of perspective is nothing to sneeze at.

That's a page from my notebook.