The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised US travelers to avoid non-essential travels to Mexico to avoid contracting the A/H1N1 infection, more popularly known as the Swine Influenza. As of April 27, 2009 there have been 18 laboratory confirmed cases of swine influenza in Mexico.

Aeromexico, an airline that travels to Mexico and other Latin American countries, has recently partnered with the Medical Tourism Association to bring patients to Latin America for health care. Aeromexico is now the preferred airline by the Medical Tourism Association for patients traveling to Latin America to receive medical treatments from its member healthcare providers. The association expects the number of medical travelers to increase significantly in the next several years as a result of the rising cost of health care in the United States.

The very first Latin American Medical Tourism and Health Tourism Congress will be held in Monterrey, Mexico from April 27 to April 29, 2009. The congress, organized by the Medical Tourism Association and Monterrey Health care City, will be attended by top medical professionals in Latin America. The congress will feature 60 expert speakers in various fields in medicine.

Four hundred attendees are expected to attend the congress which will feature networking opportunities for the medical professionals. The congress will serve as venue for medical professionals, government representatives, and medical tour facilitators to interact with one another. The conference will also focus on areas for improvement in medical education and other opportunities for medical tourism to grow in Latin America. There are also twenty exhibitors in the conference.

Some of the speakers in the conference include: Dr. Enrique Ruelas Barajas the Undersecretary of Innovation and Quality Ministry of Health- Mexico; Dr. Jesus Horacio Gonzalez Trevino, President Monterrey Health care; Jorge Woodbridge Gonzales, Minister of Competitiveness- Republic of Costa Rica; Jeff Carter of Patients Without Borders; Massimo Manzi, Executive Director of ProMed; Mauricio Gojman of Nurses Now International; Guillermo Gonzalez Prieto of the Medical Tourism Association; Curtis P. Page, MD of MedToGo International; Chad Holloway of Global Health Solutions and so much more.

Related site:  Latin American Tourism Congress