Prague - The patients who were hospitalized on Monday in the Motol and Na Bulovce hospitals with flu-like symptoms are not infected with the swine flu.

All three had symptoms of "ordinary" flu and they sought the help of doctors because they have visited Mexico not long ago.

Stay calm

Czech health officials tell people to stay calm, as no case has been reported in the country yet.

A virus expert Helena Jiřincová from the Czech National Reference Flu Laboratory said in an Aktuálně.cz online interview that the best way not to get infected is not to travel.

"It took the epidemic three years to evolve into a pandemic and the best preventive measure is personal responsibility," said Jiřincová.

Swine flu symptoms include high fever, body aches, headaches, coughing, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue and chills. The disease is transmitted directly between people, and not through animals, making it highly contagious.

No tourists heading for Mexico

The swine flu remains deadliest in Mexico where it had killed 149 people as of Monday. Around 2,000 Mexicans have been hospitalized with flu-like symptoms. Schools remain closed.

Meanwhile, the Czech Foreign Ministry advised against traveling to Mexico.

About 1,000 Czechs were supposed to fly to Mexico in the upcoming weeks with 200 of them this Saturday May 2. The Foreign Ministry has not issued a ban on traveling to Mexico; it only recommended not to go.

"The most important thing now is to get the problem resolved by November when the new season of trips to Mexico starts," head of the Czech Travel Agents Association Tomio Okamura told Aktuálně.cz. He also said that in the last season nearly 7,000 Czech tourists visited Mexico, having spent about CZK 200 million there.

Austria and Germany confirmed Tuesday morning their first cases of swine flu.