The Swine Flu thing...

[pilot fish]

Think you are veryright and so, as WHO says, mitigation is more important than containment...horse is already out of barn door.

That's no reason to put yourself right under the horse though.

 

[pilot fish]

Check your policy - mine has epidemic/pandemic as specific exclusions.

Really? That is astounding. The more I hear about the fine print in these so called travel protection insurance policies the more useless they sound.

 

[driftwood]

The Mexican Consulate in Austin is now advising travelers not to travel to central Mexico. A lot more specific warning than all of Mexico. Mexico City, the surrounding states and San Luis Potosi were singled out.

It was also reported that they think they have found the index patient in a small village outside of Tampico. A four year old boy caught the flu on or around April 4. New flu strains generally start in China, but this one seems to be from Mexico.

Here is a link to an AP story from yesterday with the focus on the NY students. The Associated Press: Swine flu fears close schools in NY, Texas, Calif. No one knows where they caught the bug, but the best guess is at the airport.

 

[DandyDon]

The New Yorkers who are sick are High school students who had been to Cancun for spring break. I don't think this is as isolated as once thought and has probably been around for a while.

I've not seen that information and did look. You're sure? If so, that changes some things, but - I'd like to see that confirmed if you have a link?

Check your policy - mine has epidemic/pandemic as specific exclusions.

That's right, mine too.

Really? That is astounding. The more I hear about the fine print in these so called travel protection insurance policies the more useless they sound.

Hardly. I've only had two small claims over the years and I have taken Trip Insurance for all International trips since 2001, with travel delay from 9-11-01 being my first claim. Reasonable expenses were reimbursed. But then the main reason I take Trip insurance is for medical risks outside my regular policy coverage areas, secondary being the low liabilities of airlines for bags on International trips.

If an epidemic or pandemic is declared, then the insurance company doesn't want to be unreasonably liable for medical and evacuation expenses for a travel who intentionally traveled into the afflicted area @ $100,000 per passenger/$1 Million each for evacuation. If an epidemic or pandemic is declared, then the traveler should be able to change plans without penalties, but then change fees are much lower than possible medical/evacuation losses.

It does get sticky, tho. The situation already exists, but an epidemic or pandemic has not been declared, has one? Like with hurricanes, if one has already been forecast to hit the destination when the policy is purchased, then coverage may be excluded as pre-existing. The after hours agents at Travel Safe cannot answer all of my what-if questions here; I have to call tomorrow during business hours for rulings - perhaps a good idea for anyone, along with calls to the airline and/or package tour provider.

As with any insurance, buying coverage in case of a unforeseen problem is one thing; attempting to buy coverage for a problem that already exists is typically excluded as pre-existing. You can insure after a loss has already been incurred.

 

[MMM]

Don't like that Cancun is so close to Coz and people travel back and forth daily between the two.:shocked2:

If you checked an earlier post of mine you will see a similar situation with NS students to Yucatan. They flew into Cancun to explore ruins. Nothing new. We'll be seeing lots of secondary or even 3rd gen exposures as tracking continues.

 

[annasea]

<snip>

It does get sticky, tho. The situation already exists, but an epidemic or pandemic has not been declared, has one? Like with hurricanes, if one has already been forecast to hit the destination when the policy is purchased, then coverage may be excluded as pre-existing. The after hours agents at Travel Safe cannot answer all of my what-if questions here; I have to call tomorrow during business hours for rulings - perhaps a good idea for anyone, along with calls to the airline and/or package tour provider.

As with any insurance, buying coverage in case of a unforeseen problem is one thing; attempting to buy coverage for a problem that already exists is typically excluded as pre-existing. You can insure after a loss has already been incurred.

I guess we have better plans up here than you do down there.

Last year, I bought insurance shortly before a liveaboard in the Bahamas during hurricane season. Fortunately, I didn't need it for cancellation purposes but it did come in handy when I lost my Jetfins.

Presently, I just bought insurance for my trip to MX this Saturday. I asked about the current situation there, of course, and the likelihood of a travel advisory, and was told I'd be covered as long as I booked the trip well in advance of all this hitting the news.

 

[kuip]

Dandydon, I heard it on cnn today. I don't have anything else. It does make sense.

 

[scubawife]

This story is a day old but it was the first thing I'd seen or heard specifically mentioning the kids were in Cancun. The Associated Press: Swine flu fears close schools in NY, Texas, Calif.

I'm in the NYC area. As of the evening news we have 30 cases and they are anticipating further confirmations as the week goes on. I'm starting to feel like my chances are about the same or even better if I were in Cozumel or the Riviera Maya. No reported cases there yet.

 

[DandyDon]

I guess we have better plans up here than you do down there.

Last year, I bought insurance shortly before a liveaboard in the Bahamas during hurricane season. Fortunately, I didn't need it for cancellation purposes but it did come in handy when I lost my Jetfins.

Presently, I just bought insurance for my trip to MX this Saturday. I asked about the current situation there, of course, and the likelihood of a travel advisory, and was told I'd be covered as long as I booked the trip well in advance of all this hitting the news.

I'm sure the polcies and laws vary some between countries. Here, buying a policy "shortly before a liveaboard in the Bahamas during hurricane season" would give immediate coverage but not for pre-existing conditions, that is would cover the lost fins and would cover a storm that developed after coverage starts, or maybe named after coverage starts, depending on policies.

What a sales agent may tell you does not always hold up in claims of course. Buying insurance before the news stories would be a safer bet; to have"booked the trip well in advance of all this hitting the news" but not buying insurance until now would be poor business for the company to cover a pre-existing condition, but I can't say for sure what's happening?

This story is a day old but it was the first thing I'd seen or heard specifically mentioning the kids were in Cancun. The Associated Press: Swine flu fears close schools in NY, Texas, Calif.

I'm in the NYC area. As of the evening news we have 30 cases and they are anticipating further confirmations as the week goes on. I'm starting to feel like my chances are about the same or even better if I were in Cozumel or the Riviera Maya. No reported cases there yet.

Ok, one Texas case I'd seen reported had not been to Mexico - or the kid wasn't admitting it anyway. I had trips to Juarez at that age that I never told family about. I had not seen that the NY kids had been to Cancun before; this changes a lot huh? Now we must accept that it is in the Yucatan. Damn!

Suddenly my feelings about traveling to Cozumel as soon as possible are different.

 

[okiraku_diver]

The reason, cited again by another spokesman, was that travel restrictions would have almost no effect on containing the disease.

WHO(World Health Organization) think that Swine flu has already spreaded world wide.
That is why WHO did not advise to close border, and said no effect on containing.

So far, Canada has not issued a travel advisory warning

Health Canada considers travel advisory against Mexico

Check your policy - mine has epidemic/pandemic as specific exclusions.

My insurance covers in case of epidemic/pandemic.
Most of Japanese insurance company changed policy after SARS in 2003.
This is a kind of "lesson learned"

If you are booked for Coz, or any place in Mexico, in the next few weeks, I would think a reschedule trip might be the wise thing to do? Be safe, not sorry. Follow the recommendations of the US Dep of Health, and your Doctor.

I agree. I believe Coz is still safe, but recent severe quarantine system, I changed my schedule in Augsut. No change fee was requested by hotel owner and Aqua Safari. I appreciate for it.

From today in Japan, quarantine officer with handi thermography get on the board and inspect all passenger for all flight coming to Japan from U.S except Hawaii, Mexico, and Canada. if suspects found, he/she and passenger around him/her will be isolate airport hotel up to 10 days. Japanese goverment has already reserved 100 rooms.
This is another kind of "lesseon learned"

Clearly this is easily more virulent than either SARS or bird flu.

I do not think so. SARS spreaded much more rapidly in Asia.
CDC | Fact Sheet: Basic Information About SARS

New York is further away from Mexico City, by a few thousand miles, than Coz is and there were 8 reported cases in NY.

I do not think distance from Mexico has some meaning.
Please look at this map
H1N1 Swine Flu - Google Maps