Travel Health Watch.

New York (AirGuide - Travel Health Watch) May 3, 2009

Biden says pig flu flies; airlines, DoT say no. Stay ahead with the latest The airline industry and President Barack Obama's administration scrambled yesterday to allay public fears raised by Vice President Joe Biden's comments about a link between swine flu and commercial air travel on NBC's Today show. Speaking on the popular early morning news and talk program, Biden said, "I wouldn't go anywhere in confined places now. It's not that it's going to Mexico, it's [that] you're in a confined aircraft; when one person sneezes it goes all the way through the aircraft. . .If you're out in the middle of a field and someone sneezes that's one thing. If you're in a closed aircraft. . .it's a different thing." Biden's remarks, which came after the World Health Organization elevated the risk of a worldwide swine flu pandemic, quickly were denounced by the US Air Transport Assn., which released a letter from President and CEO James May to the vice president expressing "extreme disappointment at your suggestion that people should avoid air travel. . .You should be aware that the airlines have been working daily with the cadre of government agencies responding to the outbreak and that we are taking all appropriate actions. . .While individuals who are feeling ill should remain home, no responsible officials or healthcare professionals have suggested that people avoid air travel." Later in the day, US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood began a speech to nearly 700 aviation professionals and government officials in Washington (see story below) by reassuring them that "flying is safe and flying is healthy and flying to Mexico is safe" and that "in our department, we're going to listen to the experts" regarding swine flu reported ATW. May 1, 2009

Alarmed by the spread of a new swine flu virus, airports around the world have rushed to install temperature scanners to identify the sick, but the microbe is proving too clever for modern technology. Experts say an infected person can easily pass through these heat sensors without detection as the incubation period for influenza ranges anywhere between one and three days. "The scanners won't pick up everyone (with flu), especially if they are too early in the infection... People who have been infected very, very recently wouldn't show up on the scanner," Mark von Itzstein, director of the Institute for Glycomics at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia said. "You can imagine somebody who is just infected boards the plane in Singapore and heads toward Hong Kong. There would not be enough time for the apparatus to pick it up because he would not have developed significant fever." The new H1N1 swine flu virus, which has killed 159 people in Mexico, has been found in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Britain, Israel and Spain. Apr 30, 2009

Asian airports, used to looking for H5N1 bird flu and SARS sufferers earlier in the decade, have dusted off their scanners for this latest crisis. But experts say these cannot help until the person has a fever, and an infected person can spread the virus around by coughing and sneezing a full day before the onset of symptoms. "Flu is infectious one day before the onset of symptoms, which means you may not have symptoms but you are already infectious while you are coming back to Hong Kong (on a plane)," said Yuen Kwok-yung, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong. "You are incubating and infecting others without knowing it." Being cooped up in a plane may spell trouble too. "A person with flu becomes infectious within 12 to 24 hours of infection. If he is traveling from Europe to Australia, a person can develop contagious capability while on the plane," Itzstein said. "It is an incubation spot, it is like a big incubator. People who are not infected can get infected in the plane." Yuen urged people to practice "self-quarantine." "For those coming back from risky areas, you should do some form of self-quarantine and wear a mask for seven days." Apr 30, 2009

Business Travel Coalition (BTC) has launched a Swine Influenza Dashboard where, on a one-stop basis, corporate travel managers and other travel industry participants needing to keep customers or key constituencies appraised of developments can access in real-time relevant global news and government feeds. The feeds include ECDC alerts, CDC Tweets and WHO alerts as well as customized news feeds for airlines, airports, hotels, travel agents, employees, preparedness and treatments. New feeds will be added daily. The Dashboard can be accessed at www.netvibes.com/btc#Flu. Apr 30, 2009

Latest reports on the new swine flu said that Spain and Britain also have confirmed cases of the new swine flu, and many other countries have suspected infections. Mexico City is at the centre of the outbreak and many residents are staying in their homes while schools, churches, movie theaters and restaurants have all been shut down. Airline share prices declined again on Tuesday on fears that they could see a sharp drop in traffic. European and Asian stock markets retreated, but better-than-expected US consumer confidence data provided some relief and US shares made gains. Oil edged below USD$50 a barrel and investors cut their exposure to riskier currencies. The virus is not caught from eating pig meat products but several countries, led by Russia and China, banned US pork imports. The EU said it has no plans to restrict pig meat products from the United States. "Markets are doing what they tend to do, taking fright," said Howard Wheeldon, strategist at BGC Partners in London. "But in my view, it's totally unnecessary." Apr 29, 2009

Australia has imposed stricter measures on aircraft arriving from the Americas in an effort to contain the spread of swine flu. The Australian Department of Health and Ageing says in a statement that "before all planes are permitted to land in Australia from the Americas the captain will be required" to report to the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) on the health status of the passengers on the plane. Apr 27, 2009

Investors fled investments in air, land and sea on Monday as fears of a flu pandemic rekindled memories of the Asian SARS crisis that caused widespread industry turmoil six years ago. From Sydney to New York, selling hit the world's leading airline brands, hotels and cruise operators and the cost of insuring airline debt rose following the outbreak of swine flu. The United States declared a public health emergency and Americans and Europeans were urged to avoid non-essential travel to Mexico, where more than 100 people have died from the outbreak. US airlines most heavily exposed to Mexico racked up double-digit losses in trading. The AMEX airlines index was off about 10.9 percent in late afternoon. Continental Airlines, which offers more seats than any foreign airline into and out of Mexico, according to data provided airline schedules consultancy Innovata, saw its stock fall 16.5 percent. American Airlines parent AMR and US Airways, the second and third foreign airlines in terms of passenger capacity to Mexico, also suffered double-digit percentage falls. Apr 27, 2009

Airports around the world are now screening passengers for flu-like symptoms and airlines have eased restrictions on people wishing to delay trips to Mexico, the centre of the swine flu virus outbreak that threatens the adversely affect international passenger traffic. News reports around the globe quote various government agencies as saying airports have started to screen passengers for flu-like symptoms in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. The World Health Organisation has warned the virus has the potential to develop into a pandemic. Apr 27, 2009

Governments around the world rushed to reduce the impact of a possible flu pandemic on Monday, as a virus that has killed 103 people in Mexico and spread to the United States and Canada also reached Europe. While the swine flu virus has so far killed no one outside Mexico, the fact that it has proved able to spread quickly between humans has raised fears that the world may be facing the flu pandemic that scientists say is long overdue. Shares and oil prices fell in Asia and Europe, as investors feared a further shock to an already fragile global economy, if trade flows are curbed and manufacturing is hit. The US government has declared a public health emergency and an official said it will also urge Americans to avoid all "non-essential" travel to Mexico, which relies heavily on tourism. Spain became the first country in Europe to confirm a case of swine flu when a man who returned from a trip to Mexico last week was found to have the virus. But his condition, like that of 20 cases identified in the United States and six in Canada, was not serious. A New Zealand teacher and around a dozen students who recently returned from Mexico were also being treated as likely mild swine flu cases. Apr 27, 2009

Air Canada

Air Canada and WestJet joined the airlines and tour operators suspending or altering travel to Mexico as the sun destination grapples with a swine flu outbreak possibly linked to more than 150 deaths. All travel from Canada to Mexico has been suspended by Air Transat, Nolitours, Transat Holidays, Sunquest Vacations and Sunwing Vacations. Air Transat said Tuesday all flights to Mexico with the airline and its partner tour companies have been cancelled until June 1. The company said a May 3 flight from Mexico to Canada will go ahead as planned, with more returning flights announced shortly "in order to bring home its customers, passengers and employees now in Mexico." Passengers have until Oct. 31, 2009 to use a flight credit for travel anywhere Air Transat flies, the airline said. Sunquest Vacations, operated by the Thomas Cook Group, also cancelled flights to Mexico until June 4. Customers with these bookings will receive a credit toward any flight or vacation with the tour operator to be used any time up to Oct. 31, 2009. May 1, 2009

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