Some travellers cancelling plans over swine flu fears

A travel industry insider says some people are cancelling overseas trips for fear of contacting swine flu.

ABU DHABI // Some people are cancelling overseas trips for fear of contacting swine flu, a travel industry insider said yesterday. "We have seen eight cancellations so far and expect between 30 and 50 more per month, depending on how the pandemic develops," said Hermant Gupta, the travel insurance manager for the Gulf region for the insurance company AXA. The travellers had planned trips to Mexico, where swine flu was first detected, Canada, which yesterday had 35 confirmed cases, and Thailand, which has not yet reported any cases, he said.
However, most people are still continuing with their planned international trips, Mr Gupta said, noting that there had been no discernible drop in the number of travel insurance policies being taken out. "It's really too early to say how this will pan out. We'll see what happens over the next month." Although Asia only reported its first case of swine flu yesterday, with a Mexican national in Hong Kong admitted to hospital there, Mr Gupta said East Asian countries were also a concern for travellers. Swine flu has now reached 12 countries on three continents but is killing fewer people than past such outbreaks, health officials said yesterday.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday raised the pandemic alert level to phase five, indicating that the world's first influenza pandemic since 1968 may soon be declared. The UN agency has urged countries to make final preparations against the disease, but has not yet recommended restrictions on regular travel because it would not slow the spread of the flu, or the closure of borders. It is advising people who are ill to delay international travel.
A delegation from the UAE, including the Minister of Health, Humaid al Qattami, will take part in an emergency meeting of health ministers of member states of the GCC today in Doha to discuss a unified strategy of dealing with the influenza strain, which is also known as H1N1. Meanwhile, as of yesterday, the nation's busiest airport, Dubai International Airport, had yet to install thermal-imaging machines, which can help identify cases of the flu by detecting whether people walking past them have a high fever, an airport spokesman said.
The machines have been hastily set up in airports across the globe. Abu Dhabi is also expected to install the machines. It was also reported yesterday that the Bahrain-based airline Gulf Air has a task force to monitor the spread of swine flu. "We have established a task force to monitor the situation," a Gulf Air spokesman told the website HotelierMiddleEast.com. "Customer safety is paramount and we are in touch with the relevant authorities and will take all the necessary measures in the event that they are required."
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