Swine Flu - General Discussion and how it affects Disney

[wishiwereindisney]

this is why i love the disboards...heard the news reports last night and was worrying about it...come to find there is already a thread.

though i am worried about the situation with an upcoming trip i think that we have to try to remain calm but vigilant. i work in city courthouse close to nyc and plan to not shake hands this week, not use the bathroom, and do lots of handwashing/sanitizing. no sense worrying about it - though i am a worrier by nature. wishing everyone with upcoming trips pixie dust!

 

[JohnathanS]

One thing to keep in mind: A pandemic doesn't necessarily mean catastrophe. Consider the Hong Kong Flu pandemic of 1968. Around 32,000 people died in the U.S., but that's actually a smaller number than the yearly average deaths for normal flu. Unlike 1918 (when swine flu created a very deadly pandemic), we have a lot more awareness and ability to limit the effects of such viruses. Keep aware, certainly, but I definitely wouldn't jump into panic mode over this.

 

[RMulieri]

From what I've been reading, Tamiflu does work if it's taken early enough. So if you think you might have the flu, get checked out so you can start treatment if needed. The problem is when people wait a few days and then the Tamiflu won't work for them. They have been using Tamiflu in Mexico on this particular flu and when caught early, it works.

It wouldn't make me cancel a trip to Disney at this point (heck, I work in the tourist industry, and there are tourists all over the city), but I would be extra vigilant with hand washing and keep a close watch on my health so I can nip anything that comes along in the bud.

Tamiflu may or may not work.Actually the CDC found with this years flu season that Tamiflu was WORTHLESS .The flu strands this year had mutated so that tamiflu was rendered ineffective against them. It may or may not work with swine flu depending on how much of a mutation occurs in the next few months.Tamiflu worked well with the first few cases of swine flu, but viruses can mutate very rapidly, and later strains may not be helped.

 

[sammielynn]

I plan on keeping an eye on the news, we don't leave until May 24th. My first thought was Disney.
One of the people in my group at work just got back from Mexico. I may stay away from her for the next few days.

 

[Perditamarie]

Let's put this in perspective
Malaria outbreaks in the US 2007

NYC-233
Cali ~ 157
TX~ 136
NJ~ 77
Maryland~ 67

Thank you! I think this was very helpful! It is so hard to identify good information from the news versus sensationalism...I recall how imminent the Bird Flu was a few years ago.

 

[maroo]

I forgot to subscribe to my own thread and thought it was not responded to! Gosh, I don't intend to start a panic I really was just wondering how Disney would handle something like this. I wake up this morning to the AP reporting spread to New Zealand and other countries and am glad people seem to be recovering and hopefully this will not be serious. Our economy does not need this either.

I guess I should subscribe!

 

[Tiger926]

So does anyone know anything about Disney's trip insurance?

I wouldn't plan on Disney's travel insurance (which I think is through Travel Guard) covering much of anything. We have researched travel insurance many times over the years (Disney's included) and there are so many medical exclusions, that it's pretty near impossible to make it worthwhile. You need to really read the fine print, or call the 1 800 number and they'll tell you all about the exclusions. You have to be free from any medical issues for months, and if not, they won't allow you to make a claim for it.

Here are personal examples:

Kidney stones - My hubby had a surprise bout of kidney stones, many months before our trip, so I called insurance to ask about what would be covered if he had a kidney stone flair-up, and several different agents told me nothing as this was now a pre-existing condition.

Son's asthma/pneumonia - Same as above. We cancelled our Disney cruise and lost money and DVC points by our choosing, as again, he is considered to have a pre-existing condition, so if it were to be a problem on the trip, they wouldn't have covered it.

You have to be medically perfect for at least 6 months prior to travel with Disney's insurance, in order for them to consider the claim, so check into this thoroughly before purchasing insurance.

We are lucky as we have Canadian medical benefits (I'm a teacher), which are top of the line, so we don't need medical insurance, but we were asking about if trip had to be interrupted or cancelled. We are lucky that we have this, and can't imagine how so many Americans deal with getting ill on vacation as insurance is so expensive, and many times, it doesn't cover much. It has made us realize that this is the reason why so many people go on vacation even while sick as they don't want to lose out on money - it makes for difficult situations. We've been in hospital while in WDW, far away from family, and it was very scary. Our baby got sick due to other people taking their sick kids on vacation. We now have a second baby who is asthmatic (ear tubes, adenoids removed, 2 puffers per day, etc.) and so we do not fly anymore, wash hands all day, sneeze into our arms, don't go to parks if sick and get lots of rest!

Happy health to all, Tiger

 

[maroo]

Thank you! I think this was very helpful! It is so hard to identify good information from the news versus sensationalism...I recall how iminent the Bird Flu was a few years ago.

The big difference between bird flu and this is that the bird flu has not mutated to pass from person to person. Looks like this is passing person to person. The question now seems to be how serious the infection is and will be.

 

[katytrott]

The big difference between bird flu and this is that the bird flu has not mutated to pass from person to person. Looks like this is passing person to person. The question now seems to be how serious the infection is and will be.

Exactly, presently you can only catch bird flu from a bird not from another person. On BBC news last night they were saying this is a prerequisite for being able to call it a pandemic: it has to travel person to person.

We are due to fly to WDW 13th May and keeping a very close eye on it all. Terrified all flights will be cancelled into the US We are waiting for my SIL to ring saying she and her family are not going to come. She has a lot of 'loss' issues and it's a miracle she is allowing her family on a plane in the first place.

 

[katytrott]

This is the latest from the BBC news website:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8019100.stm

 

[praline3001]

Exactly, presently you can only catch bird flu from a bird not from another person. On BBC news last night they were saying this is a prerequisite for being able to call it a pandemic: it has to travel person to person.

We are due to fly to WDW 13th May and keeping a very close eye on it all. Terrified all flights will be cancelled into the US We are waiting for my SIL to ring saying she and her family are not going to come. She has a lot of 'loss' issues and it's a miracle she is allowing her family on a plane in the first place.

My DH said the same thing this morning ~ he said (in a sort of happy voice) maybe Brazil will restrict travel to the US for our trip in July

Copied this from the world book us the USA:
Population:
307,212,123 (July 2009 est.)

From the CDC:
U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection
State # of laboratory
confirmed cases
California 7 cases
Texas 2 cases
Kansas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT 11 cases


The number of people who contracted West Nile Virus (a much more serious flu)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount07_detailed.htm

3,630 people in the US contracted west Nile. 124 died from it (there is the short version in case you don't want to click on the link)

The CDC is working hard to prevent the spread. That is why they are warning everyone. Be vigil but really ~ its not time to worry and put on your medical masks just yet

 

[katytrott]

My DH said the same thing this morning ~ he said (in a sort of happy voice) maybe Brazil will restrict travel to the US for our trip in July

My DH said similar this am. Maybe with everyone panicking the parks will be quieter.

 

[3prettyprincesses]

My DH said similar this am. Maybe with everyone panicking the parks will be quieter.

That's funny! I swear, when we went in February, all of Disney was packed with students from Brazil! How did I know that you may ask? When we were at Lights, Motor, Action one of the stunt drivers was from Brazil and said something during the show in Brazilian and the ENTIRE audience stood up and started screaming something back! It was soooo funny but it scared the crap out of us because it was so sudden and so loud!

As far as the swine flu goes, maybe it's just getting all this publicity because it's a new strain. There are always deaths from the flu every single flu season. Plus, the cases reported here in the United States have been mild thus far and people are recovering.

If I were going to Disney anytime soon, I'd just do like I always do...bring my Clorox wipes and Wet-Ones and santize! We always wash our hands before we eat. I will say though that when my youngest daughter was 4, she licked the hand railings at It's A Small World! And I mean licked it as she walked! I was sooo grossed out but she didn't end up getting sick or anything. Whew!

 

[Feralpeg]

Would that be the same Swine Flu that Gerald Ford saved us from in the 70's? More people got sick from the vaccine than from the illness. I'll pass on the worry part of it.

Well, I got extremely sick from the Swine Flu at that time, as did my entire family. It was the sickest I have ever been in my life. I don't want to ever be that sick again. When I hear that the flu has made it to Florida, I will not step foot on Disney property (and I work for Disney). It's not worth getting that ill. At my age, I don't know if I could make it through that type of illness.

 

[Feralpeg]

I wouldn't worry about it. I lived through the Swine Flu thing of the 70s and I personally knew of no one who actually got the actual thing. If we worried about every single disease out there, we'd never leave our houses.

ME! I had it!

 

[ClareH37]

If I were going to Disney anytime soon, I'd just do like I always do...bring my Clorox wipes and Wet-Ones and santize! We always wash our hands before we eat. I will say though that when my youngest daughter was 4, she licked the hand railings at It's A Small World! And I mean licked it as she walked! I was sooo grossed out but she didn't end up getting sick or anything. Whew!

That's what I'm doing, I tend to be a bit obssessive with washing my hands any way lol However, I must admit I am a little concerned that all airlines are still flying in/out of Mexico, and it's 'business as usual', so therefore people from the effected areas will still be going to Disney on their holidays.

 

[Feralpeg]

My DH said the same thing this morning ~ he said (in a sort of happy voice) maybe Brazil will restrict travel to the US for our trip in July

Copied this from the world book us the USA:
Population:
307,212,123 (July 2009 est.)

From the CDC:
U.S. Human Cases of Swine Flu Infection
State # of laboratory
confirmed cases
California 7 cases
Texas 2 cases
Kansas 2 cases
TOTAL COUNT 11 cases


The number of people who contracted West Nile Virus (a much more serious flu)
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/surv&controlCaseCount07_detailed.htm

3,630 people in the US contracted west Nile. 124 died from it (there is the short version in case you don't want to click on the link)

The CDC is working hard to prevent the spread. That is why they are warning everyone. Be vigil but really ~ its not time to worry and put on your medical masks just yet

Of course, cases have now been reported in Spain, Isreal, France and New Zealand. In all cases, the people had recently traved to Mexico.

My biggest concern living in the Orlando area is the number of Hispanic people living in the area and working for Disney. Many of them, I'm sure, have close ties to Mexico. It would only take one to make a visit to Mexico and return to this area, to bring the illness here.

I admit that I am really concerned over this. As I pointed out in my previous posts, I had the Swine Flu back in the 70s. My dad almost died from it. The rest of my family was sick. It was by far the sickest I ever remember being and I've had cancer. I am watching this situation very closely.

 

[Feralpeg]

The Mayor of New York just confirmed that the children that had visited Mexico on a school field trip have Swine Flu. That brings the total of cases in the US to 19.

 

[Avid Disney]

Well it looks like I'll be out $600. I wish there was something I could say to Disney reservations so they could be a little more ethical. If they accept that I had requested the insurance and never tacked it on then I'll get billed another $133 and we can sit tight and wait. What I would use as an excuse for canceling though and getting a reschedule hopefully, I don't know.

 

[praline3001]

Peg, I totally agree you should be more vigil.
You are in a high risk area everyday!!! Even though we love you for it

You have also had health problems that could weaken your immune system.

I am being more vigil as my oldest has really bad asthma and has been in the hospital 8 times in almost 15 years.

The average healthy person who doesn't live in "Its a small germ after all...." has much less to worry about at this point.

By the way it was great talking to you the other day!