Going On A Cruise? Don’t Get Sick!!

Cruises have been a popular vacation for Americans for years. They are inexpensive, accomodating, and convenient. But with the threat of avian or pandemic flu, cruise lines are on full alert.

I was speaking to a friend who took a cruise recently from Florida to the Caribbean. She had a wonderful time until she came down with a “garden-variety” virus. Keeping in mind that cruise ships have full medical facilities, she was isolated and upon docking, found herself in an isolation ward in a Miami hospital!

The expense of all of this was picked up by the cruise line (and they gave her a free cruise pass to make-up for the inconvenience) but this incident shows the concern of the travel industry. In many ways, they will be, should a pandemic occur, the first exposed and the front-line defense.

It seems unlikely that a bird virus that is only appearing in Asia, China and areas far removed from the Caribbean, would infect a traveler. My friend hardly would be mixing with the local poultry population. But caution remains the better part of valor in this case, according to the WHO and CDC.

In December, “The San Francisco Chronicle,” reported on the concerns within the travel industry. The news presented then is as valid today as the day it was printed, and a must-read for the frequent traveler or family thinking of a vacation.

Travel Industry Braces for Bird Flu