Our parent company, the Europ Assistance Group, shared this week the results of its 4th annual survey on the perception of healthcare across 7 different countries – with the US included for the first time. Given recent developments around healthcare reform in the US, this survey is interesting in that it compares how Americans see healthcare compared to Europeans. The overall takeaway from the survey is that Americans and Europeans alike have more confidence in the quality of their healthcare systems than in how they are organized. Both groups are ... Read More

Twenty countries have officially reported 985 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Mexico has reported 590 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 25 deaths. The higher number of cases from Mexico reflects ongoing testing of previously collected specimens. The United States has reported 286 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Austria (1), Canada (85), China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (1), Costa Rica (1), Colombia ... Read More

The virus previously referred to as swine influenza is now referred to as H1N1 influenza. The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. The United States Government has reported 109 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death. Mexico has reported 156 confirmed human cases of infection, including nine deaths. The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths – Austria (1), Canada (34), Germany (3), ... Read More

The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert this evening to 5, which is widespread human infection. Per Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, “Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world. On the positive side, the world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history.   The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 18:00 GMT, 29 April 2009, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 ... Read More

Here is a report from one of EA USA’s medical directors about the situation in Mexico: Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit 4 private hospitals in Monterrey, the second largest city in Mexico.   There is mandatory reporting of all suspected and confirmed cases to the health department at all hospitals.  Most of the hospital staff and patients are wearing masks, but they tend to be ill-fitting (many people cover only their mouths, leaving their noses exposed) and low-quality – providing more psychological reassurance than real medical ... Read More

Summary:  No significant change from yesterday.  Cases in New York now up to 40, cases in Mexico passed 1600 with 149 deaths. Mexico has greater than 1600 cases and 149 suspected deaths United States has approximately 60 cases with no reported deaths Canada has six cases New Zealand has ten cases from travelers recently in Mexico Spain has one case from a traveler who was recently in Mexico United Kingdom (Scotland) has two cases 2)  Current Travel Recommendations / Restrictions: WHO:  is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions CDC:  ... Read More

Europ Assistance is closely monitoring the Swine Flu outbreak and is available to help customers with questions or concerns about travel in affected areas.  Europ Assistance doctors are currently in Mexico visiting hospitals to assess the local situation.  Europ Assistance advises customers to follow the recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization. Information from the World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_24/en/index.html Information from the United States Centers for Disease ... Read More

Today Judith Graham’s blog “Triage” at the Chicago Tribune has two postings with tips on how to protect against and respond to medical identity theft.  Sources include the Identity Theft Resource Center and the World Privacy Forum.  Medical identity theft is an expanding frontier in the crime of identity fraud, and with the decentralization of medical information it can be difficult to discover and resolve. Medical identity theft can be two different types of crime - strictly financial - where a thief tries to use your ... Read More