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International Travelers At Risk Of Isolation

 

# 3925

 

 

Although told in hyperbolic tabloid style, the cautionary tale below is a reminder that travelers to a number of countries should keep in mind. 

 

When you arrive in some countries, you may be screened for fever or flu-like symptoms, and if they suspect influenza you could be separated from your group and forcibly placed into isolation.

 

 

British children rounded up at airport in Egypt over swine flu fears

By Lesley Yarranton 1/11/2009

Families rounded up at the airport

Millie Powell

Forty British children have been rounded up under draconian swine flu regulations as they arrived in to start holidays in Egypt.

 

Officials with heat-monitoring equipment are forcibly holding anyone with temperatures of more than 38C.

 

Horrified parents, taking half-term breaks, have had to watch helplessly as their tearful children are frogmarched off by armed guards to a squalid makeshift hospital at the Sharm el Sheikh resort.

 

Eight-year-old Ellie Kemp and her father, Chris, 36, of Wellingborough, Northants, were taken to a "hellhole" hospital where they had to share a bed and were fed rice and water along with at least 30 other British families. It meant they missed their week-long allinclusive holiday, for which the family paid £3,000. Mum Sarah insists Ellie had no symptoms. Sarah said: "This bloke just grabbed my daughter who was screaming. It was the most frightening experience of my life. She and her dad were stuck in a room you wouldn't leave your dog in."

 

Eleven-year-old Millie Powell, of Rochester, Kent, was also taken from her parents by force. Her worried aunt, Claire Harvey said: "Her parents were terrified Millie would catch something in the hospital."

 

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "There is little we can do as these measures have been put in place by the Egyptian authorities."

 

These measures have also been reported in India, Japan, China and other nations.   The CDC reminds US Travelers:

 

 

Possible 2009 H1N1 Flu Screening for International Travelers

Updated: October 15, 2009

Current Situation

Due to the circulation of 2009 H1N1 influenza in the United States and many other countries, airport staff in some foreign countries may check the health of arriving passengers. Many other countries, including Japan and China, are screening arriving passengers for symptoms of the flu.

 

If you are sick with symptoms of flu-like illness, you should not travel. These symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Some people may also have vomiting and diarrhea. People may be infected with the flu and have respiratory symptoms without a fever.

 

The United States is not screening travelers who arrive from other countries or depart for other countries.

 

In other countries that are conducting entry screening for 2009 H1N1 flu, travelers may be checked for fever and other symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu, and their travel may be delayed. Consult the embassy of the country, or countries, in your travel itinerary for information about entry screening procedures (see Websites of U.S. Embassies, Consulates, and Diplomatic Missions for contact information).

 

When you travel internationally from the United States, officials in other countries may ask you to:

  • Pass by a scanning device that checks your temperature. (The device may look like an airport metal detector, a camera, or a handheld device.) In some countries this may be done before you disembark at your destination.
  • Have your temperature taken with an oral or ear thermometer
  • Fill out a sheet of questions about your health
  • Review information about the symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu
  • Give your address, phone number, and other contact information
  • Be quarantined for a period of time if a passenger on your flight is found to have symptoms of 2009 H1N1 flu
  • Contact health authorities in the country you are visiting to let them know if you become ill

If you have a fever or respiratory symptoms or are suspected to have 2009 H1N1 flu based on screening, you may be asked to:

  • Be isolated from other people until you are well
  • Have a medical examination
  • Take a rapid flu test (which consists of a nasal swab sample)
  • Be hospitalized and given medical treatment, if you test positive for 2009 H1N1 flu

Please note that the U.S. Department of State usually cannot interfere with the rights of other countries to screen airline passengers entering or exiting their countries, nor can it influence the number of days a traveler is placed in quarantine.

 

Because these outbreak-related delays, which could include several days of quarantine, may affect planned activities and lead to unexpected costs, CDC strongly recommends that travelers consider purchasing travel insurance. To find a list of possible travel health and medical evacuation insurance companies, visit Medical Information for Americans Abroad (U.S. Department of State).

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