Avian Flu is a hot travel topic right now, with ‘Should I cancel my international tour’ being the question of the day. Here are some excerpts from a recent Wall Street Journal article written by Tara Parker-Pope entitled What You Should and Shouldn’t Worry About: Putting Avian Flu in Perspective.

Right now, the bird-flu virus doesn’t move from bird to human very easily, requiring very close contact with an infected bird, feces or blood. In Asia, most of the people who have become infected are those who have raised poultry, killed and plucked birds, or worked closely with infected domestic or wild birds. For instance, in a few cases, handlers of fighting birds got sick after giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to an injured bird, notes Suresh Mittal, a Purdue University virology professor working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on a vaccine….

Should I cancel plans to travel to Asia? The CDC hasn’t recommended that people cancel travel plans as a result of the avian-flu outbreak. If you plan to go to Asia or a country with bird-flu cases, stay away from live-food markets, wash hands frequently and make sure your food is well cooked….

Music Celebrations International also provides travel protection insurance with every international trip, which will be of great assistance and give groups planning international travel the peace of mind that if travel is restricted due to the Avian Flu, their funds will be able to be recouped.

For more information about the Avian Flu as it relates to potential group travel, please do not hesitate to contact Music Celebrations International at 1.800.395.2036.