Swine Flue scare

I have a 12 day Germany trip planned from 22nd May to 2 June. I would be travelling with my wife and my 11 yr old son.

With the H1N1 flu spreading the way it is, (and 8 reported cases in Germany), I was wondering what the situation was really like on the ground.

Are people actually walking around with facemasks or there is panic.

Should we think about cancelling the tour?? We dont have much time for cancelling if we are to get a refund on the tour.

Thanks in advance.

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First of all, there is a swine flu sticky at the top of the forum with advice and updates, though I havent even bothered to look at it myself since I am not that concerned. Second, this flu isn%26#39;t any more deadly than any of the other flus that people get and die from every day all over the world. Thirdly, wearing a face mask does absolutely nothing, unless you are in surgery and do not want your germs to get into an open wound, they do not work the other way around, unless you have on a full, sealed sort of mask. Have not seen anyone with that sort of thing on.

If you want to see for your self if there is panic or if people are wearing masks, there are plenty of web cams in all the touristy places. Downtown Frankfurt has been packed the past weekend, so I don%26#39;t think any one is panicking and frankly, I don%26#39;t think anyone cares very much. It is a news media frenzy and that is all. I certainly would not cancel my trip.

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dear rrdgoa,

all the reported cases of swine flu in germany have been turned out to be very mild, no life has been threatened till now. also, while walking around in frankfurt - the city with the major german airport - i have not seen a single person wearing facemasks. right now, it looks like the disease is not hitting central europe as hard as it did in mexico.

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No one in Germany, except surgeons on duty and a few others whose profession requires it, wears a facemask. No one. You won%26#39;t see any in the streets.

There is no panic in Germany. Not even in the mass media. As the situation is right now, there is absolutely no reason to cancel your trip.

Nine cases among a population of 82 million. All of them are getting better, the first have already been released from hospital. Medical treatment works.

I%26#39;d recommend having travel health insurance, but I%26#39;d recommend that for any intercontinental trip anyway.

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Thanks for all the replies.

That was most reassuring. We are planning to be in Germany end-May and hope we have a rocking time.

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I%26#39;m sure you will! Have a great trip.

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The only problem I can see with such an epidemic is with India, and if they impose travel restrictions. A few years ago, we couldn%26#39;t return to our home in the country we were living in if a case of the disease (I believe bird flu) had been reported in the countries we had traveled to while we were there, and had to be in a country that had no cases (disease free) for over a month to return. But it looks like the swine flu epidemic isn%26#39;t really amounting to anything so I doubt that severe travel restrictions would be applied.