The Ministry of Health of Chad is launching an emergency mass-vaccination campaign against yellow fever from 22 February 2013, following laboratory confirmation of two cases in the country in December 2012. The two cases from Goz Beida and Guereda districts, were laboratory confirmation by a WHO regional reference laboratory for yellow fever, Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal.  They were identified through the national surveillance programme for yellow fever, following intensive surveillance which was triggered in response to the outbreak of yellow fever in neighbouring Sudan’s Darfur region.  The intensive surveillance in Chad also reported 139 suspected cases and 9 deaths. Continue reading Mass-vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Chad →

We all seem to have stressfull lives nowadays, but there is an answer. Take a lesson from the following story, it may change your life. A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?” Continue reading Dealing with Stress – it may change your life →

Flu season is here, and all across America people are sneezing, coughing and calling in sick. Reuters reports that this is one of the worst flu seasons in years, and supplies of flu vaccine and Tamiflu are low. Continue reading The Flu Season is here →

As the January blues set in, many people look to up coming holidays to lift their mood. With winter breaks often incorporating sports such as skiing, skating, snowboarding and sledging, a robust insurance plan is essential. Snowboarding causes approximately 100,000 wrist fractures a year, and knee ligament injuries are the most common among both skiers and snowboarders. It isn’t just amateurs that are affected. At least 1 in 10 athletes at the 2010 winter Olympic Games was injured training or competing, according to a report published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The most common injuries occurred to the head, spine or knees. Continue reading Winter sports holiday? Make sure your insurance has you covered →

Expat workers in Gulf countries are increasingly limited in their options for affordable health care. Labourers from countries such as India are particularly affected as governments focus more on the local population. Dr Azad Moopen, speaking at the Global Healthcare Summit in Kochi, Kerala, warned that the GCC countries are facing huge challenges in accessibility as there aren’t enough health care facilities for expat workers. Continue reading Affordable health care challenges for expats living and working in the Middle East →

The activity of seasonal influenza continues to rise in some countries of Europe, especially western Europe. Experts advise there is still time to protect yourself and those around you by getting the flu vaccination. France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway have all reported a medium intensity of flu transmission. However, influenza was reported to be widespread geographically by five countries – Belgium, Denmark, France, Norway and England. Nine countries have reported increasing trends. Continue reading Increase in seasonal flu across Europe →

Despite plenty of uncertainty around the globe, 2012 has been a robust year for travel, with more than one billion people crossing international borders this year.  It seems the era of the staycation is over. Continue reading Healthy Travel Trends for 2013 →

60% of business travelers visit “high risk” destinations each year, according to a survey from travel, medical and security assistance firm International SOS. 16% travel to high risk destinations five or more times in a single year writes expathealth.org Continue reading Business travelers want better local healthcare information →

With talk of emerging markets and BRIC countries, more UK businesses are looking to expand abroad than ever before. Figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show 127,000 Brits left the UK for a definite job in the year ending March 2012, compared to 108,000 the previous year. Continue reading Make expat health insurance your New Year’s resolution →

More and more experts are using the weather to help predict disease patterns. In a recent study, two scientists claimed they could predict when New York City’s flu season would peak using a computer model of weather data reports expathealth.org. With some fine-tuning these types of predictions could be used to maximise vaccination and disease prevention programmes. Experts do acknowledge, however, that human behaviour plays a large part in affecting disease outbreaks. Continue reading Weather patterns could help predict disease outbreaks →