Asia - Does travel to SE Asia increase risk of flu?

2 questions: does travel to SE Asia (Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and mainland China - 1 month total) increase one's risk of getting the flu?

If there is an increased risk, should the person making such a trip request a flu shot? Does the flu vaccine have any preventative value against asian strains this year? In particular, would it strengthen one's immune system against bird flu?

What sort of holiday are you planning? The only known way to get bird flu is to be in pretty intimate contact with infected chickens. The risks to a normal tourist are zero.

Did you know that 250,000 people die of the flu every year in the USA (despite the fact that the pharmaceutical industry lobby has persuaded people that flu jabs actually make a difference and 100M or are administered every year at great profit to the drug companies)?

The best way to strengthen one's immune system is fresh air, a sensible diet and exercise!

Agree with above. I spend half year every year in Asia and I never get any jabs. I was in Sg during SARS:) and cared more for dengue and aircon-transmitted plain-cold viruses.

There are way more dangerous tropical ilnesses than bird flew, SARS, AIDS and malaria - e.g. dengue fever, Hepatitis (A, B, C...), accute allergy reactions/infections from unspecified insect bites, food poisoning etc. that are way less publicized, way more "popular" to catch and sometimes with worse consequences.

Hepatitis (A.,B ) jab can be more useful than flew shot - if you intend to go for manicure, pedicure and/or "paid love" (sorry, no idea who you are, I do not want to offend anybody). If no - chances are dim.

There are way more dangerous tropical ilnesses than bird flew, SARS, AIDS and malaria - e.g. dengue fever, Hepatitis (A, B, C...), accute allergy reactions/infections from unspecified insect bites, food poisoning etc. that are way less publicized, way more "popular" to catch and sometimes with worse consequences.
I was knocked out for 3 days with food poisoning last trip... am trying to focus on preventing the preventable this time around. Will be in the region for about a month.
Hepatitis (A.,B ) jab can be more useful than flew shot - if you intend to go for manicure, pedicure and/or "paid love" (sorry, no idea who you are, I do not want to offend anybody). If no - chances are dim.
Fortunately, my wife does not charge for her love, plus i already did the 2 rounds of hep A vaccine before my last trip.

Guess its no flu shot for this year. I really hope the FDA gets on the ball about this sh!t next year... 2 yrs in a row of running out of vaccine is a total crock. Next year, I am getting jabbed the first week (if not first day) the shot is available, just in case of another snafu.

I don't know if travel to SE Asia increases the risk of flu, however, long-haul flights in cramped quarters can increase it. Also, mingling with a large population can also increase your risk. I think about all of those times on the Star Ferry in HKG and walking crowded streets, or walking into little cubby-hole shops. I recommend having a flu shot prior to departure. I, well, remember returning to the U.S. after a trip to SE Asia and being violently ill with the flu.

When I went to the travel clinic recently I was specifically warned to avoid live animal markets in Asia, especially any with live birds. Makes sense, due to bird flu. I think these precautions make a lot of sense: frequent handwashing and use of both antibacterial handwipes and hand sanitizer. Since the water supply onboard most aircraft has contamination, it makes sense to use hand sanitizer after washing one's hands.

Perhaps those of you from the US could also advise what additional precautions visitors from Hong Kong should take when visiting?

Presumably wearing a bullet-proof vest at all times would be wise since the chance of being accidently shot in the USA is far, far higher than the chance of catching any serious disease as a tourist in, say, Hong Kong?

Perhaps those of you from the US could also advise what additional precautions visitors from Hong Kong should take when visiting?

Presumably wearing a bullet-proof vest at all times would be wise since the chance of being accidently shot in the USA is far, far higher than the chance of catching any serious disease as a tourist in, say, Hong Kong?

To be fair, I only included Hong Kong because it was (at least according to published media accounts) the epicenter of the last bird flu outbreak. You certainly didn't see the mandatory slaughter of 500,000 birds in Houston.

To be honest, I am far more worried about mainland china and jakarta (where I DID get sick last trip, and many of my friends have as well). And no, cutting out JKT - where most of my inlaws currently live - is NOT an option. For all its faults, the US does have pretty decent sanitary guidelines.

To be fair, I only included Hong Kong because it was (at least according to published media accounts) the epicenter of the last bird flu outbreak.Out of interest, how many cases of bird flu (technically H5N1 type) do you think were recorded in humans in Hong Kong in the past, say, 5 years?

The slaughter of all the chickens was, it seems to me, an extremely cautious reaction to this "outbreak".

There are many risks to worry about when travelling (if you are so inclined) but bird flu should be a very long way down that list.

(The answer on bird flu, by the way, is two. There have been 33 local cases of EV-71 enterovirus and four local cases of leptospirosis this year, for example, if you are looking for something very slightly more significant to worry about.)

In particular, would it strengthen one's immune system against bird flu?

There is no vaccine for avian flu, although batches of vaccine are nearly ready for clinical trials.

The best precautions for tourists and business visitors to Asia for bird flu are avoiding live animals and bird markets in Asia. There was a long article in yesterday's New York Times about the current situation. Links were posted for CDC and WHO webpages, but are not currently available on the NYT website. I did look at the linked pages yesterday and the WHO site had more and deeper information. There is an article in the International Herald Tribune today.

The anti-viral "Tamiflu" has some effect on bird flu. My travel clinic advises me that the generic Amantadine helps keep the virus from replicating. The Asian bird flu has a 75% fatality rate in this year's cases.

I don't know if travel to SE Asia increases the risk of flu, however, long-haul flights in cramped quarters can increase it. Also, mingling with a large population can also increase your risk. I think about all of those times on the Star Ferry in HKG and walking crowded streets, or walking into little cubby-hole shops. I recommend having a flu shot prior to departure. I, well, remember returning to the U.S. after a trip to SE Asia and being violently ill with the flu.

I have been told that the flu shots are region specific and only cover certain strains. Thus the flu shot you recieve in the USA might not cover a strain in Asia!

To be honest, I am far more worried about mainland china and jakarta (where I DID get sick last trip, and many of my friends have as well). And no, cutting out JKT - where most of my inlaws currently live - is NOT an option. For all its faults, the US does have pretty decent sanitary guidelines.

Did you have gastro in CGK(my relatives also live there)? If so might I suggest a short course of CIPRO. It is truly a god send!