The British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) is offering advice to travellers on evidencing any travel insurance claims due to swine flu. If travellers cannot travel due to swine flu and are unable to obtain written evidence from their GP or other medical practitioner, insurance brokers will accept the following alternative evidence: an individual's unique ID number generated by the National Flu Service, together with the label on their anti-flu drugs which states their name and date of issue, will be accepted as proof of diagnosis to validate a travel insurance cancellation claim.

Graeme Trudgill, BIBA Technical and Corporate Affairs executive, commented: "We are really pleased that the situation has been clarified for travellers who are unable to obtain a certificate from their GP. Anyone affected should contact their insurance broker if they need to make a claim."

Many travel insurance providers have a specific 'pandemic' exclusion, however this is not included within the BIBA travel insurance policy which is available from all BIBA brokers. To find a broker in your area log onto www.biba.org.uk or call 0870 950 1790.

Insurance policies do not normally cover disinclination to travel to any destination.

This latest news comes following significant frenzy surrounding swine flu over the last two weeks: confused advice, lost perspective on the numbers of people with/predicted to contract the virus, concern over NHS ability to cope and the subsequent but tardy launch of the government's pandemic flu website.

With up to half of schoolchildren expected to contract the virus at its peak, and with the Department of Health estimating absences of up to 27% during the Autumn school term, smaller companies and their supply chains will be affected if they have not considered if they may run out of people or skills. And with global economies already on the slide, companies have been advised to shore up their own absence management plans.


Training firm, Link Associates has put together a series of bulletins on the subject. See www.flualert.co.uk for more information.

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