Ebola in Africa

We are booked for classic safari starting Sept 17, 2014. Everything I have heard is making me more nervous about travelling to/around Africa. I am even considering canceling, even though I have been looking forward to this trip.

Comments

  • The affected countries are 3,000 miles away from Kenya and Tanzania, and Ebola is not airborne. I would not worry. Tauck would cancel the trip if there is a serious threat. Do not miss this trip of a lifetime!
  • kathy16 wrote:
    We are booked for classic safari starting Sept 17, 2014. Everything I have heard is making me more nervous about travelling to/around Africa. I am even considering canceling, even though I have been looking forward to this trip.

    People have said this in a variety of ways ... but the basic fact is this: Africa is not a "safe" place. If you are not willing to accept some risk, go to Honolulu. On the other hand, Tauck will take the best possible care of you. There is no way I would have missed this trip unless "Tauck" cancelled it.
  • The Ebola outbreak is in Western Africa. You are going to Eastern Africa . The virus is spread through contact with body fluids of an infected person. I doubt this could occur at the Serena Lodges or at the Four Seasons. I agree Ebola is pretty scary ( think the book, The Hot Zone), but so is TB, polio HIV, and countless other maladies which are closer to home. If there was a concern, I am sure Tauck would not risk your health and their reputation. As Sealord says, there is risk in any travel. Frankly, I am more concerned about diseases closer to home. And...some folks on this forum tinker with getting Yellow Fever shots...that's a bigger and more realistic concern!
  • edited August 2014
    As usual, the press has escalated the Ebola story into panic mode. Kathy, did your get a Yellow fever shot and are you going to take Malaria pills? Worry about those, not Ebola. Do not cancel this trip of a lifetime
  • edited August 2014
    Hi Kathy16,

    Like other people have said, Tauck only operates in South and East Africa; the reports of the outbreak are only in West Africa. As part of our regular office operations, Tauck's Global Response Team and its many members monitor all events and news on an ongoing basis, and we will closely monitor this situation as well. We will continue to monitor all media and the latest updates on related announcements, and are in contact with our suppliers and security sources. At this time, based on all the information we have received, we are scheduled to operate as planned on all upcoming departures. We will provided an immediate update if there are any changes.

    I hope this helps!

    -Tim
  • Thanks for the support. I guess a lot can happen in a month... we will see.
    One of my coworkers (from the hospital) mentioned today, that I should make sure I don't have "IT", before I return to work post vacation.
    I should check about the cancellation policy. We don't have Tauck insurance.
    I am going to a travel doctor on Monday to get info about what else I need to protect myself from other disease hazards-(malaria, etc.)
  • I am booked on the Kenya and Tanzania trip in September. I was not at all concerned about the Ebola outbreak in East Africa until today. Today, WHO has designated Kenya as a high risk country for the spread of ebola. I'm pretty sure we will be safe at the safari lodges, it is the airports that I am worried about. Apparently, Kenya gets about 70 flights a week from east Africa. I am very nervous right now!
  • stanti wrote:
    I am booked on the Kenya and Tanzania trip in September. I was not at all concerned about the Ebola outbreak in East Africa until today. Today, WHO has designated Kenya as a high risk country for the spread of ebola. I'm pretty sure we will be safe at the safari lodges, it is the airports that I am worried about. Apparently, Kenya gets about 70 flights a week from east Africa. I am very nervous right now!

    Keep checking. According to something I found on Fox, British Airways announced that it is suspending flights to and from Liberia and Sierra Leone until the situation improves. All the airlines are taking extra precautions. Lufthansa notes that "there is no risk of getting infected by the Ebola virus via air circulation during flight. Crews on Brussels Airlines flights have access to special thermoscans to check passengers' temperature, if they feel it's necessary. Air France has put an Ebola plan into action that includes medical protection kits and disinfectant gel available to the crew. Passengers leaving Africa must fill out a questionnaire when entering the airport. They then have their temperature taken. They are only given a boarding pass if no symptoms are present. If things get worse other carriers may follow BA's lead.

    But remember, Ebola only spreads with direct contact/transfer of blood or body fluids. No airborne transmission has been documented. Except for doctors and others in close/direct contact with those infected with Ebola, it is doubtful that the people being infected are air travelers. Again, it would be similar to leaving Los Angeles for Australia or Japan because one or more people have contracted Ebola in New York.
  • edited August 2014
    Stanti, I think you are getting Kenya and Nigeria mixed up. Kenya is in East Africa, the airport in Nairobi may well get flights in from West Africa. Nairobi is in Kenya. I can find no information on either the CDC or WHO about worries in Kenya. Ebola transmission is similar to HIV transmission, it takes a mixture of bodily fluids, blood, saliva, urine and so on. In fact, it is almost impossible to catch in normal US living conditions or I would think we would all be walking round with HIV by now ( and interestingly HIV is growing in the 55 plus age groups-- your average Tauck traveler age!)The local people are at risk because of the preparation of their dead for burial and living in more primitive conditions where maybe no indoor sanitation or lack of running water. In addition they are not seeking medical help when they are sick because of the stigma. It would be such a shame for you to cancel your vacation and right now there are probably two more cases in the US we know about than any in Kenya. And if you don't go, let me know and I would gladly take your place if you pay for me!
  • Here is the link from BBC News about the WHO warning for Kenya http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28769678
    Although the virus is not currently in Kenya, the WHO is worried about all the internal flights in Africa transporting people from the infected regions in west Africa to Kenya (70 flights a week). With that many flights, there is a good chance that 1 or more people infected with the virus will end up in Kenya. My main concern right now is the airport in Nairobi.
  • Hello stanti, thanks missed that. I would still go at this point, myself.
  • I'm sorry but I fail to understand how people can look for excuses not to go on the trip of a lifetime. Some of my fellow Tauck travelers have done an admirable job trying to explain the magic that is Kenya and Tanzania. If you still don't get it, maybe it's best that you not go.

    However, I'd love to read your petition to the insurance company in which you request a refund based upon a virus that is over 3,000 miles away....Leo M
  • My wife and I were supposed to go on this safari last September and a half hour before boarding, my wife missed a step and twisted her ankle in the UNITED LOUNGE AT NEWARK AIRPORT. She couldn't put any weight on it and we had to cancel. Dangers lurk everywhere. I'll be damned if I'm gonna miss this trip again unless there is a real, immediate threat.
  • Absolutely! Go the Dunkirk spirit! Have a great trip.

    Cheers,

    Jan

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