How to Cancel Travel Plans Due to the Zika Virus

Consumer Reports / By Jeff Blyskal / Feb 5 2016

Travel insurance helps, but be prepared to haggle as well

If you plan to cancel the tropical vacation you've booked to avoid coming down with the Zika virus, you're probably in good company. Worries over travel have picked up in recent days with the news that at least 31 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with the virus including a pregnant woman in New York City, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But canceling raises more questions. Will you be hit with cancellation penalties? Will you be able to get a refund?

The good news is that some major airlines and cruise lines are bending their usually strict rules on cancellation for passengers with tickets to the affected areas. But at the same time, you may also need to negotiate for a refund to cancel travel plans.

Airlines

JetBlue, which was rated the most highly among airlines in our 2015 airline Ratings, has the most forgiving policy among the five largest U.S. carriers we contacted. Customers concerned about Zika and holding tickets to affected areas can cancel travel for a refund even if they purchased non-refundable tickets. Re-bookings can be made without penalty.

United and American provide similar options, but only to women who are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, and their travel companions, and their policies doesn't apply to non-refundable tickets. American requires a note from a doctor and refunds are limited for travel to only 11 countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico.

Southwest Airlines, also highly rated by our subscribers, has no specific Zika policy, but it never charges penalties for changing flight plans. So any traveler concerned about Zika is free to avoid problem destinations. If you have non-refundable tickets, their full value can be applied to travel elsewhere on Southwest.

Delta did not respond to our request for comment, but the airline's website says customers may be able to change their destinations and travel dates without being charged a fee. They may also qualify for a refund if they cancel travel plans. Changes need to be made by February 29.

What you should do. If you're not pregnant or trying to become pregnant and still prefer to cancel, getting a refund may be more difficult. If you bought travel insurance that has a rider that permits cancellation for any reason, that should protect you. If you don't have the insurance, we recommend that you negotiate for a refund from the airlines. That may require that you argue that canceling your trip helps prevent the spread of the virus to the U.S. It is especially advisable if you expect to be in contact with anyone who is pregnant (there are still questions as to how easily this disease gets transmitted).


Cruises
Consumers who buy tickets for a cruise are typically subject to stiff penalties if they change or cancel travel plans. Payment in full is usually required 90 or more days before departure. If you later want to cancel, you can lose up to 100 percent of your payment depending on when you make that decision.

But if the reason for canceling has to do with the Zika virus, the cruise lines are being unusually lenient. Carnival, the largest cruise line, Disney Cruise Lines, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises are letting pregnant women cancel travel or change their itineraries to exclude Zika-prone destinations. They can also request credit for a future voyage.*

The new policies do not apply to those planning to become pregnant.

What you should do. If your cruise line isn't willing to help you avoid cancellation or change fees, remind them of the policies set by the other cruise lines and ask for similar treatment.

As with the airlines, if you purchased travel insurance that has a rider that permits cancellation for any reason, that should protect you. We suggest that you don't automatically take the limited insurance policy offeringsthat the cruise line sells. You're likely to get better coverage and lower fees if you shop the market more broadly by using an online broker such as InsureMyTrip.

Lodging
Hotel chains have more consumer-friendly cancellation policies and routinely require 48 to 72 hours’ notice to avoid a charge equal to one night’s stay.

However, if you cancel a prepaid stay during a peak period, you could forfeit the entire amount. Some resorts may bill you for three nights if you cancel your trip.

If you've booked a private vacation home rental through online marketplaces such as Airbnb, HomeAway, or VRBO, the homeowner sets the cancellation policy.

What you should do. Given the severity of the warning from the CDC, negotiate for a full refund or a reduced penalty waiver. It can help to contact the hotel or travel agent and explain that your doctor has warned against travel to the area.

For private vacation home rentals, check your contract for the owner's cancellation policy to see if you can get out of the deal within the rules. If you are unable to break the agreement, appeal to the owner on a personal level and try to negotiate a fair refund, given the new health threat.

Recall of all sterile drug products by Med Prep Consulting in NJ

FDA alerts health care providers of recall of all sterile drug products by Med Prep Consulting in New Jersey


The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care providers and patients of a voluntary nationwide recall of all lots of all products produced by Med Prep Consulting Inc. of Tinton Falls, N.J, a specialty pharmacy licensed by the state of New Jersey. The recall was announced after health care providers at a hospital in Connecticut observed floating particles, later identified to be a fungus, in five bags of magnesium sulfate intravenous solution.

The magnesium sulfate products may have been distributed to additional facilities in Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Until further notice, health care providers should stop using all products made by Med Prep Consulting Inc. and return them to the company.

“Giving a patient a contaminated injectable drug could result in a life-threatening infection,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We do not have reports of patient infections. However, due to a lack of sterility assurance at the facility and out of an abundance of caution, this recall is necessary to protect patients.”

This investigation is ongoing. The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state officials in New Jersey and Connecticut to determine the scope of the contamination. The level of recall is to the user level, this includes regional hospital pharmacies and related departments, and physician’s office practices. This recall includes all products distributed through March 15, 2013.

In addition to the recall, on March 15, 2013, the New Jersey State Board of Pharmacy entered into an Interim Voluntary Consent Order with Med Prep Consulting Inc. Under the Order, the firm has temporarily halted all production operations, including the processing and shipping of medications.

Med Prep Consulting Inc. prepares a number of sterile products for intravenous administration for a number of medical conditions. The firm’s products include antibiotics, general and local anesthetics, cardiac, labor and delivery and pain management medications.

To date, the FDA is not aware of any reports of injury or illness associated with the recalled magnesium sulfate intravenous solution. The FDA asks health care professionals and consumers to report any adverse reactions to the FDA’s MedWatch program:

Complete and submit the report online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm

Nightmare' Bacteria Spreading in U.S. Hospitals, Nursing Homes

Half of those infected die from this antibiotic-resistant bacteria


March 5, 2013 RSS Feed Print
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- A "nightmare" bacteria that is resistant to powerful antibiotics and kills half of those it infects has surfaced in nearly 200 U.S. hospitals and nursing homes, federal health officials reported Tuesday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 4 percent of U.S. hospitals and 18 percent of nursing homes had treated at least one patient with the bacteria, called Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), within the first six months of 2012.

"CRE are nightmare bacteria. Our strongest antibiotics don't work and patients are left with potentially untreatable infections," CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said in a news release. "Doctors, hospital leaders and public health [officials] must work together now to implement CDC's 'detect and protect' strategy and stop these infections from spreading."

CRE are in a family of more than 70 bacteria called enterobacteriaceae, including Klebsiella pneumoniae and E. coli, that normally live in the digestive system.

In recent years, some of these bacteria have become resistant to last-resort antibiotics known as carbapenems.

Although CRE bacteria are not yet found nationwide, they have increased fourfold within the United States in the past decade, with most cases reported in the northeast.

Health officials said they're concerned about the rapid spread of the bacteria, which can endanger the lives of patients and healthy people. For example, in the last 10 years, the CDC tracked one CRE from one health-care facility to similar facilities in 42 states.

One type of CRE, a resistant form of Klebsiella pneumoniae, has increased sevenfold in the last decade, according to the CDC's March 5 Vital Signs report.

"To see bacteria that are resistant is worrisome, because this group of bacteria are very common," said Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City.

Most CRE infections to date have been in patients who had prolonged stays in hospitals, long-term facilities and nursing homes, the report said.

The bacteria kill up to half the patients whose bloodstream gets infected and are easily spread from patient to patient on the hands of health-care workers, the CDC said.

Moreover, CRE bacteria can transfer their antibiotic resistance to other bacteria of the same type.

This problem is the result of the overuse of antibiotics, said Siegel. "The more you use an antibiotic the more resistance is going to emerge. This is an indictment of the overuse of this class of antibiotic," he said.

What's needed are new antibiotics, Siegel said, adding pharmaceutical companies lack the financial motivation to develop them right now. "Eventually, there will be enough resistance so drug companies will have a financial incentive. In the meantime, lives can be lost," he said.

To beat back the spread of these bacteria, the CDC wants hospitals and other health-care facilities to take the following steps:

Enforce infection-control precautions.

Group together patients with CRE.

Segregate staff, rooms and equipment to patients with CRE.

Tell facilities when patients with CRE are transferred.

Use antibiotics carefully.

Additional funding of research and technology is critical to prevent and quickly identify CRE, the agency said.

Countries where CRE is more common have had some success controlling it.

Israel, for example, worked to reduce CRE in its 27 hospitals, and CRE rates dropped by more than 70 percent. Some U.S. facilities and states have also seen similar reductions, the agency said.

"We have seen in outbreak after outbreak that when facilities and regions follow CDC's prevention guidelines, CRE can be controlled and even stopped," Dr. Michael Bell, acting director of the CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, said in the news release.

"As trusted health-care providers, it is our responsibility to prevent further spread of these deadly bacteria," he added.

Siegel said there are measures patients can take to reduce their risk of infection. "Number one on the list is don't wish that your hospital stay is extended. Patients think they are safer at the hospital, but that may not be true," he said. "And try to go into a clean hospital."