To keep you on the right road to carefree rest and relaxation, here are eight steps you should take before you take flight.

It’s that time of year again, when Canadian snowbirds begin preparing for their annual flight south. Part of your preparation is to ensure that your extended vacation is not only enjoyable, but worry free as well. Below are ten steps you should take before you start your trek to a winter of carefree rest and relaxation.

1. Purchase health insurance – Government health insurance plans don’t always offer the same level of coverage that you currently enjoy here when you are traveling outside of Canada. In fact, it’s usually never enough to cover health-care costs that you might incur for example in the U.S.. That’s why it’s so important to purchase adequate out-of-country medical insurance. And the key word is adequate! Making certain the coverage is adequate is more important than finding the least costly alternative.

2. Make certain you have access to your medications – For example, it’s illegal to import drugs into the U.S. unless it’s no more than a three month supply of your personal medication. But a three month supply depending upon the number of medications can be quite cumbersome. It’s much easier to provide your requirements to a legitimate mail-order pharmacy which will ship you your supply right to door of your vacation residence.

Read more »

Link: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/notes/pandemic_influenza_vaccines_20090924/en/index.html

24 SEPTEMBER 2009 | GENEVA -- Regulatory authorities have licensed pandemic vaccines in Australia, China, Hungary and the United States of America, soon to be followed by Japan and several countries in Europe. The length of the approval process depends on factors such as each country's regulatory pathway, the type of vaccine being licensed, and the stage of manufacturers' readiness to submit appropriate information to regulatory authorities.

Read more »