The Australian government website Smartraveller has issued a travel warning for countries experiencing bird flu outbreaks.
Smartraveller says several strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza (commonly known as bird flu) are circulating globally. This has caused outbreaks in poultry and wild birds, particularly in:
- Europe
- North and South America
- Asia.
Human infection is rare, but Smartraveller said tourists should be aware of increased health risks.
As the name suggests, bird flu mainly infects birds, but it can infect other animals including mammals.
Eggs and poultry meat are safe to eat if handled and cooked using safe food handling practices. So it might be a good time to avoid street food for a while.
Symptoms include:
- eye redness or irritation (conjunctivitis)
- fever
- cough
- sore throat
- runny or blocked nose
- muscle or body aches
- fatigue
- shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- pneumonia.
There is no vaccine for avian influenza.
Qantas announces profit
It’s reporting season, so that means publicly listed companies have to fess up on their profit, or for some, losses.
Qantas has had another good year, announcing a whopping profit before tax of $2.08 billion and a $1.25 billion net profit.
However, there is some public handwringing as this represents a 28 per cent slump from the 2022-23 financial year.
The fall is being attributed to ‘moderated’ fares – code for they have caught up on the backlog of post-COVID skyhigh fares, a fall in freight income and money spent on customer services.
Current chief executive Vanessa Hudson announced Qantas would be spending $230 million on customer services in a bid to claw back the airline’s reputation.
“We are going to continue to invest in customer experience and we are going to continue to support our people to deliver the best that they can,” she said this week.
Qantas has been upgrading its lounges including reworking entry fees and refreshing its in-flight menus.
Now if they could just improve their cancellation and delays, we might all be happy.
Viking sale
Thinking about a cruise? This offer may tip you over the edge.
Viking is offering free flights on all of its 2025, 2026 and 2027 river voyages.
Naturally, there are some terms and conditions, but it seems like a sweet, sweet deal either way.
Normally I’d say to get in quick, but the offer doesn’t expire until 15 November so you have plenty of time to peruse their offers at leisure.
For more information visit the website here.
Singapore savers
Singapore is building on its reputation as a destination in its own right. Here’s how to save some money if you are planning more than a stopover.
If you plan on using public transport, EZ-Link or NETS FlashPay cards allow you to use all public transport types by simply tapping on and off.
The cards can also be used in various retail venues, fast-food outlets, hawker centres, cinemas, supermarkets and attractions. Each has an app for easy topping up of your card too.
Find out more about EZ-Links here and NETS FlashPay here.
Do you have any travelling tips to share, or maybe a question we could answer? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
Also read: Want a stopover? Why not Singapore?
