Another rundown
I have this list in my head of four agencies that, when they say something, you can just about take it to the bank.
Two of those agencies are saying the rumor is false, that the CCAA is not holding anything up due to the swine flu, and that when they return to work next week it will be business as usual.
One of those agencies is saying the CCAA will not be sending referrals out due to swine flu.
Total agencies reporting things at this point:
- Six agencies reporting the rumor is false and that it will be business as usual next week.
- Eight agencies reporting that the CCAA is not sending them out due to swine flu. One of those agencies is notorious for having bogus information, and another of them isn’t right all that much.
Nothing is above an R3 right now. And if you’ll look at my rumor ratings then we don’t start keeping score until it is an R4. An R3 is just a rumor coming from multiple sources that needs to be reported. I don’t make a statement that I believe a rumor is true or false until it reaches an R4.
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As for those holding TA’s right now trying to decide what to do, I don’t know what to tell you. Several people trying to make that decision have asked me for advice, or asked me what I would do. I can’t knowledgeably answer that, because what I would do would be to do a ton of research on my own and then talk to my agency and my doctor and then try to make an informed decision. And since I haven’t talked to my agency or my doctor, I don’t have that information to figure out what our family would decide.
One thing I am positive about though, after hearing quarantine horror stories during SARS there is no way we would take GlitterGirl or TwinkleToes with us, so if we did go then it would be without them. And on travel days once we had the baby I would have a minimum of four or five days worth of formula and diapers as well as plenty of meal replacement bars for RK and I.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
My agency just sent out an email saying the rumor is false. Our agency’s in country representative is usually very accurate, and she says they will be sending referrals as usual.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
During SARS, our agency said leave all nonessential travelers at home, stay close to hotel room, skip the sight seeing, etc. I agree,RQ. I wouldn’t want to bring other kids along nor would I want to deal with a quarantine while in China (sheesh..my kids could get an ear infection on the plane, run a fever, and create a huge issue that was totally unrelated to this flu). I think only one of us would travel.
April 30th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
I just got an email from my agency:
Today, April 30, 2009, the CCAA has posted a notice on their official website addressing the impact of the Swine Flu on upcoming travelers. Please open the following link and read CCAA’s notice directly:
http://www.china-ccaa.org/site/infocontent/XWDT_20090430105045284_en.htm
The CCAA has asked that all upcoming trips to China be postponed for the time being, until further notice. In addition, the CCAA has asked that families currently in China, or those leaving within the next few days, cooperate with the officials in China during their entire trip. Parents are encouraged to immediately go to a hospital while in China, if they have any symptoms of the virus. For those families with trips planned, and tickets booked, we are currently in the process of inquiring about your cases specifically.
April 30th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Dear RQ, thanks so much for the information, I can not imagine surviving this without reading your news … thanks.
Roz (LID 14 mar 06)
April 30th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I spoke with our agency today. To my relief their spokes person spoke with the CCAA and at this time they will not be holding onto referrals!!!!!! I also ask if they might know when referrals will be sent out. NO, such luck. I also ask about referrals during SARS. She said “of course they did not get any. But when it was over they received around one hundred referrals. They may not have sent referrals, but they did not stop matching. I’m wondering if the stats show this jump????? I thought this was nice to hear. Thank you so much for all you do Rumor Queen, I don’t know what we would do without you.
LID 3/27/06
http://www.ourchinaangel.com
April 30th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
King, would love to email with you directly. I think we’re with the same agency. If we aren’t, sounds like my agency is saying exactly the same thing.
April 30th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
the_raudys
email me lizk241@hotmail.com
April 30th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
We were matched during SARS and had to wait an additional six weeks to travel once the travel ban was lifted after SARS. Great sympathy to families awaiting referral and travel right now!!!
Meanwhile, I was speaking to a fellow adoptive parent who is also a doctor about the swine flu and travel last night. She recommended that all traveling families take Tamaflu (an anti-viral drug) with them. This anti-viral drug is effective against this strain of influenza.
Best wishes to all!
April 30th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Unfortunately – my agency is reporting the same information as reported by King. It says that China will be holding its referrals for the next 20 days and will then reconsider the situation.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:45 pm
I just got notice from my china only agency who states that CCAA is not restricting travel or referrals for adoptive parents. They indicate that if parents have their TA and wish to travel, the parents can do so, but they must sign a waiver, stating that if they fall ill while in China, that the parents must follow China’s medical protocol for this outbreak. The CCAA has extended the TA travel period from 3 months to 5 months, so if parents do not wish to travel at this time, they can travel at a later date.
JennyPA
3-24-06 LID
April 30th, 2009 at 8:42 pm
oh, god- i fear ANOTHER 171h expiration.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
We were the last group permitted to travel from Canada to China in 2003 during the height of the SARS scare. Prior to leaving, we were warned by the Chief Medical Officer of Health for our province that it would be unwise for us to do so, and were forced to sign a waiver releasing our government from any liability (as if they ought to have borne any in the first place) should we get ill. Nevertheless, of the 45 or 46 families in the group, virtually every family opted to send at least one parent, but usually both. We had originally planned to take our children with us, had our airline tickets in hand, bags packed, etc., but in the end decided I should go alone, which I did.
We took many precautions – wearing masks (although I truly question the worth of them, as most people do not use them correctly), using hand sanitizers frequently, doing little to no sightseeing, etc. All returned home healthy.
We were quarantined for 10 days upon our return (a story for another day – suffice to say, the quarantine was beyond ridiculous and exclusively targeted the wrong group people), but it was well worth it in order to bring our daughter home as quickly as possible.
Personally, I wouldn’t let the swine flu stop me from travelling to bring my child home. Frankly, I believe it’s a lot of hype about not much. Anyone remember the swine flu scare of the 70′s? Some of us do.
This scare “du jour” is nothing knew. Tomorrow there’ll be some other media-hyped scare brought to you by the makers of “news”. Over 3000 people have died since January of the “ordinary” flu, but for some reason that’s just a “health story”. Many thousands a day die from malaria, yet that, too, is just an every day “health story”.
Only 7 confirmed deaths in Mexico, 1 in the U.S. (a child from Mexico), and none anywhere else – yet hundreds, supposedly, have contracted the disease, with little to no real, lasting effects.
The word “pandemic” strikes fear in our hearts, but it shouldn’t. It simply means an illness which is impossible to stop from spreading worldwide. Pandemic does not refer to the virulency of a disease, merely that it’s no respecter of borders and cannot be contained.
China4