Insurers prepare for claims relating to influenza viruses.The influenza virus influenza virus n. Any of three viruses of the genus Influenzavirus designated type A, type B, and type C, that cause influenza and influenzalike infections. , which causes an epidemic nearly every year, has the healthcare industry scrambling this 2003-2004 season as it prepares for an unexpected strain that might cause double the average number of flu-related deaths. Influenza viruses of types A or B can make 10% to 20% of Americans sick every year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a Rose report by ING Re. The report was compiled for ING Re's clients, which include health-maintenance organizations and medical-access companies that purchase reinsurance The contract made between an insurance company and a third party to protect the insurance company from losses. The contract provides for the third party to pay for the loss sustained by the insurance company when the company makes a payment on the original contract. from the company. The virus is associated with 114,000 hospitalizations a year and about 192 million days spent in bed, the report said. Another strain, type C, isn't associated with epidemics but can cause a mild respiratory illness Noun 1. respiratory illness - a disease affecting the respiratory system respiratory disease, respiratory disorder adult respiratory distress syndrome, ARDS, wet lung, white lung - acute lung injury characterized by coughing and rales; inflammation of the , the report said. However, this season a new kind of flu called Fujian is causing extra problems. Accounting for about two-thirds of flu cases, the strain hadn't been anticipated when this year's flu vaccine The flu vaccine is a vaccine to protect against the highly variable influenza virus. The annual flu kills an estimated 36,000 people in the United States. was developed, which means the vaccine isn't providing 100% protection, according to the report. Although experts don't expect the flu this year to cause a pandemic pandemic /pan·dem·ic/ (pan-dem´ik) 1. a widespread epidemic of a disease. 2. widely epidemic. pan·dem·ic adj. Epidemic over a wide geographic area. n. , or worldwide epidemic, they're warning that the number of deaths caused by the flu could double in North America compared with an average year, to 75,000. As of press time, 11 children reportedly have died of flu-related illnesses in Denver, and the Rose report said another five have died in Britain. "I don't think they're predicting (a pandemic) because of the controls we have in place right now," said Kathleen Thiesem, senior health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract consultant for the Rose program. In general, one in 1,000 workers who become sick with the flu submits a claim for short-term disability, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. has said that 10% to 20% of working Americans are affected by the flu each year, said Dr. Ronald Leopold, national medical director and vice president for MetLife Disability. The flu often causes an absence from work of a week or less, which usually doesn't qualify for short-term disability, he said. Flu Pandemics During The Past 100 Years * 1918-1919: 20 million to 50 million die worldwide, including 500,000 in the United States, as a result of the "Spanish flu" * 1957-1958: 70,000 Americans die from the "Asian flu" * 1968-1969: 34,000 Americans die from the "Hong Kong flu," which is still in circulation today Source: ING Re's Rose report on the influenza virus |
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