Flu pandemic little threat P&C insurers

The property/casualty insurance industry will only encounter a limited amount of exposure if there is an outbreak of H5N1 ‘avian’ flu, according to Standard & Poor’s Corp.The report recently released by S&P’s says a pandemic would be interpreted by P&C as an “operational risk.” This means they would have to deal with employee absences not claims. S&P’s says it is likely that workers compensation claims may increase in the event of a pandemic. However, this “small jump” in would be mainly present among employees in the poultry industry.In addition, the paper notes a pandemic may result in a short-term increase in disability claims.