Reinsurers See Limited Swine Flu Claims as Pandemic Looms

Reinsurers may see limited claims from the swine flu outbreak because the disease has so far been less lethal than bird flu and can be treated effectively, said Swiss Reinsurance Co., the world’s second-biggest reinsurer.

A disease killing as many as 1.5 of every 1,000 people, Zurich-based Swiss Re’s worst-case general model for a pandemic, would result in about 3.5 billion Swiss francs ($3.1 billion) in claims at the company. Swine flu probably won’t be “anywhere near as severe,” said Bob Howe, a pandemic expert at Swiss Re.

“It’s encouraging that no deaths occurred so far that are not associated with Mexico and that the virus is responsive to treatment,” Howe said in an interview...

Bloomberg: Reinsurers See Limited Swine Flu Claims as Pandemic Looms