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| SARS and other infectious diseases |
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Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and other infectious diseases
Relevant links for information:
WHO (World Health Organisation): www.who.int/en/
CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/
Many travel insurers have decided not to cover the consequences of contracting SARS and other infectious diseases if contracted in countries where the World Health Organisation (WHO), or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a travel warning prior to the departure.
ETI Travel insurance cover with respect to SARS and other infectious diseases
A) Cancellation insurance (Leisure and Corporate):
In order to be able to cancel a trip and to have the money refunded by the cancellation insurance, it is a requirement that it is a newly occurred acute illness of either the Insured or his/her relatives or those on who the trip depends. As this is not the case with fear of being infected, the cancellation insurance will not cover cancellation of a trip with reference to SARS and other infectious diseases.
B) Travel insurance policies (Leisure and Corporate):
The ETI travel insurance policy covers, under normal conditions, medical treatment and hospitalisation, including examinations and treatment in connection with suspected SARS and other infectious diseases.
The policy does not cover transport (including repatriation and trip curtailment) as a consequence of fear of being infected.
If a customer is placed in quarantine due to suspected SARS and other infectious diseases and, consequently, has to postpone a planned return trip, the policy will cover any extra expenses for a new return trip.
The policy will also cover any extra expense as a consequence of missed connection/departure e.g. on the condition that the travel insurance purchased includes the cover “missed connection/departure”. This may be in the situation where a bus on the way to the airport is held back due to suspected SARS and other infectious diseases.
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a contagious respiratory infection caused by a corona virus. Cases of the disease have been reported in Asia, North America and Europe. There have also been cases in China (in particular in Guangdong and Shanxi provinces), Hong Kong and Toronto, Canada. In addition cases of local infection have been reported in Hanoi, Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, USA and England.
Incubation and Recovery
The incubation period is 8-10 days from exposure when symptoms emerge. The symptoms are similar to the flu with high fever, headache, body aches, shaking and malaise (feeling generally unwell). After a few days the patient develops a dry cough. The virus appears to spread by close person-to-person contact, although research is still ongoing regarding ways in which SARS may spread. At the present time the virus is not considered highly contagious. At least 80% of those with symptoms recover completely within a week without further treatment.
Number of cases and mortality
During 2003, 8098 cases of SARS have been reported, of which 774 patients have died (mortality rate of nearly 10%). There is now sufficient data to state the mortality rate in various age groups. For persons under 25 years of age the mortality rate is less than 1%, for persons aged 45-64 the mortality rate has been calculated to 15% whereas the mortality rate for persons above 65 years of age is close to 50%. In addition, persons who might already be weakened are hit the hardest by the infection and the mortality rates must, therefore, be presumed to be considerable lower in an otherwise completely healthy person who is infected by SARS.
Treatment
In principle the treatment is the administration of fluid and medicine to gain relief. There are no real effective medicines or other treatments. About 10% of those with symptoms will require treatment in intensive care.
Transmission of infection
Transmission of infection is alleged to be prevented by avoiding close contact with the infected person, maintain good personal hygiene and protecting the nose and mouth with facemasks.
In an attempt to limit the spread of SARS it is recommended that patients with SARS, persons who could be incubating SARS, and persons who have been in close contact with SARS patients, do not leave a specific area until further infection can be ruled out (quarantine). Apart from that national and international authorities have been issuing travel warnings recommending that travellers avoid entry into areas with major outbreaks of SARS.
Travelling risks
When travelling to areas with SARS the following considerations must therefore be taken into account:
In certain areas of Asia there can be limited opportunities to treat serious illness,
In case of serious illness it is no guaranteed transportation to a treating clinic/hospital outside the SARS area.
In this connection it must be pointed out that so far there has been no information about travellers who were unable to receive relevant examinations or treatment in case of illness during travelling to any of the affected areas. In case of trips or permanent stays in areas with risks of transfer of infection of SARS it is recommended that the traveller/person stationed abroad follows closely information and reports from international, national and local authorities and the media.
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| ETI is represented in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Indonesia (Bali), Italy, Nepal, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and USA. |
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