Travelling With a Medical Condition: Protecting You and Your Loved Ones
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the subject of travel and health into sharp focus. Travel corridors, quarantine periods and local lockdowns have become part and parcel of the vocabulary of planning a trip overseas.
With COVID, at least the messaging is as clear as it is blunt – if you have symptoms, or if you need to self-isolate because of a positive test or contact with someone who has had a positive test, you must not under any circumstances follow through with travel plans.
But what about other medical conditions? Understandably, the spotlight has been shined squarely on infectious diseases. But the majority of illnesses these days are non-communicable -that is, they cannot be passed on from one person to the next, or they cannot be ‘caught’ from other sources as they are not caused by any kind of germ or pathogen.
A full list of non-communicable diseases would read like a medical dictionary, covering the majority of cancers, diabetes, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological and mental disorders to name but a few. In many cases, they are what are known as ‘chronic’ conditions, which means they affect a person over an extended period of time. Rather than a short, sharp period of illness followed (hopefully) by recovery, the experience of chronic illness revolves around learning to live with and manage symptoms.
Bringing this back to travel, the advice around what to if you have a non-communicable medical condition can be very different to what you are told if you have an infectious illness, particularly one that is passed on easily from person to person. With COVID, flu, viral gastroenteritis and so on, you are told clearly to stay at home and not travel. With a long-term condition where there is no danger of passing on the illness to anyone else, it’s a case of individuals (and their loved ones) making their own decisions based on their current state of health.
Safe travelling
So, if you or a member of your family has asthma, diabetes, coronary heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or any other chronic illness, two key questions arise – should you be planning a trip abroad, and if so, what do you need to do to make it safe?
Putting aside the complications raised by COVID for the moment, the main consideration is to decide if you or any loved one with an illness is well enough to travel. Managing a long-term condition is often a cycle of ups and downs, and when the downs occur, making adjustments to try to control and reduce symptoms. ‘Feeling well’ can rely on achieving a careful balance that is easily upset. In short, if your current state of health is poor, or you have only just recovered from a bout of poor health, travel is not advisable. The stresses involved, the change of routine, or climate, of food and so on could easily trigger a relapse.
On the other hand, if your condition is well-managed and symptoms stable, there is absolutely nothing to stop anyone with a long-term medical condition from travelling. But even if you feel on top of the world, it is strongly recommended that you consult your doctor to discuss your plans. They are in the best position to offer advice, including how to manage your condition while away.
Your doctor will also prescribe any medication you need to take with you. It is important to get this dispensed in advance, in case you have any problems finding the right medicine in another country.
The other important thing to consider about travelling with a medical condition is insurance. Most travel insurance policies include what is known as medical cover, which pays out for the cost of any medical treatment you might need while you are abroad. But on standard policies, this is intended to cover general unforeseen illness, accidents and medical emergencies – not treatment for specific conditions. In fact, if you do not declare your medical condition to your insurance provider, you will likely find your medical cover is invalidated. If you needed medical care while away, you would end up having to pay.
It is therefore important that you track down suitable travel insurance that provides additional cover for medical conditions – preferably a bespoke policy designed for your specific needs. Given how expensive even relatively minor treatments can be for overseas visitors in other countries, it is not worth taking any risks. View now to find out more.
