Travel's Biggest Health Myths Busted

There’s a huge amount of misinformation handed down on the travellers’ grapevine – not to mention over the internet. Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth unpicks the most troubling myths

‘I never get ill, so travel health insurance is a waste of money.’

Wrong. Health insurance provides a helpline number so any worrying symptoms can be discussed with a clinician. They will also have a list of local clinics where you are likely to find a doctor who can speak English. These days, there is an ever-expanding industry of health tourism. Businessmen have set up fancy hospitals to attract foreigners to come for hip replacements or cosmetic surgery, and in the event of an accident you may be taken to one of these. Often the first thing set up is a drip, so you can’t leave. Travel insurers actually have teams of clinicians who ‘rescue’ patients from such difficulties and can arrange an air ambulance home if needed. It is also possible to arrange for screened blood.

‘If I do get sick, I’ll just call an ambulance.’

Unwise. Ambulance services are far from universal, even in some big cities. In Kathmandu, for example, there is no equivalent to 999; you have to find the number of a reputable hospital, then phone them to find out if they have an ambulance. This isn’t the kind of research you will want to do at the roadside with a broken arm or if you are delirious with a high fever.

If in doubt, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (gov.uk/browse/abroad/ travel-abroad) contains a lot of good country-specific information and so does its US equivalent (travel.state.gov).

‘Taking antimalarial tablets means you don’t need to take care to avoid insect bites.’