Tropical holidaymakers risking their health

5th July 2006

Millions of British holidaymakers may be risking their health by not taking vaccinations or anti-malaria pills when they go abroad.

New research from Direct Line Travel Insurance reveals that some three million Britons* have visited tropical countries on holiday in the last five years without taking recommended vaccinations.

Despite malaria killing more than a million people worldwide each year according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in 10 Britons who have visited destinations where the disease is prevalent in the last five years did not take anti-malaria pills, with a further eight per cent stopping taking them while still in the malarious country.

The study uncovers what appears to be widespread ignorance of the necessity of taking medical precautions when visiting tropical countries. Seventeen per cent of people who did not take vaccinations were unaware that they were needed in the first place, with a similar proportion (15 per cent) failing to research what precautions they should take.

And despite the ease of contracting a disease that infects some 500 million people a year, one in four holidaymakers who did not take malaria drugs did so because they felt they would not catch malaria (25 per cent).

Complacency, it seems, is also behind Britons’ refusal to take potentially life-saving medicines when travelling. One in five holidaymakers who didn’t take their vaccinations admit that they decided to take their chances (21 per cent), while a further 21 per cent said that they simply didn’t think that they would catch a disease. One in six (16 per cent) felt that there was no point taking medication because of the brevity of their visit.

And it’s not just novice travellers who are taking risks. One in five people who didn’t take medication claimed to be experienced travellers and therefore knew how to avoid becoming ill (19 per cent).

Faced with the worst-case scenario of falling ill in a tropical country, the majority of holidaymakers would prefer to be brought home for treatment (56 per cent). But despite this, one in 10 travellers (nine per cent) have been on a tropical holiday without taking out travel insurance.

Worryingly, the areas most commonly visited by travellers who do not take the recommended vaccinations are all high-risk malaria zones according to the World Health Organisation: South East Asia (24 per cent), Africa (21 per cent) and the Asian subcontinent (15 per cent).

Chris Price, Business Manager at Direct Line Travel Insurance:

”The last decade has seen a steady increase in travel to Asia, Africa and South America – destinations where serious diseases, including malaria, are common. Despite this, or maybe because of it, people are effectively gambling with their health.

“It is incredibly easy to contract malaria and the early symptoms can often be mistaken for ’flu. According to the Department of Health, almost 2,000 people return to the UK with malaria each year, and an average of nine people die from the disease. People concerned about side effects should remember that there is a range of anti-malarial medications available to suit your individual needs.

“We would urge all people to seek health advice eight weeks before travelling – although you can still get advice even at the last minute – and to ensure they have adequate travel insurance should the worst happen.”

For more information, log on to www.directline.com/travel.

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Carmel McCarthy/Direct Line Press Office
0208 256 2178
Email: carmel.mccarthy@directline.com

Notes to Editors:

Research was carried out online by YouGov Plc who interviewed a sample of 2,216 adults between 2 and 5 June 2006. Results are weighted to be representative of the GB adult population. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.

* The GB adult population is 57,843,100 (ONS). Five per cent of British adults have been on holiday to a tropical destination in the last five years where vaccinations were recommended and not taken them (YouGov). Therefore:

0.05 x 57,843,100 = 2,892,155 people

Direct Line Insurance plc, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Calls may be recorded. Conditions apply.