Does Travel Insurance Cover Infectious Diseases?

Just as we thought we’d finally gotten over the COVID-19 PTSD, there’s news of another infectious disease circulating about. Yes, we’re talking about monkeypox, or Mpox for short.

Even though monkeypox has already been around for a while, there’s now a new, deadlier and even more transmissible strain. The virus was recently brought much closer to home when an infected European traveller arrived in Bangkok from Africa. 

Of course, Mpox isn’t the only infectious disease out there—there are a whole host of diseases you might get while globetrotting, including typhoid, yellow fever or hepatitis A/B. Thankfully, there are vaccines available to help with that.

But what about the costs of treatment? Does travel insurance cover infectious diseases, especially specific ones such as COVID-19 or Mpox? The World Health Organisation has already declared Mpox a “public health emergency of international concern”. While there’s no need to go into panic mode, it’s still best to take precautions when travelling because we don’t want our trips to get affected or infect anyone else, do we?

When buying travel insurance, it’s important to scour the full policy wording document—don’t just glance through the key features or look at only the price—and fine print, especially the exclusions. You can also use a comparison tool like our MoneySmart’s travel insurance comparison tool to check the latest updates and even risk of other infectious diseases at your destination. If in doubt, contact the insurer’s customer service to be sure. 

 Let’s take a closer look at the coverage offered by various travel insurance plans. The following information is correct as of 23 August 2024.

 

Insurers and infectious diseases: What’s covered by travel insurance?

In general, while many travel insurance plans now include COVID-19 coverage (make sure you double-check to be sure, or top-up your premium for the add-on), some still do not cover any other infectious disease, virus, bacterium or other microorganism (whether asymptomatic or not).

It’s also important to keep up to date with the news. Don’t buy the travel insurance AFTER hearing about the outbreak, because that will likely NOT be covered since it has become a known event.

By association, infectious diseases can also mean those that are sexually transmitted. Therefore, travel insurance does not cover AIDS, HIV, or anything related. You can usually find this clause under “General Exclusions” in the policy wording document. 

Insurer and plan name	Premium	Amount of coverage	Are infectious diseases covered?
AIG Travel Guard® Direct	From S$30	Starts at up to S$100,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Basic plan	COVID-19 coverage included Epidemics or pandemics not covered Excludes specific countries or regions Covers short transits stops outside of the covered region. These transit stops that do not necessitate entry into a country or require entry into a country only to connect to another international flight within 12 consecutive hours of arrival.
Allianz Travel	From S$37	Starts at up to S$200,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Basic plan	COVID-19 coverage included Epidemics or pandemics not covered, except otherwise stated.
Bubblegum Travel Insurance	From S$30.32	Up to S$150,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas)	COVID-19 coverage included Does not cover any other infectious disease, virus, bacterium or other microorganism (whether asymptomatic or not). Epidemics or pandemics not covered
DirectAsia Voyager	From S$24.50	Starts at up to S$150,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Voyager 150 plan	Optional COVID-19 cover add-on available Bacterial or viral infections are only covered if contracted while overseas and there was no health warning issued prior to departure. Covers an epidemic, pandemic, outbreak of communicable disease or other such similar health hazard in the planned destination which were unknown when you booked the trip or purchased this policy, whichever is later. Does not cover transit through any excluded countries. Does not cover any communicable disease including any mutation or variation thereof.
FWD	From S$19.47	Starts at up to S$200,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Premium plan	COVID-19 Cover available as add-on. No cover for travel to certain countries (i.e. DR of Congo). Epidemics or pandemics not covered.
Great Eastern TravelSmart Premier Classic	From S$51	Starts at up to S$300,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Classic plan	COVID-19 extension available (Classic or Elite plan). Does not cover any dangerous health threat (for example, outbreak of a contagious disease) in the destination you are travelling to which a government or any relevant authority issued a public warning or statement about before you left Singapore. Does not cover infectious diseases declared or announced as an epidemic, pandemic or public health emergency of international concern. Does not cover any country located in central America, South America or Africa, or any country United Nations armed forces are active in.
HL Assurance Travel Protect360	From S$56	Starts at up to S$150,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Basic plan	Includes COVID-19 coverage (for Enhanced plans and above) No cover for travel to certain countries (i.e. DR of Congo). Epidemics or pandemics not covered
INCOME	From S$42.18	Starts at up to S$250,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Standard Basic plan	COVID-19 extension included. Does not cover overseas travel against a travel advisory issued by the Singapore Government. Does not cover travel or transit through specified countries.
MSIG TravelEasy	From S$38	Starts at up to S$250,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Standard plan	Includes COVID-19 coverage. Epidemics or pandemics not covered. Does not cover any known event (i.e. outbreaks)
Singlife Travel	From S$43.37	Starts at up to S$2,000,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Plus plan	COVID-19 cover extension available with limits. No cover for travel to certain countries (i.e. DR of Congo). Does not cover any claim resulting from a tropical disease where you have not had the recommended inoculations and/or taken the recommended medication. Does not cover travel against the travel advisory issued by Singapore government (regardless of policyholder’s nationality) for non-essential travel or all travel.
Sompo Travel Insurance	From S$36	Starts at up to S$200,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Essential plan	Includes coverage for COVID-19. Does not cover travel overseas against a travel advisory for non-essential travel or all travel issued by the Singapore Government. No cover for travel to certain countries (i.e. DR of Congo). Epidemics or pandemics not covered.
Starr TraveLead	From S$24.96	Starts at up to S$500,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Essential Silver plan	Includes extension of medical expenses for COVID-19. Excludes any loss or expenses in relation to any infectious disease, virus, bacterium or other microorganism (whether asymptomatic or not); or COVID-19, including any mutation or variation thereof; or pandemic or epidemic, as declared as such by the World Health Organization or any governmental authority during travel to and from China.
Tiq Entry	From S$21	Starts at up to S$200,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Entry plan	Comprehensive COVID-19 add-on available. Excludes countries in the Sanctioned Countries List (i.e. DR Congo). Does not cover any infectious disease(s).
Zurich Travel Insurance	From S$13.56	Starts at up to S$50,000 for Medical Coverage (Overseas) for Basic plan	COVID-19 coverage included. Epidemics or pandemics not covered.

 

What is considered an infectious disease? 

According to the World Health Organisation, an “infectious disease is one that is caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.” These infectious diseases can be deadly, cause disability, or spread so rapidly and unexpectedly that it can cause “serious global repercussions”.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Ministry of Health has also outlined a list of infectious diseases that infected patients must notify doctors and laboratories of, ASAP.

 

Travel insurance that covers infectious diseases

Let’s look at the plans from the table above in more detail.

AIG Travel Guard Direct

AIG offers a wallet-friendly Travel Guard Direct, available in Basic, Standard, Enhanced and Supreme. While this covers an infectious disease like COVID-19, there isn’t any coverage for epidemics or pandemics (so keep a close watch on the developing news on Mpox). High-risk countries and regions are also excluded, such as Cuba, Iran, Syria, North Korea or the Crimea region.  

One thing that’s unique, though, is that the AIG Travel Guard Direct actually covers short transit stops outside of the covered region. These are transit stops that do not necessitate entry into a country or require entry into a country only to connect to another international flight within 12 consecutive hours of arrival. 

 

Allianz Travel

Allianz Travel’s travel insurance is available in Basic, Silver and Platinum. This includes COVID-19 coverage, but otherwise, also doesn’t cover epidemics or pandemics, unless otherwise stated.

We like that all of Allianz Travel plans include COVID-19 Coverage, as well as 24/7 medical assistance that helps you organise things like trusted medical expertise, appointments and making direct payments (to selected medical providers).

 

Bubblegum Travel Insurance

While the affordable Bubblegum travel insurance includes COVID-19 coverage, this plan doesn’t cover any other infectious disease, virus, bacterium or other microorganism (whether asymptomatic or not). Likewise, there’s no coverage for a pandemic or epidemic, nor is there protection against any regulations such as border closures of a country, quarantine or other government orders, advisories, regulations or directives. However, this plan covers adventurous activities like scuba diving and hot air ballooning with no limit on depth or height!

 

DirectAsia Voyager

The DirectAsia Voyager is available in 150, 250 and 500, each corresponding to the amount of medical coverage available. For this, there’s an optional COVID-19 cover add-on available, only for single-trip plans.

 There are also some conditions when it comes to bacterial or viral infections: These are only covered if the infection was contracted overseas and there was no health warning issued prior to your departure. The same goes for epidemics and pandemics: They are covered if it was unknown when you booked your trip/bought your insurance, whichever came later.

 Do note that transit through any excluded countries is not covered. These are Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Nepal, North Korea, Sudan, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Yemen. 

 

FWD

FWD travel insurance plans are available in Premium, Business and First. These have COVID-19 cover as an add-on, and they do not include epidemics or pandemics. What’s interesting is that there is also a “cancel for any reason” add-on available (for single trips only), but this must be purchased within seven days of your initial trip deposit for your trip.

Do note that FWD will not pay any benefit for certain countries and regions (transit through airport included) that are Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Libya, Liberia, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, as well as the territories of Crimea including Sevastopol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

 According to FWD, at the current alert level of Mpox, they can cover it under an optional add-on of “cancel for any reason”. Do continue to monitor the news and any official channels if you plan on travelling.

 

Great Eastern TravelSmart Premier

Available in Classic and Elite, the Great Eastern TravelSmart Premier travel insurance is a bit more hefty in terms of price and overseas medical coverage. Of course, there are the usual exclusions such as epidemics and pandemics; but you can still get a COVID-19 extension with your plan.

Depending on your plan, there’s also an adventurous activities benefit where you can get complimentary benefits at no extra cost. Higher-tier plans also offer coverage for emergency dental, traditional Chinese medicine and even chiropractor treatments and pregnancy-related conditions (that many other plans don’t include).

 Note that the plan does not cover any country located in Central America, South America or Africa, or any country where United Nations armed forces are active in.

 

HL Assurance Travel Protect360

HL Assurance offers four tiers of travel insurance plans: Basic, Superior, Enhanced and Premier. These plans (except Basic) include COVID-19 coverage, but not epidemics or pandemics. There is also no coverage for travel to certain countries, such as Afghanistan, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Syria. 

Enjoy also a No-Claim Discount, where you can get up to 10% off your NEXT Single Trip policy if you made no claims within 30 days from the policy’s end date.

 

Income 

Income’s travel insurance plans include: Standard Classic, Standard Deluxe, *Enhanced* PreX Superior, and Enhanced PreX Prestige, where PreX stands for pre-existing health conditions.  

For these Income travel insurance plans, a COVID-19 extension is included for some. Last-minute holiday goers who forgot to purchase their travel insurance after departure can also do so with Income’s travel insurance plans (per-trip only). Just make sure you do so within a day after you have departed Singapore. 

 

MSIG TravelEasy

The MSIG TravelEasy travel insurance plan includes COVID-19 coverage, but naturally does not cover a pandemic or epidemic, as declared as such by the World Health Organisation or any governmental authority. Known events (such as virus outbreaks) are also not covered, so it’s likely that monkeypox won’t be covered if (touch wood) you go to a country where it’s rampant, and you get it.

According to MSIG, monkeypox is currently not a known event, thus Mpox is currently regarded as an illness unless it is declared by WHO as an epidemic or pandemic. This means that those who are fearful and want to pre-emptively cancel their holidays without a strong reason such as serious illness, won’t be able to claim. However, if Mpox escalates to epidemic or pandemic level, it will be excluded under MSIG’s travel policy coverage.

 

Singlife Travel

Singlife Travel has Lite, Plus and Prestige plans available. COVID-19 cover extension for the higher tier plans is more than the Lite. It’s good that the policy wording documents remind travellers to take their recommended vaccinations or medications for tropical diseases, as well as warn against non-essential travel when there are travel advisories issued. These plans also don’t cover Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Sudan and Syria.  

Something else that’s cool: In addition to covering trip cancellation and trip curtailment for any reason (T&Cs apply), it also covers the loss of frequent flyer points, hotel points and credit card points, and includes payout should your trip be affected by excessive rainfall.

 

Sompo Travel Insurance

Frankly, for Sompo Travel Insurance, while there’s Essential and Superior, the latter is a better deal with more coverage. Both plans include coverage for COVID-19, but there’s more coverage for the higher-priced one. Do keep an ear out for travel advisories as this won’t be covered, as well as travel in, to or through places that include Afghanistan, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. 

By the way, snow/ice sports like leisure skiing and snowboarding (excludes off-piste snowboarding) are covered as well under the Premium plan. Hokkaido anyone? 

 

Starr TraveLead

Starr’s travel insurance plans come in Essential Silver, Comprehensive Silver, Essential Gold, and Comprehensive Gold. These plans include the extension of medical expenses for COVID-19. However, they exclude any loss or expenses about any other infectious disease, virus, bacterium or other microorganism (whether asymptomatic or not), as well as pandemics or epidemics. Travel to Russia and Ukraine is also not covered by Starr’s insurance.

 Starr’s plans also cover cruises. One unique selling point of Starr is that the insurer offers flexible coverage so you can create a travel insurance plan with different types of coverage and add-ons that can adapt to your needs. 

 

Tiq

Tiq’s plans allow you to add on a comprehensive COVID-19 cover for peace of mind. Otherwise, they do not cover any infectious diseases. Take note of where you will be travelling, as Tiq’s coverage excludes countries in the Sanctioned Countries List, which include Congo, Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

 

Zurich Travel Insurance 

For no-frills travel insurance, there’s Zurich Travel Insurance that includes complimentary COVID-19 coverage *of up to $50,000 for the Basic plan. The insurer offers 24/7 worldwide emergency travel assistance for medical emergencies, lost documents, or travel guidance.

According to Zurich, Mpox would need to have occurred within 60 days of the customers’ departure date, with the policy purchased three days before departure before a claim is valid.

 

So, does travel insurance cover infectious diseases?

To a certain extent, yes. As we have seen, most plans cover COVID-19, which is considered to be an infectious disease. However, once it is on the epidemic or pandemic scale, it will be excluded. Also, the infectious disease cannot be a known event. For example, if there is a known possibility of contracting monkeypox in Africa (certain countries are usually excluded by many insurers), then your trip there and any medical bills involving the infectious disease will not be covered.

In short, remember to do your due diligence, read the news, get all your vaccination shots, and scrutinise the policy wording documents of your insurance before buying.