Only sixty-nine percent of Brummies get travel insurance as mosquito disease risk grows

New figures reveal just sixty-nine percent of Birmingham travellers take out insurance despite rising cases of mosquito-borne illness abroad.

Transcript

00:00Most residents in the West Midlands report taking travel insurance when going abroad,

00:05with YouGov polling showing 69 per cent say they usually purchase some form of cover.

00:10This reflects a growing awareness of the risks associated with overseas travel, particularly

00:15for those visiting countries with ongoing health concerns.

00:18With summer holidays underway, local travel clinics have seen an increase in enquiries

00:23about vaccinations and travel advice.

00:25Across the UK, travel-associated chikungunya cases are rising, with 73 cases reported

00:31in England between January and June, more than double the 27 cases in the same period last

00:37year.

00:38The majority of infections were linked to travel in Sri Lanka, India and Mauritius.

00:42Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease causing fever and joint pain, which can persist for

00:47months or even years in some cases.

00:50Vaccines are available privately after assessment by a healthcare professional.

00:53Psycho-species that transmit the virus are not established in the UK, so onward transmission

00:58is not a concern.