Irishman’s life hangs by a thread after mosquito bite in Thailand

[Ty Hareways]

Aside from this story, after reading and hearing about UK insurance companies doing everything they can to duck out of paying a single penny of every claim, i'd have thought it would be just better to get thai health insurance for the duration of your holiday instead.

i'm told they also pay the hospital up front although i can't confirm that.

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, sfbandung said:

Dengue is nasty but shouldn't be life threatening in an otherwise healthy person. He is only 36. 

Although not dengue, I had a 28 year-old, fit and healthy English engineer catch malaria while offshore Nigeria. Medical evacuation to shore and into hospital within 12-hours on Monday. Two days later, with renal failure looming, transferred to another hospital that could do dialysis. This triggered the international medical evacuation while his condition was stabilized locally. He went into shock and died while the medevac team were on the way from the airport to collect him early Friday morning.

 

It turned out he had an undisclosed, pre-existing medical condition that made catching regular malaria more perilous. He got bitten during the port call a few days earlier, but the first symptoms didn't show up until after we were offshore for a few days.

[SportRider]

12 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

Thailand still struggling with basic illnesses.  Probably die of piles in this country.

There is no (common) vaccine for dengue, and four different types so immunity isn't guaranteed even if you already had it.  

Dengue occurs even in developed cities like Singapore.  

I got it in KL a few years ago, it's not fun.

Edited December 15, 2023 by SportRider
Typo

[Modern Coding]

Ugh... Any doctor here? Not being any expert, so just asking and researching.

 

And here is what the WHO writes about dengue, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue:

 

Quote

 

Symptoms

Most people with dengue have mild or no symptoms and will get better in 1–2 weeks. Rarely, dengue can be severe and lead to death.  

If symptoms occur, they usually begin 4–10 days after infection and last for 2–7 days. Symptoms may include:

• high fever (40°C/104°F)
• severe headache
• pain behind the eyes
• muscle and joint pains
• nausea
• vomiting
• swollen glands
• rash. 

Individuals who are infected for the second time are at greater risk of severe dengue.

Severe dengue symptoms often come after the fever has gone away:

• severe abdominal pain
• persistent vomiting
• rapid breathing
• bleeding gums or nose 
• fatigue
• restlessness
• blood in vomit or stool
• being very thirsty
• pale and cold skin
• feeling weak.

 

 

Now, here is what Thaiger writes, just referencing Agence France-Presse without any further research (really Bild-Zeitung level journalism!), https://thethaiger.com/news/national/irish-mans-life-hangs-by-a-thread-after-mosquito-bite-in-thailand:

 

Quote

acute kidney failure, pneumonia, a bleed on the brain and severe nerve damage

 

Are we sure it is really dengue?? Have they really undergone blood test and found DENV-x virus??

[ChipButty]

Unless he just collapsed he should have just got on that plane, 

[RobU]

13 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

From your own post. Please read it and comprehend:

 

Copy of health insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.

 

That is clearly an old requirement from the Covid era, requiring a certificate guaranteeing coverage for COVID. It is not a requirement for general health insurance. It also even applied to tourist visas at that time. All Covid requirements were abolished July 2022.

 

For the third time: Believe me, it is not my 'opinion'. I am on a Non-O retirement visa, with a one year extension. It does NOT require any kind of proof of health insurance. (I do carry good health insurance though because it makes sense.)

 

Why don't you check out the visa forum? You'll find the very same information there. It's only the 1 year O-A that requires health insurance. For the second time: that is why many shift from the O-A to Non-O, in order to avoid having to pay for health insurance. We then read about what happens when you're not insured in threads like this.

 

If you can't afford decent health coverage, you shouldn't be in south east Asia. But that doesn't make it an immigration requirement.

 

 

I presume you got your extension visa whilst you were in Thailand, as I did and you are right I did not have to submit evidence of healthcare insurance. If you buy any visa from the Thai Embassy whilst you are out of Thailand you are required to submit evidence of Health Insurance via the website. Therefore, the rule is that all persons entering Thailand on a visa must have healthcare insurance. If entering for 30 days no visa is required and therefore no healthcare insurance is demanded. It is a loophole in the system which the authorities may close eventually when they can work out how

[schvonsky1]

15 hours ago, steve187 said:

why not covered by insurance, cheap due to his age

Exactly it’s so fckn cheap insurance all the time these wombles pay big airfares and money for brasses but they don’t even care about they own health no pity for anyone who thinks they are invincible 

[AhFarangJa]

14 hours ago, Stocky said:

WTF!

Sure ICU is not cheap, but that's heart stopping.

That is my thoughts too. I was in ICU in Hua Hin after an op. for three or four days, Private hospital, cost 24,000 a day, plus 3,000 a day for the Doctor, and 5,000 for meds. Even all that is only 800 Euro a day.

[Classic Ray]

I was knocked off my motorcycle in Chiang Mai ten years ago, plated wrist, overnight in ICU, private hospital would not release me until offender’s insurance had paid the 160,000 baht bill 24 hrs later, but pretty nurses!

 

I now am registered at Sirintorn Govt Hospital Bangkok due to my wife’s Govt job. Nothing but praise for standard of care and drugs provision at 50 baht per visit. Only downside is the waiting to see doctor can take all day. They will also see private patients much cheaper than private hospitals.

[VocalNeal]

Surely if his life hangs on a thread he would have been bitten by a spider🤔

[renaissanc]

6 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Yeah no kidding. Ludicrously overpriced. I have a friend who got admitted there for another condition (also was on the brink) - he survived but had to sell an apartment(!) to fund his hospital bills.

 

Out of curiosity- if one were to be in critical condition, where would you recommend they go/get admitted to? can a government hospital be trusted? are there private hospitals that won't cost you an apartment or a kidney?

Government hospitals are far better than many foreigners seem to think. Private hospitals have "farang" prices, which make them horrendously expensive. ... Many locals in my village have had dengue fever and have been treated in the local government hospital. It's a run-of-the-mill illness for government hospitals.

[shackleton]

It's been mentioned on here more times than I can remember have proper

Full Medical travel insurance covering your holiday 

There will no doubt will be more stories in the future of those who don't and a Gofundme will appear

Hope this guy recovers and gets back safely to his family 

 

 

[J Branche]

Girlfriend just bought some new mosquito nets for her family.  I was getting bitten on our recent visit.  Happy to buy them to help out.

 

Regarding travel insurance some are comprehensive.  You can usually find a travel medical policy that is cheaper.

 

Hope he gets well soon.

[crazykopite]

It states he was in a taxi on his way to the airport was he stopped from getting on his flight home 

[Jiggo]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

But a money maker.... private Thai hospitals are a business.

You mean a RIP Off for foreigners, they even put it on your bill every time a nurse washes her hands at a certain Pattaya Hospital.

[Andrew65]

4 hours ago, Spock said:

It was on the news in Australia last night that over 40% of travellers are now forgoing travel insurance due to the cost. I was amazed at how much more expensive it is now when I went to Thailand in June, where the minimum comprehensive policy for a month was about $A350 while I paid $450 for one which covered me for motorbike riding and covid, both ill ness and out of pocket costs. That's a lot of money on top of airfares. It's understandable why people task the risk. It's also understandable why they shouldn't.

I lived for 20 years in Thailand, and besides a year or 2 of company-related insurance, I never had health insurance. It was the luck of the draw that I never got seriously ill. I do have an pre-existing condition, which would make it more expensive.

I believe that once we reach 70 years old premiums can become prohibitively expensive.

[bradiston]

2 hours ago, Older and Wiser said:

What I can't understand is why it is so severe in his case. Dengue is not rare by any means and very seldom a problem unless the patient is young, old or has other conditions. They don't even bother to hospitalise most cases and it passes in only a few days. He's only 36 and seems to be fit and strong. So what's different here?

It's probably haemorrhagic. Multiple organ failure. Coma. Death.

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

On the gofundme page it mentioned something about being in Thailand beyond his original planned duration of stay.

 

Perhaps he had a 60 day policy and decided to extend for another month.

 

I've never seen a travel insurance policy which is linked to flight dates but maybe that's a thing. Not very helpful if you get ill on the way to the airport - like the taxi crashes - 5 hours of treatment then they cut you off because you're holiday has ended. Strange.

 

All travel policies have specific start and end dates.

 

yes,  he had a  policy which ended on his planned date of departure and from sounds of it he fell ill while enroute to the airport.  From the link: "Despite having holiday insurance, it had expired by the time of admission,"

 

Nothing at all "rare" about mosquito bites in Thailand including bites from the type of mosquito that carries dengue, though.

 

But seems he is one of the unfortunate minority who developed severe (complicated) dengue.

 

Even in a government hospital this would be costing quite a lot (though of course it will be at least 3 times more due to private hospital).

[Sheryl]

3 minutes ago, bradiston said:

It's probably haemorrhagic. Multiple organ failure. Coma. Death.

From the link:

 

"“He had acute kidney failure, pneumonia, a bleed on the brain and severe nerve damage. "

 

So yes, complicated dengue - DHF and cerebral, with accompanying renal failure.

 

It happens.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, shackleton said:

It's been mentioned on here more times than I can remember have proper

Full Medical travel insurance covering your holiday 

There will no doubt will be more stories in the future of those who don't and a Gofundme will appear

Hope this guy recovers and gets back safely to his family 

 

 

In this specific case he had insurance for the full duration of his trip, ending on the day of departure. 

 

Unfortunately that was when he became ill.

 

Moral of the story: make sure travel policy ends on a date after you will be back hoem and that your family know to immediately extend it if you become ill.

[animatic]

I had Dengue.

Which hit me while driving a bike. Next morning was bone break bad, went to hospital 2 days later, I did the correct diagnosis before the Doc.

 

Hospital said drink as much water as you can, no aspirin or ibuprofen, only paracetamol.

Go home $60.

 

You don’t get bit in taxi on way to airport and get deathly ill before you arrive. It’s days before flashing eyes and then ‘Bone Break Day’.

 

ICU is gouging. He could get fluid drip in any bed, not a problem and not $2,700 a day. 

[Quit]

Intubation in those cases is often the beginning of the end, as we have seen during Corona. Believe it or not, there is a study about the effect of a well-known med that showed antiviral properties. Bangkok Hospital will most probably not use it, I checked during Covid times.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277121/#:~:text=Because of the antivirus and,growing trend in the world.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Ty Hareways said:

Aside from this story, after reading and hearing about UK insurance companies doing everything they can to duck out of paying a single penny of every claim, i'd have thought it would be just better to get thai health insurance for the duration of your holiday instead.

i'm told they also pay the hospital up front although i can't confirm that.

In general Thai insurers have a much worse tarck record for pay outs than international ones.

 

The ink about insurance companies not paying out on travel policies usually relate to people who suffered accidents while intoxicated, drivin ga motorcycle without a valiud license or helmet etc. 

 

In any event the circumstance here was that the insurance policy had lapsed by time he was admitted to hospital which seems to have been day of his planned departure.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, animatic said:

 

ICU is gouging. He could get fluid drip in any bed, not a problem and not $2,700 a day. 

 He is comatose and intubated (on a respirator). Does not have simple dengue, rather dengue hemorraghic fever and kidney failure.

 

Altogether different matter.

[bradiston]

2 hours ago, BusyB said:

 

From your own post. Please read it and comprehend:

 

Copy of health insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.

 

That is clearly an old requirement from the Covid era, requiring a certificate guaranteeing coverage for COVID. It is not a requirement for general health insurance. It also even applied to tourist visas at that time. All Covid requirements were abolished July 2022.

 

For the third time: Believe me, it is not my 'opinion'. I am on a Non-O retirement visa, with a one year extension. It does NOT require any kind of proof of health insurance. (I do carry good health insurance though because it makes sense.)

 

Why don't you check out the visa forum? You'll find the very same information there. It's only the 1 year O-A that requires health insurance. For the second time: that is why many shift from the O-A to Non-O, in order to avoid having to pay for health insurance. We then read about what happens when you're not insured in threads like this.

 

If you can't afford decent health coverage, you shouldn't be in south east Asia. But that doesn't make it an immigration requirement.

 

 

I think there might be a difference between applying in advance at an embassy in a foreign country, and applying yourself, or getting an agent, for instance, to sort it all out when you are in Thailand. I don't believe there is any insurance requirement when applying in Thailand for a non immigrant O category visa, and no requirement when applying for a 12 month extension of stay based on retirement. However, there are in theory financial requirements. Eg 800k in the bank. Perhaps that is part of the reason.

Edited December 15, 2023 by bradiston

[sheldoncollier]

17 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

On the gofundme page it mentioned something about being in Thailand beyond his original planned duration of stay.

 

Perhaps he had a 60 day policy and decided to extend for another month.

 

I've never seen a travel insurance policy which is linked to flight dates but maybe that's a thing. Not very helpful if you get ill on the way to the airport - like the taxi crashes - 5 hours of treatment then they cut you off because you're holiday has ended. Strange.

 

Yes, you can get insurance policies linked to dates. I have one for my next trip; 10-day insurance for a 10-day trip.

[brianthainess]

3 hours ago, brianthainess said:

Bet they made a big profit out of that for their Business.

Why is somebody confused by that, do you think they only claim what it cost them? they buy all the medical supplies and meds at cost, staff wages etc.. then charge the patient heaps more i.e. big profit for them. 

[ravip]

10 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I would not pay more than USD50.00 per day to save my life.

 

If I get breakbone fever, just shoot me up with painkillers, and let fate decide.

 

This is not a joke....

 

I would rather die than pay more than USD50.00 per day.

 

Therefore, better for me to just stay at home with a decent supply of hospital prescribed morphine.

 

If I live...OK.

If I die...Good.

 

Let the gods decide.

I put myself in the gods' hands....

 

If I should die, in the end, then it will not have been my loss.

 

(I feel sorry for his father, however, at age 83!)

 

 

 

 

Have you already started this scheme.

Please let us know the details. For example, do you have only a decent supply of hospital prescribed morphine or any other additional medications? - some of us here might want to do the same.

[TroubleandGrumpy]

51 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

I lived for 20 years in Thailand, and besides a year or 2 of company-related insurance, I never had health insurance. It was the luck of the draw that I never got seriously ill. I do have an pre-existing condition, which would make it more expensive.
I believe that once we reach 70 years old premiums can become prohibitively expensive.

Definitely correct - at 70 they grow heaps - at 75 they escalate - at 80 you are 'not welcome'.

Some guarantee that if you start before 60/65 they will cover you til 90 - but they dont say what the premiums are going to be.

I have a 'medical fund' in a bank account - all it is for is if there is a medical emergency - I put in 100K to start and top up each year.

The annual premiums you pay are wasted if you dont claim - but if you put it in a 'fund' account, it stays there waiting for you to use it.

I also use that bank account for the annual extensions - I have another bank account for day to day usage. 

Plus I have car insurance with accident coverage that includes unlimited hospital treatment after an accident.

 

Back to this bloke - if he had no medical insurance coverage for his holiday, then I am sorry, but that is on him - he made a bad decision.

I do wish him all the best and hope he recovers OK and very soon. 

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, Chongalulu said:

This is a problem with most policies,they don’t allow you to extend nor even commence a policy AFTER you have departed - unless the delay is an enforced event ,often a claimable one in itself.

There are providers which can insure at pretty much any location, no travel requirements attached. If his policy expired he could buy a new one immediately.