Travelling during the extreme heat? What to know if you fall ill abroad

As scorching heat waves relentlessly sweep across many countries, Canadian tourists travelling abroad may fall ill to the extreme heat, potentially landing themselves in the hospital.

From the bustling streets of China to the historic cities of Europe and the sun-soaked beaches of the southern United States, last week’s temperatures spanned 40 to 52 C throughout these areas.

“The world is in a strange situation right now. And climate change is playing a key role in every season that we have and travellers will get affected,” said Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure, an insurance brokerage in Toronto.

“The (wild) fires and the extreme heat are taking its toll on travel and for sure on the insurance companies.”

It may not even be heat stroke that poses the immediate danger; falling on the scorching pavement could inflict third-degree burns during extreme heat, such as in cases in Arizona and Nevada.

For those planning or currently travelling in regions grappling with soaring temperatures, there are some key precautions to safeguard against the relentless heat.

Trip cancellation and interruption insurance may be helpful for travellers heading to places in extreme heat, Firestone said.

“You don’t know if something will happen to you while you are there … if you would have to come home or stay longer,” he said.

Trip interruption insurance covers extra costs if you need to return home sooner or later than planned, he said.

For example, if you fall ill with heat exhaustion while travelling in a foreign country, you may have to extend your stay for recovery, and that is where trip interruption service comes in handy.

If you plan to travel outside Canada ‒ even for a day in the United States – you should buy travel health insurance before you leave, the Canadian government states on its website.

This is because your Canadian health insurance may not pay your medical bills while you’re outside the country.

So if you fall ill from heat exhaustion, you want to make sure you have the insurance to protect you, Firestone said.

“The bottom line is any illness related to heat exhaustion, it will be covered as would any other unexpected medical emergency,” he said. “If one were to get ill, they were in a hotel, for instance. They could call the doctor in the hotel. If they ended up in an emergency room of the hospital, everything would be 100 per cent covered.”

There is no pre-existing clause related to heat exhaustion or anything heat-related, he added.

He stressed the importance of promptly contacting your insurance company if you do experience a heat-related illness.

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“If you fainted from the heat, and someone for the hotel is going to call an ambulance … you have to contact the insurance company at some point during this and say, ‘I’m in Italy, I’m at this hospital,’ and then they take over and the two sides will talk and agree on things,” he said.

There are a number of steps you can take if you experience symptoms from extreme heat while travelling.

“You hope your hotel … has air conditioning and modern air conditioning and not just for the blowing air and you hope there’s a pool maybe there also. But at the end of the day, you have to keep hydrated,” Firestone said.

Heat exhaustion and heat-stroke are both serious heat-related illnesses, but they differ in their severity and symptoms, according to the Canadian government.

Heat exhaustion symptoms include heavy sweating, weakness, dizziness, headache, diarrhea, muscle cramps, cold and clammy skin, goosebumps, low blood pressure, disorientation and possible vomiting.

It typically happens after a person has been sweating heavily, leading to a loss of fluids and electrolytes.

If you have these symptoms while travelling, you should move to a cool area and drink salty water, the government stated. You should then rest in bed and seek medical attention.

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Heat stroke symptoms include a core body temperature greater than 40 C, complete or partial loss of consciousness, reduced cognitive function and cessation of sweating, dilated pupils and elevated blood pressure. The skin may be flushed at first and later ashen or purplish, according to the Canadian government.

“Heat stroke is very serious,” the government stated. “Call 911 immediately and while waiting for the ambulance, move the person to a cool place and sponge body with cool water while letting the water evaporate to reduce body temperature.”