Protect Yourself From These Potentially Fatal Infectious Diseases That’s Not Covid-19

Any mention of infectious diseases these days will lead to Covid-19.

It’s true that this pandemic has taken over our lives for nearly a year now as we all learn to stay safe and healthy in the new normal.

At the same time, there are other infectious diseases that remain in our communities, and outbreaks can be fatal. We still need to protect ourselves against them as well.

Common infectious diseases in Malaysia

Diseases like measles, dengue, typhoid or malaria are pretty common to anyone who lives in Malaysia.

As recently as 2019, 15 people had died during a measles outbreak in Kelantan. While this disease is extremely common and most children are vaccinated, yet there is now almost a 1,000% increase in the number of measles cases compared to five years ago. In the same year, a typhoid fever outbreak also occurred in Sabah and this infectious disease is still within our community.

Meanwhile, dengue cases reached a four-year high of 130,000 in 2019 while Selangor alone recorded over 41,000 cases in 2020.

Even malaria continues to rear its ugly head. While human transmission of malaria has decreased, another type of malaria spread by mosquitoes from monkeys to humans (zoonotic malaria) has been rising alarmingly, totalling 4,131 cases in 2019.

How do you protect yourself?

While infectious diseases like measles already has a vaccine widely available, the number of cases in Malaysia has increased in recent years. This increases the risk of infection spreading into the community and infecting more people. Treatment is the only option once someone gets infected and even then, it could only focus on managing the symptoms of the disease.

The next best option is prevention but it’s easier said than done. Many infectious diseases are contracted  through water, air, or a tiny mosquito bite. While many of the practices put in place since the Covid-19 pandemic like wearing a face mask or avoiding close physical contact will help prevent the spread of certain diseases, it’s harder when it comes to avoiding mosquitoes or contaminated water.

For example, typhoid can spread easily by contaminated water during a flood or through an infected person preparing food without observing good hygiene. Those who recover from typhoid can still carry the bacteria without showing any symptoms and continue to infect others in crowded living and eating conditions when combined with poor sanitation.

While we can try and prevent getting exposed to infectious diseases, it will be even better if we are prepared for it.

Get the right insurance coverage to protect yourself

Being prepared not only means knowing when and where to get medical treatment but having a plan for any unfortunate events that may happen when you fall sick.

If you get measles, you will need to be in quarantine for up to 14 days. For children who get measles, it might just mean skipping school for a couple of weeks but what if you are the main breadwinner for your family? Even the fact that you are being hospitalised and quarantined can cause added financial stress for you and those dependent on you.

While your body is busy fighting the disease, what happens to your job, your family, and other financial commitments? Getting yourself covered by insurance against these health risks is a financial planning decision you should consider.

With the ongoing travel restrictions and social distancing regulations, being able to access health information online as well as buy insurance to protect yourself from the comfort of your home is not only convenient but sensible.

Buy your Prudential insurance online through Shopee

As most Malaysians continue to stay at home and shop online for essential purchases,  buying an insurance policy online is equally convenient.

Just purchase a RM12.50  e-voucher (which is the premium payment amount) from Shopee and use the Pulse by Prudential app to complete your sign-up – all on your mobile phone.

Here’s how to get started.

Step 1: Purchase your e-voucher on Shopee. Retrieve the e-voucher code.

Step 2: Sign-up for the Infectious Disease Cover on Prudential’s Pulse app

* Payment of premium via pre-purchased Shopee promo code. Other payments will be available at a later stage. **Terms & conditions apply.