Travel Insurance for Lyme Disease

What is Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection passed on by the bite of an infected tick. Ticks live in long grass, woodland and heathland in the UK, across much of Europe and in parts of North America, so it’s one of the infectious conditions walkers, campers, and dog owners tend to hear about. Many people never notice the bite.

The classic early sign is a circular red rash spreading out from the bite, sometimes looking like a bullseye, though not everyone gets it. Flu-like symptoms are common too. A course of antibiotics usually clears the infection, and most people recover well. If it goes untreated, it can spread and affect the joints, nerves, or heart, and some people have tiredness or aches for months afterwards. The NHS Lyme disease page explains the signs to look out for.

Why do I need to declare Lyme disease for travel insurance?

Once you’ve been diagnosed or treated for Lyme disease, it counts as a pre-existing medical condition. We ask because symptoms can linger or come back, and in some people the infection affects the joints, nerves or heart rhythm. Any of that could mean seeing a doctor abroad or calling off a trip.

If it isn’t declared, a claim linked to it could be turned down or reduced.

You won’t need to declare every medical condition you’ve ever had or been diagnosed with, only those that fall into the initial set of medical questions.

Can I get travel insurance with Lyme disease?

Often, yes. Whether cover is offered depends on your screening result. A single course of antibiotics a few years back with a full recovery is a very different situation from ongoing symptoms, and nerve or heart problems may affect what can be offered.

What we’ll ask about your Lyme disease

It only takes a few minutes to get through the online medical screening. The questions about your Lyme disease focus on whether you have associated heart or joint complications. Once that’s done, carry on declaring any other relevant pre-existing medical conditions.

Once everything is declared, you’ll reach the quote page. If cover is available for your Lyme disease and your other conditions, you’ll see a choice of quotes, each with the cost of your medical cover included in the premium. Should we be unable to cover you, you’ll know before proceeding.

If your health changes before travelling

Lyme disease doesn’t always clear up as quickly as hoped. If, before your trip, your treatment changes, you’re admitted to hospital, you’re referred for tests, or you receive a new diagnosis, you must let us know. Your cover might need another look, your medical situation may have to go to the underwriters, and in some cases we may not be able to continue with cover. A future claim can be affected or denied if a change in your medical isn’t reported.

What can Lyme disease travel insurance cover?

With Lyme disease declared and accepted, emergency treatment for a related problem abroad can be covered. If, say, you developed sudden heart rhythm problems on a hiking holiday in Slovenia and needed hospital care, the medical costs can be covered, as can repatriation if you need to travel home with medical help. All cover is subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

If your symptoms flare shortly before you’re due to leave and your doctor says you shouldn’t travel, cancellation cover may help with non-refundable costs.

The policy won’t pay for treatment you’ve arranged to have abroad, or for anything connected to a condition you didn’t declare.

Will Lyme disease affect the cost of travel insurance?

It may, and the answer depends on your screening. Through our online medical screening we ask about your health, and for Lyme disease that may include how well your symptoms are controlled. General details matter too, such as age, destination and the length of your stay. There’s no obligation to buy once you’ve seen the quote.

Single trip or annual cover with Lyme disease

Choose single trip cover for one holiday. If you’re a keen walker heading off several times a year, annual cover may suit you better, depending on the screening result.

Travelling with Lyme disease: practical tips

These are general tips for your trip and don’t form part of your insurance cover.

Having had Lyme disease doesn’t make you immune, so you can catch it again. In tick country, wear long trousers tucked into socks, stick to paths where you can, and use an insect repellent that works against ticks. Light-coloured clothing makes ticks easier to spot.

Check your skin, and your children and pets, at the end of each day outdoors. Ticks like warm places such as the backs of knees, armpits, the groin and the hairline. If you find one, remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool, gripping close to the skin and pulling steadily upwards, then clean the area. A tick card takes up no room in a walking pack.

Parts of central, eastern and northern Europe also have tick-borne encephalitis, a separate viral infection for which a vaccine is available. If you’re walking or camping in forested areas there, ask a travel clinic about it and check the TravelHealthPro country pages.

If you’re still recovering, plan shorter days with rests. Lingering joint pain or fatigue can make long hikes harder than usual. A spreading rash or flu-like symptoms after a trip are worth mentioning to your GP, along with where you’ve been. Facial weakness linked to Lyme disease can look like Bell’s palsy, so tell the doctor about any tick bite.

How to get a quote

Add your trip details, complete the medical questions for Lyme disease and anything else you need to declare, then choose your cover. You’ll see the cost before you pay.

Get a Quote

Other Useful Infectious Pages

• Abscesses Travel Insurance
• Brain Abscess Travel Insurance
• Breast Abscess Travel Insurance
• Cellulitis Travel Insurance
• Chickenpox Travel Insurance
• Glandular Fever Travel Insurance
• HIV Travel Insurance
• Influenza Travel Insurance
• Lyme Disease Travel Insurance
• Meningitis Travel Insurance
• Norovirus Travel Insurance
• Sepsis Travel Insurance
• Tuberculosis Travel Insurance

Don't worry if your condition is not listed above - we cover plenty more medical conditions.
* Please note that cover will vary depending on individual medical screenings.