What Is Monkeypox?

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), Monkeypox is an infectious viral disease first found in 1958 on a monkey, thus inheriting its name. It was later on found in a small child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the year 1970. It is a contagious disease similar to smallpox, demonstrating alike symptoms such as swollen lymph nodes, blisters, and fever.

The cases of monkeypox have increased over the years, especially in the past five to ten years. In June 2022, Monkeypox was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The cases of monkeypox can be seen in various non-endemic countries across the globe such as the United Kingdom, Spain, India, Portugal, Italy, USA, Canada and more. Usually, these cases are found majorly in the tropical rainforests areas of Central and West Africa.

Monkeypox is a communicable disease that tends to last 2 – 4 weeks and then eventually goes away on its own. It spreads when a person comes in contact with the infected person or contaminated clothes.

Symptoms of Monkeypox

It is necessary to know the symptoms of monkeypox as it is highly contagious and early detection can help you and others to prevent the further spread of the virus. Currently, there are 9 cases of monkeypox in India. There are various symptoms of monkeypox including:

Is Monkeypox Covered Under Health Insurance?

With the unusual increase in the number of cases of monkeypox across countries, it is natural to enquire if there is insurance dedicated to monkeypox in India or do the existing insurance policies cover monkeypox.

Well, the answer is YES. A person who already has a comprehensive health insurance policy is automatically insured against all infectious diseases including diseases such as monkeypox. Your best health insurance plan would cover all your expenses such as pre and post-hospitalization expenses including but not limited to ambulance charges, OPD treatment expenses ICU charges, in-patient benefits and more.

The coverage of your health insurance policy may vary depending on your insurance plan. Not all health insurance policies and plans need to offer you the same coverage, some may offer extra coverage and some might not cover much of the expense.

How To Select The Best Monkeypox Health Insurance?

If you are someone that hasn’t bought a health insurance policy but wants to do so now, we can help you out. We offer you a platform where you can quickly scan through the various health insurance policies and plans available to you and compare them to find the most suitable health insurance policy for you.

While opting for a health insurance policy it would be recommended to do a thorough reading of the terms and conditions of the policy.

Since monkeypox is a non-endemic disease in India, there is no specific plan dedicated just for monkeypox but health insurance policies by major companies are inclusive of such diseases. Some of the things that one can keep in mind while deciding on monkeypox health insurance are:

How To Claim Your Insurance Policy For Monkeypox?

There are mainly two ways to claim the insurance i.e. reimbursement process and the cashless process.

Reimbursement process – In this process the insured can inform the insurance company and then opt for the necessary treatments. After the treatments are done the insurer can collect the proper discharge summary from the hospital and then submit the claim along with the hospital documents. Once the documents are verified by the insurance company, the reimbursement amount will be initiated to the insurer.

Cashless process – In this process no money is received by the insurer, the transaction takes place between the health insurance company and the hospital. The first step is to inform the insurance company about the hospitalization. After the insured gets the full treatment, they can get the discharge summary from the hospital and submit the same to the insurance company. Once the documents are verified, the hospital bills will be directly paid to the hospital.

How To Prevent Monkeypox?

Monkeypox being a transmissible disease can spread a lot faster. Prevention and being safe is of utmost priority. Following are some of the steps that one can follow to help prevent the further spread of monkeypox.

• Skin-to-skin contact should be avoided.
• Frequently clean your hands with an alcohol-based sanitiser.
• Avoid touching the personal belongings of the person infected.
• Self-quarantine is highly recommended if one detects symptoms of monkeypox.

Conclusion

Even though monkeypox is a lot less severe as compared to smallpox, one can never be certain that it won’t cause complications to their health. Monkeypox is said to affect the health of children more than adults. It has become integral for everyone to have proper health insurance in the present time when various viruses keep knocking at our doors now and then.

PolicyX.com can help you with the comparison of various health insurance policies and plans for individuals as well as families to suit their needs and keep them covered.

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