Fit to Fly by Malaysian Society of Infectious Diseases & Chemotheraphy

Medical Advice
Before travel, consult your health professional to discuss:

• Itinerary
• Duration of Travel
• Mode of Travel
• Past Medical History
• Vaccination Requirements
• Pregnancy
• Allergies
• Medications
• Pre-existing Conditions
• Disease Prevention

Tips for long distance travellers:

• Do frequent leg exercise and take deep breaths regularly while seated
• Drink plenty of non-alcoholic beverages to prevent dehydration

The three R’s of Travel Vaccination

1) Routine Vaccinations are regularly administered during childhood / adulthood:

• Tetanus / Diphtheria
• Polio
• MMR
• Pneumococcal
• Varicella
• Meningococcal

2) Required Vaccinations may be legally required when crossing international borders:

• Yellow Fever
• Cholera
• Meningococcal

3) Recommended Vaccinations may be recommended depending on your specific travel destination:

• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Typhoid
• Japanese Encephalitis
• Poliomyelitis
• Rabies
• Cholera

Please see your doctor to idenfity your specific needs.

Life Insurance Coverage for Influenza A(H1N1) – Press Release

Kuala Lumpur, 21 August 2009: The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) has confirmed that death due to the Influenza A(H1N1) will be payable. In addition, all the 16 life insurance companies under LIAM will also be paying claims arising from hospitalization due to Influenza A(H1N1). Even though a majority of the medical policies carry exclusion on communicable diseases requiring quarantine by law, life insurers are responding to an immediate need of the nation in light of the increasing number of people who have been infected.

Life insurance companies will nonetheless continue to monitor the Influenza A(H1N1) situation. In the event of any review of this decision on life insurance coverage, the policyholders will be duly informed.

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release

Kuala Lumpur, 19 August 2009 – Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad’s Director and Chief Executive Officer Mr Koh Yaw Hui informed that as a good corporate citizen with a hundred and one years’ presence in Malaysia, Great Eastern will cover hospitalization claims made by its policyholders, who have been hospitalized due to influenza A (H1N1).

“This pandemic disease is distressing for our community. We would like to dispel all uncertainties on hospitalization claims by affirming that Great Eastern will compensate our policyholders who have been hospitalized for treatment of influenza A (H1N1),” assured Mr Koh.

Similarly, Mr. Koh in his capacity as a Director of Overseas Assurance Corporation (Malaysia) Berhad (“OACM”), would also like to take the opportunity to assure the policyholders of OACM who have been hospitalized due to influenza A (H1N1), that they will be accorded similar treatment.

Mr Koh urged the public to adhere to the authorities’ request to take precautionary measures to prevent further spread of this disease by practising isolation should one feel ill or show symptoms of influenza A (H1N1), to curb further spread of this deadly disease.

Mr. Koh added, “Great Eastern and OACM have constantly briefed our employees on influenza A (H1N1) in relation to insurance claims. We have also taken the initiative to communicate regularly with our employees and our agency force on this pandemic so that we are able to serve our policyholders on a timely basis.”

About Great Eastern
Great Eastern began its operations in 1908 as a branch office of The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited. The Malaysian operations were subsequently transferred to a locally incorporated public company, Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad under the Scheme of Transfer of Business. The Company was certified by The Malaysia Book of Records in 1998 as “The Oldest and Largest Life Insurer” in Malaysia. With more than a century of experience and solid financial foundation, Great Eastern has assets in excess of RM37 billion, over 2.8 million policies in force, 24 Branch offices and a network of 17,000 agents nationwide as at 31 December 2008. Its products include life insurance plans, investment-linked plans, mortgage protection, business protection, employee benefits, medical insurance and group health benefits schemes. Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad is a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Eastern Holdings Limited (GEH) and its ultimate holding company is Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited (OCBC).

Etiqa said on Aug 21 the H1N1 influenza can affect everyone physically and also financially, in terms of the medication and treatment.

Its CEO and director Datuk Aminuddin Md Desa said in this difficult time, it decided to extend the cover of H1N1 influenza to its medical and health plans and ensure that claims are paid to policyholders hospitalized and treated for the H1N1 influenza.

Etiqa is extending the cover for H1N1 influenza treatment and hospitalisation to its group and individual medical and health plans. This H1N1 coverage benefit is extended to all current policyholders of Etiqa’s medical and health plans and any new policyholders who will be joining the plan from now on.

The Malaysian Health Ministry’s Director-General Ismail Merican also said that in the last 24 hours, Malaysia has detected 270 new cases of the flu, bringing the total cases in the country to 2,253.

Among the new detected cases, Ismail said 48 patients were treated in the isolation wards, while eleven patients were treated in intensive care unit, he said in Putrajaya Hospital, some 25 km south of here.

Ismail said that generally, most patients have high recovery, urging people who have flu symptoms such as cough and fever to stay at home and wear mask.

Ismail also said that the public should seek medical treatment immediately if they have unusual flu symptoms, including difficulty in breathing and chest pain.

Meanwhile, Ismail said that the Malaysian Health Ministry would publish useful and updated information of the disease twice a day for the public, through the ministry’s website.

The latest deaths included a 20-year-old girl, a college student, who died in a hostel after being given outpatient treatment, the Star and New Straits Times websites quoted Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai as saying.

‘The latest eight deaths happened between August 3 and August 8 but we could only confirm that they died of influenza A after getting post-mortem results,’ he told New Straits Times.

Malaysia has seen a surge in cases of influenza A(H1N1) over the past few weeks, and Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged the public to refrain from attending mass gatherings unless necessary.

Health authorities said they are monitoring the situation to decide whether to proceed with National Day celebrations end of this month, which some 47,000 people are expected to attend, according to state news agency Bernama.

On Thursday, the health minister warned that haze from forest fires that was shrouding parts of Malaysia would worsen the swine flu situation by causing more respiratory illnesses.

The haze reached ‘unhealthy’ levels in six locations in Malaysia on Wednesday but air quality had improved somewhat on Sunday. — AFP