Turkey Ranks Highest in Stomach Illness Research

Turkey has topped the list for most gastroenteritis claims for the year 2009. UK holiday makers should plan on keeping their travel insurance policies close at hand if hoping to take a holiday trip to Turkey in the near future.

Insurewithease.com conducted research on such related illness, and found that Turkey had, by far, the most reported incidents of stomach illnesses. Despite its romantic Ottoman architecture and pristine landscapes the country still lacks some basic health standards which could be the cause of such a bountiful number of tummy issues for travellers.

Turkey, however, was followed by Egypt, Spain, the Dominican Republic, and then the US. All of which had a predominately greater risk of travellers contracting stomach illnesses than other countries in the research. The top ten nations for high risk gastroenteritis claims were rounded out by Bolivia, Cyprus, Ukraine, Israel, and then Equatorial Guinea.

Sarah Taylor, an online marketing manager for insurewithease.com, said that a sudden illness, especially a stomach virus, can easily ruin a holiday. She encouraged travellers to use means to minimize this risk as often as possible. Steps travellers can take include avoiding untreated water such as ice cubes and sticking to bottled water when ordering at restaurants.

Ms. Taylor did add, however, that these precautions do not always guarantee that stomach illnesses will be avoided and as such advised travellers to take out holiday insurance prior to embarking on any trips. Illness and accidents are a fact of life and by taking out a travel insurance policy prior to leaving the UK, travellers can avoid steep health care costs while abroad.