Top Reason why Expats end up in Hospitals

What are the most typical mishaps that occur to travelers and which countries pose which risks?

Accidents do occur. However, certain areas are riskier than others, and some have particular risks that the inexperienced are especially vulnerable to. Between October 2002 and June 2015, 9,179 Americans perished abroad, including victims of drowning and auto accidents.

Here are a few of the most frequent illnesses and accidents that affect tourists, expats, and people working abroad.

Workplace mishaps

Sitting at your desk, you undoubtedly feel secure (and you probably do), yet many people find the job to be hazardous; for more information, see our post on the 10 Most Dangerous Jobs.

With 28 workplace fatalities in 2001, Namibia was rated as the most hazardous country for workers, and Iceland was the safest with 0.6 fatalities per 100,000 employees. How do a few destinations for expats fare?

With regard to workplace fatalities,

Vietnam ranked sixth.

THAILAND CAME IN 13TH

Mexico placed 22nd and Saudi Arabia ranked 15th.

China ranked 67.

India was 89th.

US ranked 101st.

The UK finished in second, and Australia recently cracked the top 10 list of safest locations.

Road traffic Accidents

Road accidents are one of the most frequent and dangerous sorts of accidents, whether you’re a driver, motorcycle rider, cyclist or a pedestrian. Additionally, the death rate increases in several popular destinations for expats. Thailand is the country with the second-highest fatality rate. Tourists and expats are frequently involved in these incidents.

In 2022, the number of tourist arrivals to Thailand amounted to around 11.15 million, which drastically increased from the previous years. 2021-2022. the number of fatalities was 333, which was a decrease by 15% compared to the previous year. There were 2,707 road accidents (-19%) with a total of 2,672 persons injured (-19.6 %).In the UK, just 1,901 people died in traffic accidents in that year.

South Africa is at 25, Brazil is at 23, and Kenya is at 29. For Brits, whose country’s national death rate is merely 2.9 per 100,000, this might come as a shock.

The most frequent causes of death for Americans in Egypt, according to the US State Department’s list of American deaths, are auto accidents (18 fatalities) and bus accidents (11 fatalities). A third of all American fatalities (including those from trains, boats, and airplanes) were related to travel to Egypt. Note that these statistics were gathered from the registry during a 13-year period.

Since Dubai is a popular destination for expats, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of the Emirate declared that the number of fatalities from traffic accidents had significantly decreased in February 2018.

Gun mishaps

By a wide proportion, US citizens own the most firearms: 101 firearms per 100 individuals. Serbia comes in second place with only 38 firearms per 100 citizens. Uruguay has the highest rate of accidental gun deaths, with 32 firearms per person, followed by Guatemala and Georgia. America is ranked 17th and Mexico is fifth on the list (as of April 2018). Unsurprisingly, you’re much less likely to get shot inadvertently in Japan because there are so few guns there.

Alcohol

Alcohol-fueled vacations can lead to some of the worst behavior, and ‘balconing,’ which involves jumping from one’s balcony into the pool, has become popular in the Spanish Balearic Islands. There were six fatalities and 11 injuries in 2010 alone, and alcohol was almost always a factor.

Drinking often increases the likelihood of any mishap occurring, including drowning at sea and failing to make it from your balcony into your pool. Road traffic accidents are the leading cause of mortality for British nationals in Thailand, yet the majority of victims had “high levels of alcohol in their system.”

Some expats must adjust to the altered effects of drinking at high altitudes.

In other places, like Dubai, it is against the law to consume alcohol in public and you must have an alcohol license or consume it in a permitted establishment. A 15-year-old boy sadly perished in an accident in 2012 as a result of “bored and pampered” expat youngsters purchasing alcohol illegally in Dubai.

As Indonesia attempts to reduce the sale of alcohol, many individuals are turning to illegal homebrew, which in 2016 killed 186 people.

Animal Bites

Your new surroundings will likely feature fresh species as well as a different climate and language. When going from a cold climate to the tropics, Westerners frequently share their immediate surroundings with our ape cousins and may be initially exposed to venomous spiders and snakes.

Mosquitoes are the worst creatures in the animal kingdom, causing 725,000 fatalities and incapacitating 200 million people from malaria alone.

Lions kill fewer than 100 people annually, whereas snakes claim the lives of 50,000 people. Every year, 25,000 people are killed by rabies after being bitten by a dog, and many Western expat locations have more stray canines than they may have had at home.

Elephants kill 100, hippos murder 500, and crocodiles kill 1,000 each year. Only 10 individuals are killed each year by wolves and sharks.

Often, the accident is approaching too quickly and you’re unaware… So, before putting on your shoes, always examine them for snakes Centipedes ( da karb) and other creepy crawlies..

Drowning

Between October 2002 and June 2015, 1,320 Americans UK drowned abroad, with 101 of them passing away off the Costa Rican coast and 355 in the waters off Mexico.

Foodborne illness

According to the World Health Organization, unhealthy food that contains harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, poisons, and chemical substances is the root cause of more than 200 diseases.

Many nations, including Thailand and India, have delicious, inexpensive street food, but poor sanitation can make you regret your tasty deal. Diarrhea, nausea, and more serious illnesses are all possible symptoms that are frequently brought on by bacterial infection. Another revolting fact is that a study found that Delhi’s street food contains a lot of feces.

Selfies

It’s only natural to want to take pictures while we travel. And a lot of individuals want to appear in those photos. Selfies, though, can be dangerous.

Since 2011, 264 people have lost their lives or had injuries connected to shooting selfies, including 48 who disregarded warnings and burned themselves while taking photographs close to a flaming bakery in India. Take precaution when recording memories because trains and drowning seem to be a recurring theme. You don’t want a terrible selfie to serve as your final testament.

Other foreigner mishaps include getting a sunburn domestic mishaps

Be cautious, but also be ready.

Some mishaps are our responsibility, while others are just the result of bad luck; others fall somewhere in-between.

As crucial as it is for expats to be ready for health care emergencies, like heart attacks, and safety and security situations, like natural disasters, are incidents like those mentioned above. Therefore, it’s crucial to think about international private medical insurance whether you’re relocating for employment, moving overseas with family for a fresh start, or frequently traveling for business.

We can help you get the best from your insurance in Thailand. We live here and I visit my clients regularly for a coffee and to discuss changes, simplify the small print for them, and what they need to make sure they can sleep well each night knowing that every corner of their life is covered for accidents , death, their assets etc.