Mosquito-Borne Illnesses Are On the Rise. Does Health Insurance Cover Them?

Many Americans might associate mosquito-borne illnesses with tropical vacations. But (no) thanks to global warming, some bite-borne illnesses are on the rise in the United States.

West Nile Virus, the most common U.S. mosquito-borne illness, killed 182 people in 2023 according to the CDC — which also reports 377 current-year cases at time of writing. Malaria and dengue fever have also made stateside comebacks, as has the rare but potentially fatal Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE).

In fact, the town of Plymouth, Mass., recently implemented a closure of public parks from dusk to dawn to help allay transmission of EEE, two human cases of which have been reported in the state so far. The virus, which causes brain inflammation, also killed a New Hampshire man in August.

Does health insurance cover mosquito-borne illnesses?

Unfortunately, for many of these illnesses, there’s no specific treatment. And because they’re viruses, rather than bacterial infections, antibiotics have no effect against them.

Instead, patients are encouraged to rest and stay hydrated. Symptoms like fever or pain are treated with drugs like acetaminophen. In severe cases, patients might be hospitalized so medical care professionals can monitor their progress more closely and treat dehydration with IV fluids. Such hospitalizations are usually covered by U.S. medical insurance, though you still may be responsible for part of the bill. Hospital indemnity insurance could help with auxiliary costs like daily living expenses or deductibles.

Malaria, which is caused by a parasite rather than a virus, is one notable exception. Malaria can be treated by a variety of specific anti-malarial drugs, including chloroquine phosphate, artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and the brand-name drugs Malarone and Qualaquin with doxycycline (including brand names Oracea and Vibramycin, among others).

Coverage of these drugs varies depending on your plan, and cases remain very rare in the United States. Still, if you’re traveling to a place where it’s prevalent, like Africa or Central or South America, it’s worth checking your prescription insurance policy to see if the treatment is covered. You can also consider travel health insurance to cover expenses incurred while in another country.

Further, there are prophylactic drugs that can be taken to avoid a malaria infection, but such drugs aren’t often covered by health insurance — and neither are the travel clinic consultations you’ll need to seek pretravel care.

Fortunately, there are less expensive and time-intensive ways to avoid infection.

The best treatment for mosquito-borne illnesses: Prevention

While deaths related to these diseases are rare, they do happen. That means prevention is key.

And keeping yourself bite-free needn’t be difficult. The CDC recommends taking the following steps to help avoid getting bitten:

While mosquito-borne illnesses can be frightful, they remain rare in the U.S., even in the face of recent rises. Taking the right steps to prevent bites for you and your family can go a long way toward providing peace of mind.