Ebola 2018 – Implications for travel health advice and relevance for travel medicine

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin P. Grobusch ◽  
Frieder Schaumburg ◽  
Thomas Weitzel ◽  
Camilla Rothe ◽  
Thomas Hanscheid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Health Advice

scholarly journals The COVID-19 pandemic offers a key moment to reflect on travel medicine practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Hatz ◽  
Silja Bühler ◽  
Andrea Farnham
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Medicine Research ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Health Advice

COVID-19 provides an opportunity to review travel health advice priorities. Infectious and non-infectious diseases are key for travel medicine, Research is warranted to stimulate an evidence-based balance in what travel medicine experts communicate to their clients

scholarly journals Quality of Travel Health Advice in a French Travel Medicine and Vaccine Center: A Prospective Observational Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie‐Anne Bouldouyre ◽  
Nathalie Colin De Verdière ◽  
Juliette Pavie ◽  
Nathalie De Castro ◽  
Diane Ponscarme ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Observational Study ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Health Advice

Malaria prevention in the older traveller: a systematic review

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viola Del Prete ◽  
Alberto Mateo-Urdiales ◽  
Aurora Bueno-Cavanillas ◽  
Pietro Ferrara
Keyword(s):  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Advice

Abstract Older travellers are at higher risk of malaria-related morbidity and mortality compared with younger people. Yet, prevention of malaria in this specific group of travellers is a long-standing issue in travel medicine. The aim of this research was to synthetize the existing evidence about this important topic, highlighting older travellers’ attitudes and practises toward malaria prevention. Searches were performed on PubMed, Embase, EuropePMC, Web of Science, WHOLIS and LILACS databases for relevant studies reporting malaria prevention measures in older travellers. To measure malaria prevention in the older traveller population, the main information outcomes were obtained from the ABCD framework that included travellers’ ‘Awareness’ towards pre-travel health advice, their utilisation of ‘Bite-prevention measures’ and adherence to ‘Chemoprophylaxis’. Data on ‘Diagnosis’-related outcomes were excluded for not being measures of malaria prevention. Three evaluators independently selected studies, extracted data and assessed the quality of the included articles. The research protocol was registered with PROSPERO (protocol number CRD42019124202). Out of the 899 titles and abstracts screened, 13 articles were included in this review synthesis. These studies included a wide range of interventions for malaria prevention: no relevant differences in pre-travel healthcare attendance were found depending on age; older travellers were found to be less likely to comply with bite-prevention measures; three high-quality studies reported that adherence to chemoprophylaxis significantly increased with age, while three studies did not find age-related differences in travellers’ adherence. Overall, prevention of malaria in the older traveller has received limited attention from the scientific community. Older travellers seem to be less likely to comply with bite-prevention measures, but there was high heterogeneity across the reports. This population group demands particular attention and tailored health advice before travelling to malaria endemic areas. More research is required on how to improve malaria prevention in the older traveller.

scholarly journals Retrospective analysis of older travellers attending a specialist travel health clinic

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Milad Darrat ◽  
Gerard T. Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
Medical Condition ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Antihypertensive Agents ◽  
Health Clinic ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Visiting Friends And Relatives ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Older people represent a significant proportion of overseas travellers. The epidemiology of older international travellers is not well described in the literature. This study aims to identify demographics, travel characteristics and the medical profile of older travellers seeking pre-travel health advice in a specialist travel medicine clinic. Methods Records of travellers aged 60 years and older attending the Tropical Medical Bureau clinic in Galway, Ireland between 2014 and 2018 were examined. Descriptive and inferential analysis of data was performed. Results A total of 337 older travellers sought pre-travel health advice during the study period. The mean age of the cohort was 65.42 (±10) years. Most of the travellers (n = 267, 80%) had at least one travelling companion. Nearly half of older travellers (n = 155, 46.8%) were travelling with a single companion. Tourism was the main reason for travel for the majority (n = 260, 77.6%), followed by visiting friends and relatives (VFR) (n = 23, 6.9%) travellers. The mean interval remaining before the planned trip was 4.36 (±2) weeks, and the mean duration of travel was 3.16 (±1) weeks. The most popular single country of destination was India with 33 (9.8%) visitors, and South East Asia was the most popular region with 132 (39.2%) older travellers. The majority of travellers (n = 267, 79.2%) had a documented pre-existing medical condition. The most commonly reported medical conditions were hypertension (n = 26, 7.7%), dyslipidaemia (n = 18, 5.3%), diabetes mellitus (n = 12, 3.5%), insect bite sensitivity (n = 11, 3.3%), and hypothyroidism (n = 9, 2.6%). Antihypertensive agents (n = 32, 9.4%) and statins (n = 24, 7.1%) were the most frequently used medications. Typhoid (n = 112, 33.2%) and hepatitis A (n = 84, 24.9%) were the most common vaccinations administered to older travellers at the clinic. Conclusions This study provides an insight into the demographics, travel characteristics, and medical profile of elderly travellers seeking advice at a large travel clinic in Ireland. A wide range of travel destinations, diseases and medication use was reported among this group of travellers, which may enable travel medicine physicians to provide more tailored advice and to more appropriately counsel older travellers.

scholarly journals Pre-travel health care attendance among migrant travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR): a 10-year retrospective analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Ferrara ◽  
Cristina Masuet-Aumatell ◽  
Josep Maria Ramon-Torrell
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Vaccination Rates ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Visiting Friends And Relatives

Abstract Background Travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR) define a specific population of travellers exposed to higher risks for health and safety than tourists. The aim of this study was to assess differentials in pre-travel health care in VFR travellers compared to other travellers. Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed including attendees of the Travel Medicine Clinic of the Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, Spain, between January 2007 and December 2017. Results Over the 10-year period, 47,022 subjects presented to the travel clinic for pre-travel health care, 13.7% of whom were VFR travellers. These showed higher rates of vaccination against yellow fever and meningococcus, but lower rates for hepatitis A, hepatitis B, influenza, rabies, cholera, polio, typhoid IM vaccine and tetanus vaccine boosters. Regarding malaria prevention measures, results highlighted that VFR travellers, when compared with tourists, were more likely to be prescribed with chemoprophylaxis, particularly with mefloquine, than with atovaquone/proguanil. Conclusions Findings from this large-scale study indicated differences in vaccination rates and completion, as well as in chemoprophylaxis for malaria, between VFR and non-VFR travellers, fostering specific interventions for promoting adherence to pre-travel health advice among migrant travellers.

scholarly journals Autism Spectrum Disorder and International Travel

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wee Xuan Neo ◽  
Gerard Thomas Flaherty
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Travel Medicine ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Travel Experience ◽  
Travel Industry

The literature on international travellers with psychiatric disorders is limited. This perspective article highlights various travel-related aspects of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including its aetiological association with maternal migration, the difficulties faced by longterm travelers with autistic children, and the facilitation of international travel for autistic individuals by the travel industry. Depending on the severity of their condition, autistic individuals may find specific aspects of the travel experience particularly distressing. Travel medicine practitioners should be aware of the unique needs of autistic travelers when providing pre-travel health counseling. There is also an onus on the travel industry to facilitate safe and enjoyable travel and remove barriers faced by autistic travellers.

Geographical Pattern of Infectious Diseases and Infection Prevention for Travellers

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Hsu ◽  
Zahir Osman Eltahir Babiker
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Sunshine Duration ◽  
The United States ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Visiting Friends And Relatives ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
Key Aspects

Infectious diseases are transmitted either directly from person to person via direct contact or droplet exposure, or indirectly through a vector organism (mosquito or tick) or a non-biological physical vehicle (soil or water). Vector-borne infectious diseases are highly influenced by climate factors such as temperature, precipitation, altitude, sunshine duration, and wind. Therefore, climate change is a major threat for the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases, e.g. re-emergence of dengue fever in some parts of southern Europe. The natural reservoirs of infectious diseases are either humans (anthroponoses) or animals (zoonoses). Population movement due to travel or civil unrest risks introducing non-immune populations to regions that are endemic for certain infectious diseases. By contrast, global trade contributes to the movement of animals or arthropods across the world and this poses a major risk for introducing infectious diseases to previously non-endemic settings, e.g. rats on board commercial ships and the global spread of hantaviruses; international trade in used car tyres and the risk of introducing flavivirus-infected mosquitoes into non-endemic settings; and the contribution of migratory birds to the introduction and the spread of West Nile virus in the United States. The unprecedented growth of international travel facilitates the swift movement of pathogens by travellers from one region to another. The main determinants of travel-related infections are destination country, activities undertaken during travel, and pre-existing morbidities. Therefore, the pre-travel consultation aims to assess potential health hazards associated with the trip, give advice on appropriate preventative measures, and educate the traveller about their own health. Attitudes towards seeking pre-travel health advice vary by the type of traveller. For example, those visiting friends and relatives (VFRs) in their country of origin are less likely to seek pre-travel health advice compared to tourists and therefore stand a higher chance of presenting with preventable infections such as malaria. The key aspects of a pre-travel consultation include: ● comprehensive risk assessment based on the demographic and clinical background of the traveller as well as the region of travel and itinerary.

scholarly journals Travel-Related Typhoid Fever: Narrative Review of the Scientific Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narcisa Muresu ◽  
Giovanni Sotgiu ◽  
Bianca Maria Are ◽  
Andrea Cossu ◽  
Clementina Cocuzza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Travel Health ◽  
High Incidence ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Risk Of Disease ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Drug Resistant Strains

Enteric fever is a foodborne infectious disease caused by Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhi and Paratyphi A, B and C. The high incidence in low income countries can increase the risk of disease in travelers coming from high income countries. Pre-travel health advice on hygiene and sanitation practices and vaccines can significantly reduce the risk of acquiring infections. Although the majority of the cases are self-limiting, life-threatening complications can occur. Delayed diagnosis and cases of infections caused by multi-drug resistant strains can complicate the clinical management and affect the prognosis. More international efforts are needed to reduce the burden of disease in low income countries, indirectly reducing the risk of travelers in endemic settings. Surveillance activities can help monitor the epidemiology of cases caused by drug-susceptible and resistant strains.

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