Travel-Associated Health Risks of Singaporean Medical Students.
Background: The aim of this study was to determine the travel-associated health risks and measures taken to offset these risks by Singaporean medical students. Method: A confidential questionnaire was completed by the medical students during a teaching seminar. Results: One hundred and fourteen students had traveled overseas in the previous 12 months. Forty three of these students reported one, or more, health problems that they attributed to their travel. The potentially most serious problems were associated with travel in Nepal or the Middle East. Only a minority of students sought pretravel health advice or took preventive measures. Discussion: A poor comprehension of the health risks of international travel needs improving if future physicians are to offer reliable advice to patients. The inclusion of travel health in the undergraduate curriculum may help towards this end.
Inglis
TJJ
Senior Lecturer and Consultant Microbiologist, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore.