Illness in long-term travelers visiting GeoSentinel clinics.
Length of travel appears to be associated with health risks. GeoSentinel Surveillance Network data for 4,039 long-term travelers (trip duration >6 months) seen after travel during June 1, 1996, through December 31, 2008, were compared with data for 24,807 short-term travelers (trip duration <1 month). Long-term travelers traveled more often than short-term travelers for volunteer activities (39.7% vs. 7.0%) and business (25.2% vs. 13.8%). More long-term travelers were men (57.2% vs. 50.1%) and expatriates (54.0% vs. 8.9%); most had pretravel medical advice (70.3% vs. 48.9%). Per 1,000 travelers, long-term travelers more often experienced chronic diarrhea, giardiasis, Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax malaria, irritable bowel syndrome (postinfectious), fatigue >1 month, eosinophilia, cutaneous leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, and Entamoeba histolytica diarrhea. Areas of concern for long-term travelers were vector-borne diseases, contact-transmitted diseases, and psychological problems. Our results can help prioritize screening for and diagnosis of illness in long-term travelers and provide evidence-based pretravel advice.
Chen
Lin H
LH
Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. lchen@hms.harvard.edu
Wilson
Mary E
ME
Davis
Xiaohong
X
Loutan
Louis
L
Schwartz
Eli
E
Keystone
Jay
J
Hale
Devon
D
Lim
Poh Lian
PL
McCarthy
Anne
A
Gkrania-Klotsas
Effrossyni
E
Schlagenhauf
Patricia
P
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D000818:Animals; D021821:Communicable Diseases, Emerging / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D013577:Syndrome; D013997:Time Factors; D014195:Travel; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult