title: Pre-travel advice concerning vector-borne diseases received by travelers prior to visiting Cuzco, Peru.
abstract: Peru is an increasingly popular tourist destination that poses a risk to travelers due to endemic vector-borne diseases (VBDs). The objective of our study was to determine which factors are associated with receiving pre-travel advice (PTA) for VBDs among travelers visiting Cuzco, Peru. A cross-sectional secondary analysis based on data from a survey among travelers departing Cuzco at Alejandro Velazco Astete International Airport during the period January-March 2012 was conducted. From the 1819 travelers included in the original study, 1717 were included in secondary data analysis. Of these participants, 42.2% received PTA and 2.9% were informed about vector-borne diseases, including yellow fever (1.8%), malaria (1.6%) and dengue fever (0.1%). Receiving information on VBDs was associated with visiting areas endemic to yellow fever and dengue fever in Peru. The only disease travelers received specific recommendations for before visiting an endemic area for was yellow fever. Only 1 in 30 tourists received information on VBD prevention; few of those who traveled to an endemic area were warned about specific risks for infectious diseases prior to their trip. These important findings show that most tourists who travel to Peru do not receive PTA for the prevention of infectious and VBD, which can affect not only the travelers but their countries of origin as well.
authors.affiliation: EAP Medicina Humana, Universidad Continental, Huancayo, Peru. Electronic address: christian.mejia.md@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Christian R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Mejia
authors.affiliation: Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Emperatriz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Centeno
authors.affiliation: Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Briggitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.affiliation: Universidad Ricardo Palma, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cvetkovic-Vega
authors.affiliation: Asociación Científica de Estudiantes de Medicina Humana de la Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru.
authors.forename: Edison
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.affiliation: Public Health and Infection Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia; Organización Latinoamericana para el Fomento de la Investigación en Salud (OLFIS), Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia; Committee on Travel Medicine, Pan-American Infectious Diseases Association, Colombia.
authors.forename: Alfonso J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Morales
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018562:Disease Transmission, Infectious / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010568:Peru; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cuzco; Peru; Pre-travel advice; Travel medicine; Vector borne diseases