To describe medical tourism among a subset of US residents; identify possible indicators for medical tourism.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collaborated with 11 states and ...territories to ask 6 questions about medical tourism, using the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Data collected from January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016, included whether respondents traveled internationally for preplanned care, travel reasons and destinations, procedures received, and occurrence and treatment of complications. A descriptive analysis of demographics, socioeconomic status and health access variables was performed, and a regression model with a log-link function and Poisson distribution was used to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for medical tourism.
Of 93,492 respondents, 517 (0.55%) traveled internationally during the previous year for care. Mexico was the most common destination (41% of trips). Dentistry accounted for 55% of treatments. Complications from care received abroad were reported by 5% of medical tourists; 67% sought care upon returning to the United States. The prevalence of medical tourism was 1.32% (95% CI, 1.00-1.64). The prevalence of medical tourism was higher in Hispanics and non-whites (PR, 3.97; 95% CI, 2.48-6.32) and higher among those without current health insurance (PR, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.69-4.34).
This is the largest collection of population-based surveillance data describing medical tourism among US residents from multiple states and territories. Understanding the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with medical tourism can inform evidence-based recommendations for travelers and clinicians who may advise or care for these individuals before, during, or after travel.
Abstract
Yellow fever outbreaks have continued to occur and caused infection and deaths in travelers from non-endemic regions. Yellow fever vaccine has proven effective, but vaccination decisions ...require balancing benefits with risks. Of concern is the continued vaccine shortage worldwide, including of the YF-VAX® stockout in North America, which has presented many challenges.
Yellow fever outbreaks have continued and the worldwide vaccine shortage is a concern for future outbreak control. Recent outbreaks have infected travelers and caused their deaths. YF-VAX stockout in North America has serious impact on travelers and travel clinics.
As international travel increases, travellers may be at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases not endemic in their home countries. Many journal articles and reference books related to ...travel medicine cite that between 22-64% of international travellers become ill during or after travel; however, this information is minimal, outdated and limited by poor generalizability. We aim to provide a current and more accurate estimate of the proportion of international travellers who acquire a travel-related illness.
We identified studies via PubMed or travel medicine experts, published between January 1, 1976-December 31, 2016 that included the number of international travellers acquiring a travel-related illness. We excluded studies that focused on a single disease or did not determine a rate based on the total number of travellers. We abstracted information on traveller demographics, trip specifics, study enrollment and follow-up and number of ill travellers and their illnesses.
Of 743 studies, nine met the inclusion criteria. The data sources were from North America (four studies) and Europe (five studies). Most travellers were tourists, the most frequent destination regions were Asia and Africa, and the median trip duration ranged from 8-21 days. Six studies enrolled participants at the travellers' pre-travel consultation. All studies collected data through either extraction from the medical record, weekly diaries, or pre- and post-travel questionnaires. Data collection timeframes varied by study. Between 6-87% of travellers became ill across all studies. Four studies provided the best estimate: between 43-79% of travellers who frequently visited developing nations (e.g. India, Tanzania, and Kenya) became ill; travellers most frequently reported diarrhoea.
This is the most comprehensive assessment available on the proportion of international travellers that develop a travel-related illness. Additional cohort studies would provide needed data to more precisely determine the rates of illness in international travellers.
International travel, travel, illness.
Zika virus has spread rapidly in the Americas and has been imported into many nonendemic countries by travelers.
To describe clinical manifestations and epidemiology of Zika virus disease in ...travelers exposed in the Americas.
Descriptive, using GeoSentinel records.
63 travel and tropical medicine clinics in 30 countries.
Ill returned travelers with a confirmed, probable, or clinically suspected diagnosis of Zika virus disease seen between January 2013 and 29 February 2016.
Frequencies of demographic, trip, and clinical characteristics and complications.
Starting in May 2015, 93 cases of Zika virus disease were reported. Common symptoms included exanthema (88%), fever (76%), and arthralgia (72%). Fifty-nine percent of patients were exposed in South America; 71% were diagnosed in Europe. Case status was established most commonly by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of blood and less often by PCR testing of other body fluids or serology and plaque-reduction neutralization testing. Two patients developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, and 3 of 4 pregnancies had adverse outcomes (microcephaly, major fetal neurologic abnormalities, and intrauterine fetal death).
Surveillance data collected by specialized clinics may not be representative of all ill returned travelers, and denominator data are unavailable.
These surveillance data help characterize the clinical manifestations and adverse outcomes of Zika virus disease among travelers infected in the Americas and show a need for global standardization of diagnostic testing. The serious fetal complications observed in this study highlight the importance of travel advisories and prevention measures for pregnant women and their partners. Travelers are sentinels for global Zika virus circulation and may facilitate further transmission.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International Society of Travel Medicine, and Public Health Agency of Canada.
Abstract Yellow fever (YF) vaccine has been used for prevention of YF since 1937 with over 500 million doses administered. However, rare reports of severe adverse events following vaccination have ...raised concerns about the vaccine’s safety. We reviewed reports of adverse events following YF vaccination reported to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) from 2000 to 2006. We used estimates of age and sex distribution of administered doses obtained from a 2006 survey of authorized vaccine providers to calculate age- and sex-specific reporting rates of all serious adverse events (SAE), anaphylaxis, YF vaccine-associated neurotropic disease, and YF vaccine-associated viscerotropic disease. Reporting rates of SAEs were substantially higher in males and in persons aged ≥60 years. These findings reinforce the generally acceptable safety profile of YF vaccine, but highlight the importance of physician and traveler education regarding the risks and benefits of YF vaccination, particularly for travelers ≥60 years of age. Vaccination should be limited to persons traveling to areas where the risk of YF is expected to exceed the risk of serious adverse events after vaccination, or if not medically contraindicated, where national regulations require proof of vaccination to prevent introduction of YF.
Measles remains a risk for travelers, with 94 measles diagnoses reported to the GeoSentinel network from 2000 to 2014, two-thirds since 2010. Asia was the most common exposure region, then Africa and ...Europe. Efforts to reduce travel-associated measles should target all vaccine-eligible travelers, including catch-up vaccination of susceptible adults.
Background. Through 2 international traveler-focused surveillance networks (GeoSentinel and TropNet), we identified and investigated a large outbreak of acute muscular sarcocystosis (AMS), a rarely ...reported zoonosis caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Sarcocystis, associated with travel to Tioman Island, Malaysia, during 2011–2012. Methods. Clinicians reporting patients with suspected AMS to GeoSentinel submitted demographic, clinical, itinerary, and exposure data. We defined a probable case as travel to Tioman Island after 1 March 2011, eosinophilia (>5%), clinical or laboratory-supported myositis, and negative trichinellosis serology. Case confirmation required histologic observation of sarcocysts or isolation of Sarcocystis species DNA from muscle biopsy. Results. Sixty-eight patients met the case definition (62 probable and 6 confirmed). All but 2 resided in Europe; all were tourists and traveled mostly during the summer months. The most frequent symptoms reported were myalgia (100%), fatigue (91%), fever (82%), headache (59%), and arthralgia (29%); onset clustered during 2 distinct periods: "early" during the second and "late" during the sixth week after departure from the island. Blood eosinophilia and elevated serum creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) levels were observed beginning during the fifth week after departure. Sarcocystis nesbitti DNA was recovered from 1 muscle biopsy. Conclusions. Clinicians evaluating travelers returning ill from Malaysia with myalgia, with or without fever, should consider AMS, noting the apparent biphasic aspect of the disease, the later onset of elevated CPK and eosinophilia, and
US residents make 60 million international trips annually. Family practice providers need to be aware of travel-associated diseases affecting this growing mobile population.
To describe demographics, ...travel characteristics and clinical diagnoses of US residents who present ill after international travel.
Descriptive analysis of travel-associated morbidity and mortality among US travellers seeking care at 1 of the 22 US practices and clinics participating in the GeoSentinel Global Surveillance Network from January 2000 to December 2012.
Of the 9624 ill US travellers included in the analysis, 3656 (38%) were tourist travellers, 2379 (25%) missionary/volunteer/research/aid workers (MVRA), 1580 (16%) travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFRs), 1394 (15%) business travellers and 593 (6%) student travellers. Median (interquartile range) travel duration was 20 days (10-60 days). Pre-travel advice was sought by 45%. Hospitalization was required by 7%. Compared with other groups of travellers, ill MVRA travellers returned from longer trips (median duration 61 days), while VFR travellers disproportionately required higher rates of inpatient care (24%) and less frequently had received pre-travel medical advice (20%). Illnesses of the gastrointestinal tract were the most common (58%), followed by systemic febrile illnesses (18%) and dermatologic disorders (17%). Three deaths were reported. Diagnoses varied according to the purpose of travel and region of exposure.
Returning ill US international travellers present with a broad spectrum of travel-associated diseases. Destination and reason for travel may help primary health care providers to generate an accurate differential diagnosis for the most common disorders and for those that may be life-threatening.
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