Illness in travelers visiting friends and relatives: a review of the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network.

Full Abstract

Travelers returning to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFRs) have increased risk of travel-related health problems. We examined GeoSentinel data to compare travel characteristics and illnesses acquired by 3 groups of travelers to low-income countries:
VFRs who had originally been immigrants (immigrant VFRs), VFRs who had not originally been immigrants (traveler VFRs), and tourist travelers. Immigrant VFRs were predominantly male, had a higher mean age, and disproportionately required treatment as inpatients. Only 16% of immigrant VFRs sought pretravel medical advice. Proportionately more immigrant VFRs visited sub-Saharan Africa and traveled for >30 days, whereas tourist travelers more often traveled to Asia. Systemic febrile illnesses (including malaria), nondiarrheal intestinal parasitic infections, respiratory syndromes, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted diseases were more commonly diagnosed among immigrant VFRs, whereas acute diarrhea was comparatively less frequent. Immigrant VFRs and traveler VFRs had different demographic characteristics and types of travel-related illnesses. A greater proportion of immigrant VFRs presented with serious, potentially preventable travel-related illnesses than did tourist travelers.

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Author information

Author/s: Leder, Karin (K); Tong, Steven (S); Weld, Leisa (L); Kain, Kevin C (KC); Wilder-Smith, Annelies (A); von Sonnenburg, Frank (F); Black, Jim (J); Brown, Graham V (GV); Torresi, Joseph (J); GeoSentinel Surveillance Network;

Affiliation: Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Centre for Clinical Research Excellence, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia. karin.leder(-atsign-)med.monash.edu.au

Grants: U50/CCU412347 (Agency:PHS HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (Clin Infect Dis), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Nov; vol 43 (issue 9) : pp 1185-93

Dates: Created 2006/10/09; Completed 2006/10/18; Revised 2007/11/14;

PMID: 17029140, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Clin Infect Dis. 2007 Mar 1;44(5):761-2; author reply 762-3. (PMID: 17278075)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Child, Preschool
Communicable Disease Control
Communicable Diseases - classification
Emigration and Immigration

Emigration and Immigration
Family
Female
Friends
Humans
Infant
Male
Middle Aged
Travel

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