Traveler's diarrhea is a common malady affecting up to 60% of international travelers during a 2-week trip. Areas of the world can be divided into high, intermediate, and low risk for acquiring traveler's diarrhea ( Fig. 8.1 ). Lowering risk…
Risk of Water-Borne Infection Water disinfection is an essential component of the prevention strategy for enteric infections. In developing countries, surface water may be highly contaminated with human waste. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 780 million people still…
Malaria is the most important parasitic disease in the world. Human malaria is a blood-borne protozoal infection caused by five species of the genus Plasmodium : P. falciparum , P. vivax , P. ovale , P. malariae , and P.…
Recommendations for travel immunizations are based on a risk assessment of each traveler's general health, trip itinerary, and knowledge of current health conditions at a given destination. Most travelers seek protection against vaccine-preventable diseases, yet their acceptance of the vaccines…
Once onboard a commercial jet aircraft headed to destination, the traveler faces the novel environment of the airplane cabin, in which a passenger's health may be impacted by the air quality and pressurization, among other prevailing conditions. Chronic health concerns…
In 1992 a landmark report by the Institute of Medicine titled “Emerging Infections: Microbial Threats to Health in the United States” highlighted the importance of the often underappreciated concept of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). This report brought EIDs back into…
Each year, more than 50 million travelers from industrialized nations visit low-income nations. Whereas many travelers and travel providers associate international travel with rustic and sparsely peopled environments, an increasing proportion of travelers, including students and international business travelers, spend…
A new medical specialty, travel medicine, emerged in the 1980s in response to the health needs of increasing numbers of international travelers—a phenomenon resulting from the rapid expansion and growing accessibility of commercial jet transportation. In 1990, the World Tourism…