14th ICID - Poster Abstracts - International Society for Infectious ...

When citing these abstracts please use the following reference:
Author(s) of abstract. Title of abstract [abstract]. Int J Infect Dis 2010;14S1: Abstract number.
Please note that the official publication of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases 2010, Volume 14, Supplement 1
is available electronically on http://www.sciencedirect.com
Final Abstract Number: 32.004
Session: Travel Medicine and Travel Health
Date: Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Time: 12:30-13:30
Room: Poster & Exhibition Area/Ground Level
Type: Poster Presentation
Demographics, medical conditions, and use of immunizations and chemoprophylaxis among
international travelers within the Global TravEpiNet U.S. National Clinic Network
R. LaRocque 1 , S. Rao 1 , E. Yanni 2 , N. Marano 3 , N. Gallagher 3 , C. Marano 3 , G. Brunette 3 , J. Lee 4 ,
V. Ansdell 5 , B. S. Schwartz 6 , M. Knouse 7 , J. Cahill 8 , S. Hagmann 9 , J. Vinetz 10 , R. Hoffman 11 , S.
Alvarez 12 , J. Goad 13 , C. Franco-Paredes 14 , P. Kozarsky 14 , D. Schoenfeld 1 , E. Ryan 1
1 Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, 2 Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA, 3 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA,
4 Travel and Immunization Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA, 5 Kaiser
Permanente Honolulu Travel Medicine Clinic, Honolulu, HI, USA, 6 University of California-San
Francisco Travel Medicine & Immunizatiion Center, San Francisco, CA, USA, 7 Keystone Travel
Medicine, Lehigh Valley Medical Center, Allenton, PA, USA, 8 Travel & Immunization Center, St
Luke's Roosevelt, New York, NY, USA, 9 Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center Neighborhod Clinic for
Travel Health, Bronx, NY, USA, 10 University of California, San Diego Travel Clinic, La Jolla, CA,
USA, 11 University of California Los Angeles Travel & Tropical Medicine Clinic, Los Angeles, CA,
USA, 12 Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL, USA, 13 USC International Travel Medicine Clinic, Los
Angeles, CA, USA, 14 Emory TravelWell, Atlanta, GA, USA
Background: International travelers play a significant role in the global spread of infectious
diseases. Despite this, data are limited on travel patterns, medical conditions, and medical
interventions among international travelers prior to departure.
Methods: Global TravEpiNet is a U.S. CDC-sponsored network of U.S. clinics that care for
international travelers. We report analysis of health data for 3,159 international travelers seen at
U.S. Global TravEpiNet sites in 2009.
Results: Females accounted for 56% of travelers. The median age was 33 years; the median
duration of travel was 14 days. Thirty-five percent of international travelers were traveling to lowincome
countries, 46% to low-middle income, 16% to upper-middle income, and 2% to upperincome
countries. The main purposes of travel were vacation/leisure (63%), business (20%),
extreme-adventure travel (14%), education/research (11%), visiting friends and relatives (10%),
non-medical service work (6%), and providing medical care (4%). Two percent of travelers were
attending large gatherings. Ten percent were children less than 18 years of age; 4% were less
than 5 years of age; and 6% of travelers were over 65 years of age. Sixty-four percent of
travelers listed a medical condition; 70% were on daily medication. Ten percent of travelers
reported a pre-existing neurologic or psychiatric condition; 7% reported a pre-existing intestinal
condition; 2.5% were immunocompromised; and 0.4% of female travelers were pregnant or
breastfeeding.
We analyzed vaccine usage for prevention of hepatitis A, yellow fever, and influenza. Eighty-one
percent of travelers received immunization against hepatitis A; 7% were considered pre-immune.
Of the 38% of travelers visiting countries that included areas endemic for yellow fever, 67%
received yellow fever immunization; 18% were considered pre-immune. Yellow fever vaccine
was administered to 407 travelers 60 years of age or older. Forty percent of international
travelers received influenza vaccine; 30% were considered pre-immune. Of the 2082 travelers
traveling to countries that included areas endemic for malaria, 65% received malaria
chemoprophylaxis. Of these, 66% received prescriptions for atovaquone-proguanil, 3.5%
received doxycycline, and 14% received mefloquine.
Conclusion: These data suggest that international travelers range widely in age and frequently
have co-morbid medical conditions that heighten the need for pre-travel advice.