PREPARING THE INTERNATIONAL TRAVELER - 11/09/11

Doi : 10.1016/S0889-8553(05)70258-2

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS

^a Division of General Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia

Résumé

Most travelers anticipating a trip abroad envision themselves relaxing and touring in perfect health. No one ever pictures themselves becoming ill during travel. Yet, up to one half of visitors to developing countries experience traveler's diarrhea.^{8 Black R.E. Epidemiology of travelers' diarrhea and relative importance of various pathogens Rev Infect Dis 1990 ; 12 : S73-S79

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références, 39 Hilton E., Edwards B., Singer C. Reported illness and compliance in US travelers attending an immunization facility Arch Intern Med 1989 ; 149 : 178-179

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références} Others encounter more rare, but potentially deadly, tropical diseases.

The physician's goal should be to minimize the risk of illness. Diseases that may seem minor can inconvenience travelers and ruin an expensive vacation. Recommendations for immunizations and medications vary according to the destination country. Children and travelers with special medical conditions—pregnancy, emphysema, heart disease, diabetes—require expert advice to protect them during travel. This article provides basic information for clinicians interested in the field of travel medicine, with particular emphasis on the prevention of travel-related illness.

The risk of acquiring a travel-related infection depends as much on the behavior of the traveler as on the itinerary of the trip.^{38 Hill D.R., Pearson R.D. Health advice for international travel Ann Intern Med 1988 ; 108 : 839-852

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références} Sensible precautions can maintain the health of the traveler in most areas of the world. In a study of almost 8000 travelers to developing countries, Steffen and colleagues^{66 Steffen R., Rickenbach M., Wilhelm U. , et al. Health problems after travel to developing countries J Infect Dis 1987 ; 156 : 156-184

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références} found that health-related problems were more common in younger travelers, persons who stayed in rural areas, those who had significant contact with native people, and those who stayed for prolonged periods of time. Although this article concentrates on infectious diseases, it is important to realize that the most common cause of death in travelers is motor vehicle accidents and other injuries.^{34 Hargarten S.W., Baker S.P. Fatalities in the Peace Corps: A retrospective study, 1962–1983 JAMA 1985 ; 254 : 1326-1329

Cliquez ici pour aller à la section Références}

Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.

Plan

Address reprint requests to Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, Division of General Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, 1200 E. Broad Street, North Wing, Room 210, Richmond, VA 23219