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[Children hospitalised with fever following a stay abroad]

Simon Dyrbye Hansen1, Vibeke Rosenfeldt Nielsen

  • 1H:S Hvidovre Hospital, Børneafdelingen. simondyrbye@hotmail.com

Ugeskrift for Laeger
|October 28, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric fever cases after international travel were studied. Immigrant children experienced more severe infections, highlighting a need for improved hepatitis A vaccination practices.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Travel medicine

Context:

  • Children admitted to hospital with fever after international travel present unique diagnostic challenges.
  • A retrospective study analyzed cases from June to September 2003.

Purpose:

  • To describe illness patterns in febrile children hospitalized after travel abroad.
  • To identify common and serious infections in this pediatric population.

Summary:

  • 48 children were included; 56% were immigrants.
  • Common diagnoses included gastroenteritis (31%, with Salmonella identified in 8 cases), hepatitis A (21%), and malaria (1 case).
  • Unspecified viral infections and common infections with unknown foci accounted for 19% each.

Impact:

  • Immigrant children represented the majority and experienced a higher burden of severe infections.
  • Low adherence to hepatitis A vaccination recommendations for immigrant children traveling to their native countries was noted.
  • Findings underscore the importance of considering travel history in pediatric fever cases and addressing vaccination gaps.
Abstract

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