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Illness in children after international travel: analysis from the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network

Stefan Hagmann1, Richard Neugebauer, Eli Schwartz

  • 1Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY 10457, USA. shagmann@bronxleb.org

Pediatrics
|April 7, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric travelers often face unique health risks, including diarrhea and skin conditions, especially after visiting Asia, Africa, or Latin America. Pre-travel advice should be tailored to age and destination for better prevention.

Area of Science:

  • Travel Medicine
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Global Health

Background:

  • International travel is increasing for children, necessitating an understanding of associated health risks.
  • Previous studies have focused less on pediatric travel-related morbidities compared to adults.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize the demographics, travel patterns, and health issues of ill children returning from international travel.
  • To compare the health profiles of pediatric travelers with adult travelers and among different pediatric age groups.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network (January 1997-November 2007).
  • Inclusion of 1591 ill pediatric travelers from 218 global destinations across 19 countries.
  • Comparison of data between children and adults, and among pediatric age groups (0-5, 6-11, 12-17 years).

Main Results:

  • Children primarily traveled to Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, or Latin America, often for visiting friends and relatives.
  • Compared to adults, children more frequently required hospitalization, presented sooner after return, and lacked pre-travel advice.
  • Common diagnoses included diarrhea (28%), dermatologic conditions (25%), systemic febrile illnesses (23%), and respiratory disorders (11%).

Conclusions:

  • Significant differences exist in healthcare utilization and travel-associated health problems between pediatric and adult travelers.
  • Destination- and age-specific vulnerabilities to travel-related illnesses in children require tailored prevention strategies.
  • Healthcare providers must consider these factors when offering pre-travel consultations to families.
Abstract

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