Fever in the returning traveller

Global travel is increasingly a fact of modern life, and the rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 leading to lockdown across the world has demonstrated the interconnectedness of the world's population. Illness in the returning traveller can range from trivial to life-threatening, and the concept of imported infection can be an intimidating diagnostic and management challenge. An important caveat is that even if your patient has returned from cuddling multimammate rats in Guinea 1 week ago, they could be febrile from a distinctly non-tropical urinary tract infection. That said, antimicrobial resistance is an established concern among returned travellers, which has further infection control implications. Infection control issues regarding isolation, personal protective equipment and notification to public health should always be considered for returning travellers on presentation often before diagnostic confirmation has been made. Always consider the risk of high-consequence infectious diseases.