Surveillance and outbreak reports Infectious diseases among travellers and migrants in Europe, EuroTravNet 2010

To investigate trends in travel-associated morbidity 

with particular emphasis on emerging infections with the potential for introduction into Europe, 

diagnoses of 7,408 returning travellers presenting to 16 EuroTravNet  sites 

n 2010 were compared with 2008 and 2009. 

A significant increase in reported 

Plasmodium falciparum malaria (n=361 (6% of all travel-related morbidity) vs. n=254 (4%) and 260 (5%); p<0.001), 

P. vivax malaria (n=51 (1%) vs. n=31 (0.5%) and 38 (1%); p=0.027) 

and 

dengue fever (n=299 (5%) vs. n=127 (2%) and 127 (2%); p<0.001) was observed.

Giardia lamblia was identified in 16% of patients with acute diarrhoea, with no significant annual variation. 

The proportion of acute diarrhoea due to 

Campylobacter increased from 7% in 2008 to 12% in 2010 (p=0.001). 

We recorded 

121 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis in 2010, 

a threefold increase in the proportionate morbidity from 2008 to 2010. 

In 2010, 60 (0.8%) cases of chronic Chagas disease, 

151 (2%) cases of schistosomiasis and 

112 (2%) cases of cutaneous larva migrans were reported. 

Illness patterns in sentinel travellers, captured by EuroTravnet, 

continue to highlight the potential role of travellers in the emergence of infectious diseases of public health concern in Europe and the relevance of offering medical travel advice and enforcing specific and adequate prophylaxis

http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=2020