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The contribution of travellers visiting friends and relatives to notified infectious diseases in Australia: state-based enhanced surveillance

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 03:41 authored by Heywood, AE, Zwar, N, Forssman, BL, Seale, H, Nicola StephensNicola Stephens, Musto, J, Lane, C, Polkinghorne, B, Sheikh, M, Smith, M, Worth, H, Macintyre, CR
Immigrants and their children who return to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFR) are at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases compared to other travellers. VFR travel is an important disease control issue, as one quarter of Australia's population are foreign-born and one quarter of departing Australian international travellers are visiting friends and relatives. We conducted a 1-year prospective enhanced surveillance study in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia to determine the contribution of VFR travel to notifiable diseases associated with travel, including typhoid, paratyphoid, measles, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, malaria and chikungunya. Additional data on characteristics of international travel were collected. Recent international travel was reported by 180/222 (81%) enhanced surveillance cases, including all malaria, chikungunya and paratyphoid cases. The majority of cases who acquired infections during travel were immigrant Australians (96, 53%) or their Australian-born children (43, 24%). VFR travel was reported by 117 (65%) travel-associated cases, highest for typhoid (31/32, 97%). Cases of children (aged <18 years) (86%) were more frequently VFR travellers compared to adult travellers (57%, P < 0·001). VFR travel is an important contributor to imported disease in Australia. Communicable disease control strategies targeting these travellers, such as targeted health promotion, are likely to impact importation of these travel-related infections.

History

Publication title

Epidemiology and Infection

Volume

144

Issue

16

Pagination

3554-3563

ISSN

0950-2688

Department/School

Tasmanian School of Medicine

Publisher

Cambridge Univ Press

Place of publication

40 West 20Th St, New York, USA, Ny, 10011-4211

Rights statement

Copyright 2016 Cambridge University Press

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Disease distribution and transmission (incl. surveillance and response)

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