Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 May;12(3):181-5.
doi: 10.1007/s11908-010-0100-9.

Influenza in travelers: epidemiology, risk, prevention, and control issues

Affiliations

Influenza in travelers: epidemiology, risk, prevention, and control issues

Robert Steffen. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 2010 May.

Abstract

Influenza is the most frequent travel related infection preventable by universally available vaccines, but preventive measures were neglected until recently. Since the spread of pandemic (H1N1) 2009, various public health measures have been promoted first to contain, then to mitigate, the pandemic. Some of these measures contradicted recommendations issued by the World Health Organization and were of questionable efficacy. However, travelers may benefit from targeted recommendations on influenza risk reduction (eg, by social distancing or immunization). These recommendations are particularly indicated for those with an increased personal risk profile and for those likely to be exposed to influenza patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

References and Recommended Reading

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. World Tourism Organization: Tourism highlights, 2009 edition. Madrid: UNWTO. Available at http://unwto.org/facts/eng/pdf/highlights/UNWTO_Highlights09_en_LR.pdf. Accessed December 2009.
    1. •• Mutsch M, Tavernini M, Marx A, et al.: Influenza virus infection in travelers to tropical and subtropical countries. Clin Infect Dis 2005, 40:1282–1287. This article provides the first epidemiologic account of the incidence rate of seasonal influenza in travelers. - PubMed
    1. Mangili A, Gendreau MA. Transmission of infectious diseases during commercial air travel. Lancet. 2005;365:989–996. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71089-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. • Khan K, Arino J, Hu W: Spread of a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus via global airline transportation. N Engl J Med 2009, 361:212–214. This article describes how importation of a novel pathogen can be predicted based on international air-traffic volume. - PubMed
    1. Follin P, Lindqvist A, Nyström K, Lindh M. A variety of respiratory viruses found in symptomatic travellers returning from countries with ongoing spread of the new influenza A(H1N1)v virus strain. Euro Surveill. 2009;14:19242. - PubMed