Travel-associated diseases, Indian Ocean Islands, 1997-2010

Abstract

Data collected by the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network for 1,415 ill travelers returning from Indian Ocean islands during 1997-2010 were analyzed. Malaria (from Comoros and Madagascar), acute nonparasitic diarrhea, and parasitoses were the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases. An increase in arboviral diseases reflected the 2005 outbreak of chikungunya fever.

Keywords: Comoros; Indian Ocean; Madagascar; Maldives; Mauritius; Réunion Island; Seychelles; arboviruses; chikungunya; dengue; diarrhea; infectious diseases; malaria; parasites; travelers; vector-borne infections; viruses.

Figure 1

Relative proportion of different diagnoses among 1,415 ill travelers returning from Indian Ocean islands, 1997–2010. The numbers are shown for each diagnosis for all ill travelers returning from each island. Some patients had >1 diagnosis. Malaria: Plasmodium falciparum infection (341 cases, including 12 severe cases), P. vivax infection (24), P. ovale infection (11), P. malariae infection (10). Acute diarrheal infections: campylobacteriosis (12), salmonellosis (6), shigellosis (5). Parasitic infections: gardiasis (33), schistosomiasis (21), strongyloidiasis (13), miyases (13), amoebiasis (9), cutaneous larva migrans (9), trichuriasis (7), ascariasis (5), hookworm infection (5), enterobiasis (2), neurocysticercosis (2), filariasis (1), blastocystosis (1). Respiratory infections: upper respiratory tract infections (26), influenza (6), tuberculosis (4). Arboviral infections: chikungunya (40), dengue (24). Other infections: urinary tract infections (22), leptospirosis (2), rickettsial infections (3), Q fever (1). Among accidental diseases: insect bites (28), rabies postexposure treatments (6), marine envenomization (5).

Figure 2

Annual occurrence of arboviral disease cases (dengue and chikungunya) among 1,415 travelers returning from Indian Ocean islands and seen at GeoSentinel sites, 1997–2010.