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Review
. 2013 Nov;31(4):927-44.
doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2013.07.001. Epub 2013 Sep 18.

Fever in the returning traveler

Affiliations
Review

Fever in the returning traveler

Simon Kotlyar et al. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Fever in ill travelers returning home from developing nations is common. Most travelers present with undifferentiated febrile syndromes. Regional proportionate morbidity rates and patients' travel histories are essential in narrowing the differential diagnosis. Most patients in whom a diagnosis is confirmed have malaria, dengue fever, enteric fever, or rickettsial disease. Empiric treatment based on the clinical presentation is required in many cases, because acquisition of confirmatory laboratory data is often delayed. The focus of this article is travel-related illness that falls within the spectrum of the acute febrile syndrome.

Keywords: Fever; Imported infectious disease; International travel; Tropical disease.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Summary of diagnosis groups in returned ill travelers with fever (N = 6957). GeoSentinel Surveillance Network.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Infectious cases of malaria, dengue, mononucleosis, rickettsial disease, and enteric fever per 1000 diagnoses by region. GeoSentinel Surveillance Network. SSA, sub-Saharan Africa.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Infectious cases of malaria, dengue, Chikungunya, rickettsial disease, and enteric fever percentage per region. EuroTravelNet. SSA, sub-Saharan Africa.

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