Abstract |
Introduction: Despite the risks of newly emerging diseases, the number of travelers every year is increasing while the range of destinations is widening more and more, as travelers nowadays prefer more remote and exotic destinations. The Travel Medicine is primarily concerned with the prevention of diseases related to the traveler and secondly with the assessment and treatment of traveler who becomes ill after returning. Its main activity is to assess and manage the risks of communicable diseases, and conditions resulting from the natural environment, local conditions and illnesses to the person who may be affected by the conditions of the journey.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe how had been assessed the risk of exposure to pathogens endemic in tropical areas and how had been managed the risk to travelers by the Department of Public Health and any changes that occurred between the time periods 2008 -2009 and 2010-2013.
Methods: The study population consists of 825 travelers of both sexes, aged from 9 months to 75 years who visited the Department of Public Health & Social Welfare in Regional Unity of Heraklion to learn about the necessary measures to be taken for a safe journey. The data collection of the study was by personal interview from the Health Professionals and used the form “Press Statement information for travelers” modeled by the Office of Travel Medicine KEELPNO. For the statistical analysis frequency distributions was calculated of all characteristics of travelers, their medical history and vaccinations while comparisons followed mainly to the separation of the study period, between 2008-09 and 2010-13. As an acceptable level of significance was the p ΄&λτ 0, 05.
Results: The most popular destinations for travelers were sub-Saharan Africa to 48.2 % rate, the Central / East Asia with 33.7 % and Central / Latin America with 18%.
The 46.7 % of the sample stated that the purpose of his trip is for work while 42.5 % for recreation. For 2010-2013, 46 % of travelers declared work as the purpose of their journey while in 2008-2009 only 22.4% (p-value ΄&λτ0,001). The length of stay of travelers ΄&γτ 6 months increased from 9.7 % in 2008-2009 to 29.6 % in 2010-2013. The 81% declared that it had none health problem. The frequency of recommendations for general preventive measures was 93.3 % to 100 %. The rates of recommendations for almost all vaccines appeared higher in those who travel for work than those for recreational purposes. The highest percentage of acceptance for vaccination appears to cholera vaccine (100 %), Yellow Fever (99%) and rabies (92.9 %). The rates administered vaccines were higher for the second period with the greatest increase observed in vaccine against typhoid fever from 12.3 % in 2008-2009 to 39% in 2010-2013. The Atovoquane / Proguanil (Malarone) is the drug most often recommended as chemoprophylaxis from malaria (87.1%) regardless of the destination and duration of travel.
Conclusions: The observed changes in the characteristics of travels between the two periods are indicative that the unemployment as a result of the economic crisis had an impact in the profile of travelers. The change in the characteristics of the travels resulted in a proportional change in risk management and this is reflected in the increased rates of immunization of travelers for all vaccinations.
Similar studies could be conducted on a national level in order to fix the current situation in Greece and highlight the shortcomings and overcome them, which aims to preserve the health of the traveler and hence to safeguard public health.
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