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Characteristics and Spectrum of Disease Among Ill Returned Travelers from Pre- and Post-Earthquake Haiti: The GeoSentinel Experience

Authors :
Elaine C. Jong
Kevin C. Kain
Mark J. Sotir
Alice Pérignon
Anne E. McCarthy
Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas
Frank von Sonnenburg
Eli Schwartz
Shuzo Kanagawa
Bradley A. Connor
Cecilia Perret
Brian J. Ward
Olivier Aoun
David Roesel
William M. Stauffer
Rahul Anand
Antonio Crespo
Elizabeth D. Barnett
De Von Hale
Vanessa Field
François Chappuis
David O. Freedman
Eric Caumes
Douglas H. Esposito
Michael Libman
Michael W. Lynch
George McKinley
Marc Mendelson
Carlos Franco-Paredes
Pauline V. Han
John D. Cahill
Gerd D. Burchard
Peter J. de Vries
Kartini Gadroen
Christophe Rapp
Murray Wittner
N. Jean Haulman
Christina M. Coyle
Peter Vincent
Jay S. Keystone
Jessica K. Fairley
Patricia F. Walker
Susan MacDonald
Yasuyuki Kato
Carmelo Licitra
R. Bradley Sack
J. Dick Maclean
Stefanie S. Gelman
Noreen A. Hynes
Lin H. Chen
Robin McKenzie
Phyllis E. Kozarsky
Louis Loutan
Source :
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 86:23-28
Publication Year :
2012
Publisher :
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2012.

Abstract

To describe patient characteristics and disease spectrum among foreign visitors to Haiti before and after the 2010 earthquake, we used GeoSentinel Global Surveillance Network data and compared 1 year post-earthquake versus 3 years pre-earthquake. Post-earthquake travelers were younger, predominantly from the United States, more frequently international assistance workers, and more often medically counseled before their trip than pre-earthquake travelers. Work-related stress and upper respiratory tract infections were more frequent post-earthquake; acute diarrhea, dengue, and Plasmodium falciparum malaria were important contributors of morbidity both pre- and post-earthquake. These data highlight the importance of providing destination- and disaster-specific pre-travel counseling and post-travel evaluation and medical management to persons traveling to or returning from a disaster location, and evaluations should include attention to the psychological wellbeing of these travelers. For travel to Haiti, focus should be on mosquito-borne illnesses (dengue and P. falciparum malaria) and travelers' diarrhea.

Details

ISSN :
14761645 and 00029637
Volume :
86
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....a5087be97e6bc048c1f7659b9034e30a