| How to cite this article: Wiwanitkit V. Illness during international academic visit: A short note. Ann Trop Med Public Health 2016;9:135-6 |
| How to cite this URL: Wiwanitkit V. Illness during international academic visit: A short note. Ann Trop Med Public Health [serial online] 2016 [cited 2016 Aug 29];9:135-6. Available from: https://www.atmph.org/text.asp?2016/9/2/135/177403 |
Dear Sir,
The health concern of those who travel is very important. There are many kinds of international travels. As noted by Ma et al., international travels which include visiting friends or relatives are concerned as risks. [1] Of several kinds, the travel at international academic visit is little mentioned in travel medicine. [2] In fact, this kind of travel is usually taken up by the academic staff in universities, which is considered a group with good education. Here, the author summarizes and notes on the rate of illness during international academic visits. In this visit, a group of 35 academic staff from a Thai university in Thailand visited Japan for a 6-day international academic visit. Of interest, according to this visit, there was an incident of flu illness in a male staff, giving a incidence rate which equaled to 2.86 %. The illness was observed on day 4; the patient had fever and malaise. This staff decided to get out of the group and visited the local physician and got antiflu treatment. The patient got recovery within 2 days after getting the antiflu drug. Of interest, although the group is a well-to-do group with good preparation, the illness during travel can still be seen. This is contrasting to the previous report by Ma et al. that “travellers need to be cognizant of these risks and health professionals should consider educational interventions to minimize these risks. [1]” It seems that the risk also exists in the travelers with high education levels. Nevertheless, in the present scenario, it is good that there is an early concern on the problem and the case is managed early that there is no complication or further transmission of the disease to the others in the group. With a high education background, the early consideration on the illness can be seen in the present case. Focusing on influenza infection in a member of group of travelers, if there is no good infectious control, outbreak among the travelers during traveling can be expected. [3]
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Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References |
| 1. |
Ma T, Heywood A, MacIntyre CR. Chinese travellers visiting friends and relatives – A review of infectious risks. Travel Med Infect Dis 2015;13:285-94.
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| 2. |
Penfield W. Physicians take to the field. IDRC Rep 1992;20:28-30.
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| 3. |
Fernandes EG, de Souza PB, de Oliveira ME, Lima GD, Pellini AC, Ribeiro MC, et al. Influenza B outbreak on a cruise ship off the São Paulo Coast, Brazil. J Travel Med 2014;21:298-303.
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/1755-6783.177403
