Infections in Travellers

Question 1

What are the aims of travel medicine?

Answer 1

Assist travellers to be
- Safe and responsible
- Protect and promote their own and others’ health
Continuing care of pre-existing conditions

Question 2

What is the chemical structure of Zika virus?

Answer 2

ssRNA

Question 3

What is the genus and family of Zika virus?

Answer 3

Genus = Flavivirus
Family = Flaviviridae

Question 4

What are the close relatives of Zika virus?

Answer 4

Dengue virus
Yellow fever virus
Japanese encephalitis virus
West Nile virus

Question 5

How is Zika virus transmitted?

Answer 5

Bite of infected Aedes mosquito

• A aegypti
• A albopictus

Question 6

What proportion of people infected with Zika virus get sick with a very mild illness?

Answer 6

1 in 5

Question 7

Where has Zika virus been found?

Answer 7

Africa
South-east Asia
Pacific Islands
Latin America
Moving

Question 8

Where has MERS spread to many countries from?

Answer 8

Saudi Arabia

Question 9

Where is wild poliovirus found?

Answer 9

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Question 10

Where have most outbreaks of polio in the last two years come from?

Answer 10

Vaccine-derived poliovirus

Question 11

Is it common to have multiple travel-related infections at the same time?

Answer 11

Yes, especially with GIT infections

Question 12

Can you get a travel-related infection after travel within Australia?

Answer 12

Yes, especially to the tropics

Question 13

What is the most common travel-related illness?

Answer 13

Traveller’s diarrhoea

Question 14

What vaccine can be given for reasonable cross-protection against a mixed ETEC infection?

Answer 14

Cholera vaccine

Question 15

What is the most common vaccine-preventable travel-related illness?

Answer 15

Influenza A or B

Question 16

Why is the travel history a really important part of diagnosis?

Answer 16

Infections can vary depending on region

Question 17

What is the most common mode of disease transmission in travel-related infections?

Answer 17

Vector borne

Question 18

Where is malaria most often contracted by travellers?

Answer 18

Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Parts of Pacific
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Vanuatu

Question 19

What is the most common and severe malaria species?

Answer 19

Plasmodium falciparum

Question 20

Which species of malaria is mainly contracted in the Pacific?

Answer 20

Plasmodium vivax

Question 21

Why are people who are visiting friends/relatives particularly at risk?

Answer 21

Going home > less careful
- Poorly immunised
- Poor prophylaxis
More contact with locals
Often going to rural and remote settings

Question 22

Why are young males far more susceptible to malaria?

Answer 22

Least likely to get travel advice

Least compliant

Question 23

What is the mortality rate in travellers significantly affected by?

Answer 23

Delayed diagnosis

Question 24

Who are high risk travellers?

Answer 24

Chronic illness
Pregnant
Long-term, remote, high risk locations
Very young/very old
Visiting friends and relatives