Mobile populations across the Mediterranean Sea and beyond: travel medicine, mass gathering medicine and homeless health

Abstract

The Méditerranée Infection institute is internationally recognized for its expertise in infectious diseases and tropical medicine, and is one of the most active research centres for infectious diseases in Europe. Surveillance and research addressing infectious diseases in globally mobile populations is one of the strong components of the research conducted at the institute. A significant amount of clinical, microbiologic and epidemiologic works have been conducted in international travellers, pilgrims participating in large international religious gatherings, economic migrants and homeless migrant people over the last decades by our group. Our strong anchoring in several countries around the Mediterranean Sea and beyond, as well as the pivotal role of Marseille in the EuroTravNet and GeoSentinel international networks that monitor travel-associated diseases, reinforce our leading position in the fields of travel and tropical medicine, mass gathering medicine and homeless health.