Pre-Travel Health Care of Immigrants Returning Home to Visit Friends and Relatives

Abstract

Immigrants returning home to visit friends and relatives (VFR travelers) are at higher risk of travel-associated illness than other international travelers. We evaluated 3,707 VFR and 17,507 non-VFR travelers seen for pre-travel consultation in Global TravEpiNet during 2009–2011; all were traveling to resource-poor destinations. VFR travelers more commonly visited urban destinations than non-VFR travelers (42% versus 30%, P < 0.0001); 54% of VFR travelers were female, and 18% of VFR travelers were under 6 years old. VFR travelers sought health advice closer to their departure than non-VFR travelers (median days before departure was 17 versus 26, P < 0.0001). In multivariable analysis, being a VFR traveler was an independent predictor of declining a recommended vaccine. Missed opportunities for vaccination could be addressed by improving the timing of pre-travel health care and increasing the acceptance of vaccines. Making pre-travel health care available in primary care settings may be one step to this goal.

Pre-travel Health Care Utilization Among Travelers Who Visit Friends and Relatives

“…This short timeframe can limit the feasibility of completing vaccine series. 11 Given these last-minute, longterm travel patterns, primary care providers may want to take a moment during a general medical examination to remind VFRs to seek pre-travel counseling early in the course of travel planning.…”

Travelers’ Diarrhea in Children at Risk

“…14 Regarding the type of traveler, we defined VFR children as a high-risk group of travelers such as have been described in other studies. 15,16 They tend to be younger and stay longer in high risk and at times in remote areas of developing countries. 15 Children frequently become ill during or after travel.…”

Guillain–Barré Syndrome Associated with Zika Virus Infection in a Traveler Returning from Guyana

“…This patient was a VFR traveler, returning to his native country for a visit. VFR travelers are at higher risk for some diseases, such as malaria and typhoid fever, 25,26 due to the fact that they may stay longer than other tourists, reside in local homes and eat local food, and may be less likely to take precautions such as using effective insect repellant or seeking pretravel counsel.…”