Multicenter EuroTravNet/GeoSentinel study of travel-related infectious diseases in Europe

We analyzed prospective data on 17,228 European patients who sought treatment at GeoSentinel sites from 1997 to 2007. Gastrointestinal illness (particularly in tourists), fever (those visiting friends and relatives [VFRs]), and skin disorders (in tourists) were the most common reasons
for seeking medical care. Diagnoses varied by country of
origin, region visited, or categories of travelers. VFRs who
returned from sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean islands
were more likely to experience falciparum malaria than any
other group. Multiple correspondence analysis identified
Italian, French, and Swiss VFRs and expatriate travelers
to sub-Saharan Africa and Indian Ocean Islands as most
likely to exhibit febrile illnesses. German tourists to Southeast
and south-central Asia were most likely to seek treatment
for acute diarrhea. Non-European travelers (12,663
patients from other industrialized countries) were less likely
to acquire certain travel-associated infectious diseases.
These results should be considered in the practice of travel
medicine and development of health recommendations for
European travelers.