Title
Traveller exposures to animals: A GeoSentinel analysis
Date Issued
01 January 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Muehlenbein M.P.
Angelo K.M.
Schlagenhauf P.
Chen L.
Grobusch M.P.
Gautret P.
Duvignaud A.
Chappuis F.
Kain K.C.
Bottieau E.
Epelboin L.
Shaw M.
Hynes N.
Hamer D.H.
Wu H.
Waggoner J.
Piyaphanee W.
Silachamroon U.
Coyle C.
Schwartz E.
Blumberg L.
de Frey A.
Beadsworth M.
Beeching N.
Libman M.
Yansouni C.
McCarthy A.
Saio M.
Menendez M.D.
Jordon S.
Vinnemeier C.
Ásgeirsson H.
Glans H.
Hochberg N.
Gobbi F.
Rossanese A.
Gkrania-Klotsa E.
Connor B.
van Genderen P.
Anderson S.
Licitra C.
Thomas A.
Lim P.L.
Wejse C.
Jespersen S.
Mockenhaupt F.
Harms-Zwingenberger G.
Kelly P.
Phu P.T.H.
Chan J.
Yuen K.Y.
Yates J.
Johnston V.
Field V.
Viscoli C.
Toscanini F.
Pandey P.
Amatya B.
Mavunda K.
Contiguglia-Akcan D.
Leder K.
Torresi J.
Alpern J.
Stauffer B.
von Sonnenburg F.
Rothe C.
Hagmann S.
Sood S.
Wyler B.
Cahill J.
Caumes E.
Plewes K.
Ghesquiere W.
Leung D.
Lima
Lima
Publisher(s)
Oxford University Press
Abstract
Background: Human coexistence with other animals can result in both intentional and unintentional contact with a variety of mammalian and non-mammalian species. International travellers are at risk for such encounters; travellers risk injury, infection and possibly death from domestic and wild animal bites, scratches, licks and other exposures. The aim of the present analysis was to understand the diversity and distribution of animal-related exposures among international travellers. Methods: Data from January 2007 through December 2018 from the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network were reviewed. Records were included if the exposure was non-migration travel with a diagnosis of an animal (dog, cat, monkey, snake or other) bite or other exposure (non-bite); records were excluded if the region of exposure was not ascertainable or if another, unrelated acute diagnosis was reported. Results: A total of 6470 animal exposures (bite or non-bite) were included. The majority (71%) occurred in Asia. Travellers to 167 countries had at least one report of an animal bite or non-bite exposure. The majority (76%) involved dogs, monkeys and cats, although a wide range of wild and domestic species were involved. Almost two-thirds (62.6%) of 4395 travellers with information available did not report a pretravel consultation with a healthcare provider. Conclusions: Minimizing bites and other animal exposures requires education (particularly during pretravel consultations) and behavioral modification. These should be supplemented by the use of pre-exposure rabies vaccination for travellers to high-risk countries (especially to those with limited access to rabies immunoglobulin), as well as encouragement of timely (in-country) post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies and Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1 (herpesvirus B) when warranted.
Volume
27
Issue
7
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Medicina clínica
Ciencias médicas, Ciencias de la salud
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85085593047
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Travel Medicine
ISSN of the container
11951982
Sponsor(s)
The authors wish to thank Robert Steffen and Garth Brink for facilitating this collaborative project, Kayce Maisel and Aisha Rizwan for assisting with coordination of the project, as well as all members of the GeoSentinel network. Part of this project was presented as the Margaretha Isaacson Memorial Lecture at the 2018 meeting of the South African Society of Travel Medicine. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This work was supported by Cooperative Agreement U50 C1000359 between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ISTM as well as funding from ISTM and the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus