Travel medicine and infectious disease
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Sep 2011
Disaster response from Australia: what is the role of Forward Teams?
Large scale Australian civilian medical assistance teams were first deployed overseas in 2004. The deployment of small Forward Teams in the early phase of a health disaster response allows for informed decisions on whether, and in what form, to deploy larger medical assistance teams. The prime consideration is to support the capacity of local services to respond to the specific needs of the affected population. In addition, Australian citizens caught up in large numbers in overseas disasters may need health assistance.
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Travel Med Infect Dis · Sep 2011
Case ReportsBabesiosis: an emerging infectious disease that can affect those who travel to the northeastern United States.
A case is presented of a healthy, 57 year-old male living in Ohio who traveled to Connecticut and later developed a severe case of babesiosis. The patient presented to his primary care physician with a history of intermittent fever and myalgias and was admitted to the hospital for investigation. On admission, he was found to have fever, left flank pain, and thrombocytopenia. ⋯ A serendipitous conversation led to the investigation into babesiosis and empiric treatment. Infection with Babesia microti was confirmed by blood smear and PCR. In conclusion, obtaining a domestic, as well as international, travel history is important for identifying diseases, such as babesiosis, endemic to other areas.