Journal of travel medicine
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Review
Sacred journeys and pilgrimages: health risks associated with travels for religious purposes.
Pilgrimages and travel to religious mass gatherings (MGs) are part of all major religions. This narrative review aims to describe some characteristics, including health risks, of the more well-known and frequently undertaken ones. ⋯ Communicable and NCD differ among the different religious MGs. Gaps exists in the surveillance, reporting and data accessibility of health risks associated with religious MGs. A need exists for the uniform implementation of a system of real-time monitoring of diseases and morbidity patterns, utilizing standardized modern information-sharing platforms. The health needs of pilgrims can then be prioritized by developing specific and appropriate guidelines.
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Multicenter Study
MALrisk: a machne-learning based tool to predict imported malaria in returned travellers with fever.
Early diagnosis is key to reducing the morbi-mortality associated with P. falciparum malaria among international travellers. However, access to microbiological tests can be challenging for some healthcare settings. Artificial Intelligence could improve the management of febrile travellers. ⋯ The MALrisk can aid in the timely identification of malaria in non-endemic settings, allowing the initiation of empiric antimalarials and reinforcing the need for urgent transfer in healthcare facilities with no access to malaria diagnostic tests. This resource could be easily scalable to a digital application and could reduce the morbidity associated with late diagnosis.
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Despite the World Health Organization certifying China malaria-free in 2021, the risk of local transmission caused by imported malaria cases remains a significant clinical and public health issue. It is necessary to present the changing trends of malaria in China and discuss the role of travel medicine services in consolidating malaria elimination. ⋯ Returned travellers from malaria-endemic countries pose a significant risk of malaria re-introduction to China. Travel medicine should be strengthened to improve the capacity and accessibility of both pre- and post-travel services, including malaria prophylaxis and prompt diagnosis of illness in returned travellers.
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In a cohort of patients treated with oral artemisinin combination therapy for uncomplicated malaria, the presence of anti-red blood cell (RBC) auto-antibodies does not correlate with the extent of post-treatment haemolysis. Patients with positive antibody screening test on d14 had higher initial parasitaemia and a higher number of once-infected RBCs throughout follow-up.