Journal of travel medicine
-
We present the case of a 75-year-old patient diagnosed with malaria, a native of Zaragoza, Spain, despite having no travel history to malaria-endemic regions. Following an extensive investigation, transfusion emerged as the most probable mode of transmission.
-
Despite the World Health Organisation 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.
-
Review Meta Analysis
Humoral immunogenicity of primary yellow fever vaccination in infants and children: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.
Vaccination plays a critical role in mitigating the burden associated with yellow fever (YF). However, there is a lack of comprehensive evidence on the humoral response to primary vaccination in the paediatric population, with several questions debated, including the response when the vaccine is administered at early ages, the effect of co-administration with other vaccines, the duration of immunity and the use of fractional doses, among others. This study summarizes the existing evidence regarding the humoral response to primary YF vaccination in infants and children. ⋯ Primary YF vaccination effectively provides humoral immunity in paediatric population. However, humoral response declines over time, and this decline is observable after the first 18 months following vaccination. A differential response according to the vaccine substrain was also observed. This research has valuable implications for stimulating further research on the primary YF vaccination in infants and children, as well as for informing future policies.
-
Multicenter Study
Assessing viral metagenomics for the diagnosis of acute undifferentiated fever in returned travellers: a multicenter cohort study.
Up to 45% of febrile returning travellers remain undiagnosed after a thorough diagnostic work-up, even at referral centres. Although metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has emerged as a promising tool, evidence of its usefulness in imported fever is very limited. ⋯ mNGS of serum can be a valuable diagnostic tool for selected travellers with undiagnosed AUFI or severe disease in addition to reference diagnostic techniques, especially during the first days of symptoms. Nevertheless, mNGS results interpretation presents a great challenge. Further studies evaluating the performance of mNGS using different sample types and protocols tailored to non-viral agents are needed.
-
Usefulness of serial testing for the diagnosis of malaria in cases of fever upon return from travel.
When malaria is suspected in case of fever after travel in endemic areas, the current recommendation is to repeat the malaria test at 24-hour intervals, with up to two additional tests, as long as the test result is negative. A retrospective analysis was conducted to investigate the appropriateness of this recommendation by determining the proportion of tests with negative result at first and subsequently with a positive one at second or third attempt. ⋯ The current recommendation of serial malaria testing is not supported by the present study, a fortiori for those who do not present with a strong clinical or laboratory predictor of malaria.