The contribution of travellers visiting friends and relatives to notified infectious diseases in Australia: state-based enhanced surveillance

Authors

A E. Heywood, University of New South WalesFollow
Nicholas Arnold Zwar, University of New South WalesFollow
B L. Forssman, Nepean Blue Mountains Local Health District
Holly Seale, University of New South Wales
N Stephens, Victorian Department of Human Services
J Musto, NSW Ministry of Health
C Lane, Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
Benjamin G. Polkinghorne, NSW Ministry of Health
M Sheikh, University of New South Wales
M Smith, NSW Refugee Health Service
Howard G.J. Worth, University of New South Wales
C Raina Macintyre, University of New South Wales

RIS ID

111443

Publication Details

Heywood, A. E., Zwar, N., Forssman, B. L., Seale, H., Stephens, N., Musto, J., Lane, C., Polkinghorne, B., Sheikh, M., Smith, M., Worth, H. & Macintyre, C. R. (2016). The contribution of travellers visiting friends and relatives to notified infectious diseases in Australia: state-based enhanced surveillance. Epidemiology and Infection, 144 (16), 3554-3563.

Abstract

Immigrants and their children who return to their country of origin to visit friends and relatives (VFR) are at increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases compared to other travellers. VFR travel is an important disease control issue, as one quarter of Australia's population are foreign-born and one quarter of departing Australian international travellers are visiting friends and relatives. We conducted a 1-year prospective enhanced surveillance study in New South Wales and Victoria, Australia to determine the contribution of VFR travel to notifiable diseases associated with travel, including typhoid, paratyphoid, measles, hepatitis A, hepatitis E, malaria and chikungunya. Additional data on characteristics of international travel were collected. Recent international travel was reported by 180/222 (81%) enhanced surveillance cases, including all malaria, chikungunya and paratyphoid cases. The majority of cases who acquired infections during travel were immigrant Australians (96, 53%) or their Australian-born children (43, 24%). VFR travel was reported by 117 (65%) travel-associated cases, highest for typhoid (31/32, 97%). Cases of children (aged <18 >years) (86%) were more frequently VFR travellers compared to adult travellers (57%, P < 0·001). VFR travel is an important contributor to imported disease in Australia. Communicable disease control strategies targeting these travellers, such as targeted health promotion, are likely to impact importation of these travel-related infections.