Health problems and risks encountered among healthy and vulnerable Dutch travelers
Abstract
The results described in this thesis expand and deepen the knowledge of the disease burden that several groups of Dutch travelers can face while traveling abroad and after returning home, varying from young medical students to the older traveler. One can think of communicable diseases (e.g. enteric- and respiratory infections), non-communicable diseases (e.g. exacerbation of cardiovascular diseases or mental disorders) and (road-traffic-related) injuries. In addition, travelers can also face non-medical challenges such as culture shock and violence. Travelers can also become colonized with resistant bacteria (e.g. ESBL-E) while staying abroad. Active surveillance and contact isolation precautions may then be recommended when a traveler returns from a destination in Asia, and is admitted to the hospital in the home country. The different studies provide more insights and practical advices regarding pre-travel information, which attributes both to practical tailored travel advice for Dutch travelers and will also be of interest for future research in the evolving world of travel medicine.
