Reasons for seeking care and adherence to pretravel preparation in expatriate or long-term travelers' children in the tropics: A French prospective study.
Travel Med Infect Dis 2021;
46:102184. [PMID:
34699957 DOI:
10.1016/j.tmaid.2021.102184]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Studies on pediatric travelers' health rarely address expat or long-term travelers' children.
METHOD
To investigate reasons for seeking care and adherence to pretravel preparation, we prospectively enrolled French children 0-15 years old, either expatriates or staying >6 months in tropical areas, who attended a French health center in Africa, Central America or Southern Pacific regions from October 01, 2011 to October 31, 2012. A standardized questionnaire was completed by a general practitioner at each visit, then anonymized and included in our database.
RESULTS
464 questionnaires were collected from 367 children (sex ratio M/F: 1:1). Median age was 6.4 years (IQR: 3.6; 10.3). Reasons for seeking care were mostly infections (n = 378), of which 12 (3.2%) were tropical. There were no deaths, but one child with tuberculosis was repatriated. Coverage was high for routine immunization, but less for travel-related vaccines. Personal antivectorial protection was significantly lower in children aged >5 y or in non-malarial areas. Where indicated, malarial chemoprophylaxis was prescribed to only one third of the children, of whom 60% were poorly compliant. Advice regarding measures against diarrhea and sunburn was followed significantly more for stays >2 yrs.
CONCLUSION
Mild cosmopolitan illnesses predominated but protection against tropical threats should be optimized before and during the stay.
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