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International travel and health : situation as on 1 January 2011

Geneva: World Health Organization, 2011. 258p.

Hardcopy available on loan at: SEARO Library
Electronic file available at: http://www.who.int/ith/chapters/en/index.html

Almost 900 million international journeys were undertaken in 2009. Global travel on this scale exposes many people to a range of health risks – different disease agents and changes in temperature, altitude and humidity are just some of these risks – all of which can lead to ill-health. Many of these risks, however, can be minimized by precautions take before, during and after travel.

This book explains how travelers can stay healthy and provides WHO guidance on vaccinations, malaria chemoprohylaxis and treatment, personal protection against insects and other disease vectors, and safety in different environmental settings. It covers all the principal risks to traveller’s health, both during their journeys and at their destinations. It describes all relevant infectious diseases, including their causative agents, modes of transmission, clinical features and geographical distribution, and provides details of prophylactic and preventive measures.

Features of this new edition include:Updated and improved vaccine-preventable disease descriptions

• Updated vaccine recommendations and schedules
• Revisit list of countries and areas at risk of yellow fever
• Updated country list with malaria information
• Updated maps showing disease distribution
• Updated information for travelers with HIV

This book is intended for the medical and public health professionals who advise travelers, but it is also a standard reference for travel agents, airlines and shipping companies – and for travelers themselves. Continuous updates are freely available on the Internet at www.who.int/ith.

Table of Contents

• Health risks and precautions: general considerations
• Mode of travel: health considerations
• Environmental health risks
• Injuries and violence
• Infectious diseases of potential risk for travellers
• Vaccine-preventable diseases and vaccines
• Malaria
• Exposure to blood and body fluids
• Special groups of travellers
• Psychological health
• ITH 2011 Country List
  • Yellow fever vaccination requirements and recommendations,
  • Malaria situation
• ITH 2011 Annexes
• Annex 1: Countries with risk of yellow fever transmission, Countries requiring yellow fever vaccination
• Annex 2: International Health Regulations