First connection?
You log on for the first time and would benefit from the service? Join us!
* Access is totally free and the service exclusively reserved for healthcare professionals.
Your selection contains 186 articles in total including 0 articles for the PDF export.
Lyme disease is the most common arthropod-borne disease in the Northern hemisphere, transmitted by various species of Ixodes ticks. Lyme disease presentation typically spans 3 stages: Early localized stage: In days to weeks after infection, characterized by erythema migrans (a skin lesion present in 70-80% of cases that begins with redness at the bite site and expands to a ‘bulls-eye’...
Updated estimates of the prevalence of complications and case-fatality ratio (CFR) among patients with typhoid fever are needed to inform typhoid fever prevention and control. To support country-level decisions on typhoid prevention and control with contemporary estimates of morbidity and mortality, we updated our 2020 review. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of non-surgical (typhoid...
The geographically expanding arboviral diseases like dengue and chikungunya is a major global public health concern. Dengue alone accounts for the largest number of infectious disease cases in the Americas, manifesting itself as an epidemic every 3–5 years. Although these two infectious diseases are endemic to most of the Central America, South America and the Caribbean, its increased transmission...
Typhoid fever is a widespread infection in humans caused by the bacterium S. Typhi [1, 2]. In 2025, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that approximately 9.2 million cases of typhoid fever occur worldwide each year, causing an estimated 133,000 deaths [3]. A separate report estimated a global incidence of 206 cases per 100,000 person-years in population-based studies...
La recrudescence de la fièvre typhoïde multirésistante et ultrarésistante au cours des deux dernières décennies nécessite de nouvelles stratégies de lutte : en réduisant la charge de morbidité grâce au nouveau vaccin conjugué contre la fièvre typhoïde, les zones d'endémie disposent d'un outil supplémentaire dans leur arsenal pour lutter contre cette menace mondiale persistante.
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is an emerging zoonotic disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a flavivirus primarily transmitted by mosquitoes of the Culex genus. JE is a significant public health concern, causing around 100,000 cases and 25,000 deaths each year globally [1, 2]. Children aged 0–14 years are the most affected, with an incidence rate of 5.4 cases per...
Un rapport récent sur 1 651 consultations préalables au voyage effectuées dans une clinique au Royaume-Uni a révélé que le nombre médian de cycles de vaccination recommandés par nouvelle consultation était de 3 (entre 0 et 10) et qu'au moins un vaccin avait été recommandé à 93 % des voyageurs.1 Parmi ceux-ci,...
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection leads to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in hundreds of millions of people and is one of the most common causes of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and viral hepatitis‐related death; thus, HBV infections are a major global health problem. Pegylated interferon alpha (Peg‐IFN‐α) is one of the most commonly used antiviral drugs for chronic HBV infection....
Rabies is an acute and fatal zoonotic disease caused by the rabies virus [1, 2]. It is primarily transmitted through contact with the saliva of infected animals via scratches, bites, or direct exposure to mucous membranes [3, 4]. Dogs are responsible for up to 99% of human rabies cases. Early symptoms include fever, pain, and neuropathic manifestations. Without timely post-exposure prophylaxis, rabies...
It is estimated that two-thirds of TBEV infections in humans are asymptomatic. In symptomatic cases, the first phase of the disease is characterized by flu-like symptoms. In 20–30% of those infected, a second phase develops, potentially leading to meningitis, meningoencephalitis, and other central nervous system complications, which can lead to permanent sequelae [1]. Tick-borne encephalitis...
Rabies virus (RABV) which is the causative agent of rabies, causes damage to the central nervous system and is primarily transmitted through animal bites, scratches, or direct contact with the saliva of an infected animal. The incubation period for rabies typically ranges from 2 to 8 weeks, though it can extend from several days to even years. Despite being preventable, rabies is almost invariably...
Anopheles stephensi is one of several important malaria vectors of urban environments in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula [1]. Since its initial discovery in Djibouti in 2012 [2], this vector species has been found in eastern Ethiopia [3, 4], Sudan [5], Somalia [1], and Kenya [6]. Its adaptation to the urban environment [7] coupled with the rapid spread of An. stephensi...
A remarkable urban growth has been witnessed in the past few decades, with people living in towns and cities shooting up from 751 million in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018 globally [1]. And the rising trend is expected to maintain. By 2050, approximately seven out of ten individuals will live in urban areas [2]. Urbanization may have two-sided effects on the prevalence of some non-communicable diseases,...
Human disturbance of ecosystems can modify wildlife–pathogens dynamics, which can result in the emergence of infectious diseases (Morens et al. 2004). Interactions among humans, livestock, and wildlife populations associated with ecosystem disturbance can facilitate pathogen spillover (i.e. cross‐species pathogen transmission) (Plowright et al. 2017). A series of factors have been proposed...
Osteosarcoma (osteogenic sarcoma), as a primary malignant bone tumor, usually involves long bones of the extremities (more often the legs). The incidence rates range between 4.6 and 6.8/year/million in a different race, with a 5‐year overall survival rate of about 54%–68%. The surgical site infections (SSIs) usually occur 4 weeks after surgery; however, it may be delayed for about...
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was first detected in New South Wales in February 2022. As few infections lead to clinical disease, estimating the number of infections in humans is difficult. The new: One in eleven serosurvey participants, drawn from five regional NSW towns deemed to be at risk on ecological grounds, were seropositive for JEV‐specific antibody, presumably reflecting non‐clinical...
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) may result from several causes and, in most cases, it can be ascribed only to an idiopathic etiology. SSNHL is defined as a pure tone audiometry‐proven purely sensorineural hearing loss >30 dB in three consecutive frequencies, developing over 1–3 days. SSNHL has idiopathic and non‐idiopathic forms. The latter can be due to...
A 20-month-old girl was diagnosed with Guillain – Barré syndrome (GBS) based on progressive muscle weakness, areflexia, and albuminocytologic dissociation of the cerebrospinal fluid. Despite timely and systematic treatment, she eventually became paralyzed. There is a temporal correlation between the girl's GBS and the DTaP vaccination, but the exact causal relationship between the two...
Malaria is a disease caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Malaria remains an important global public health problem. According to the World Health Organization report, there were an estimated 247 million malaria cases in 2021 in 84 malaria endemic countries, an increase from 245 million in 2020 at 85 malaria endemic countries...
Central nervous system (CNS) infections significantly cause seizures worldwide. Infectious causes of convulsions vary according to geographical location. Nevertheless, globalization and international travel have broken the boundaries, so we can expect any infection to cause seizures in different parts of the world. Bacterial meningitis, malaria, herpes simplex virus (HSV), human immunodeficiency virus...
Tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBE) is an RNA virus, a member of the flaviridae family, transmitted by tick bites or consumption of unpasteurized dairy products from infected animals. TBE has a median incubation period of 8 days (range 2–48 days), is symptomatic in about 33.3% of cases, and follows a biphasic course in 72–87%. The first viremic stage lasts 2–7 days,...
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) causes liver inflammation, resulting in a range of symptoms from mild to severe, including fever, severe fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting. However, it is usually a self-limiting disease, especially in childhood [1, 2]. HAV is transmitted through physical contact and the fecal–oral route when contaminated food or water containing the...
Knowledge regarding the risks associated with Zika virus (ZIKV) infections in pregnancy has relied on individual studies with relatively small sample sizes and variable risk estimates of adverse outcomes, or on surveillance or routinely collected data. Using data from the Zika Brazilian Cohorts Consortium, this study aims, to estimate the risk of adverse outcomes among offspring of women with RT-PCR-confirmed...
Dengue and yellow fever are among the deadliest mosquito‐borne diseases worldwide (Kuno 2015, Colón‐González et al. 2021). These diseases are responsible for approximately 390 million and 200 000 cases per year, respectively (CDC 2018, WHO 2021a), and they continue to spread, causing outbreaks in areas from where they had disappeared and in new areas, even if, as in the...
Severe dengue fever complicated by critical respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation (MV) contributes to high mortality rates among PICU-admitted patients. This study aimed to identify key explanatory variables of fatality in mechanically ventilated children with severe dengue. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort, from 2013 to 2022....
Arboviruses contain a group of viruses transmitted via arthropods that bite and feed on blood and are characterized by a wide geographic distribution. The most prevalent and widespread arboviruses classified as human pathogens are mosquito‐borne viruses belonging to the families Flaviviridae and Togaviridae. Dengue virus (DENV), Zika virus (ZIKV), yellow fever virus (YFV), Japanese...
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) re‐emerged in Australia in 2021, initially as a fatal case from the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin. Sequencing studies showed the virus causing the outbreak was a JEV genotype IV (GIV) virus. Encephalitis caused by JEV GIV appeared to be indistinguishable from encephalitis caused by other JEV genotypes or other members of the Japanese encephalitis (JE) serological...
While Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) vaccination in global immunization programs has shown a virtual elimination of the disease within few years of the vaccination program, changing epidemiological landscape in India underscores the need for evidence-based, updated guidance on immunization practices. In May 2024, a panel of 15 distinguished opinion leaders and an organizing committee convened for an intensive,...
Cholera is a serious infectious disease caused by toxigenic serogroups O1 and O139 of Vibrio cholerae, a curved Gram-negative bacilli. Fecal contamination of water sources and food is the main route of transmission of this disease [1]. Via activating adenylate cyclase, cholera toxin (CT) is responsible for the massive loss of chloride ions and other electrolytes through a typical diarrhea...
De nombreuses avancées passionnantes en médecine tropicale ont été présentées lors de la réunion de l'ASTMH sur le paludisme, les maladies émergentes et réémergentes, ainsi que de nombreuses autres maladies infectieuses.
The neurotropic rabies virus (RABV), also known as rabies lyssavirus, is the cause of rabies in both people and animals. Rabies can be spread by contact with animal saliva and, less frequently, human saliva. Many mammalian species have been shown to be infected by it in the wild, and in the lab, it has been discovered that cell cultures from mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects can also be infected....
Febrile illnesses constitute a significant public health burden in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) [1]. In addition to the high-grade fever, febrile illness often occurs alongside other symptoms such as malaise, anorexia, headaches, cough, body aches, diarrhoea, or other respiratory or neurological signs. The cause of febrile illness could be of infectious aetiology or non-infectious endogenous origin as...
La fièvre typhoïde reste un risque pour les voyageurs dans de nombreuses régions du monde, en particulier en Asie du Sud, et la résistance croissante aux antibiotiques rend le traitement de cette infection bactérienne encore plus difficile.
Viral hepatitis, particularly caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), remains a significant global health burden with increasing mortality rates [1]. Chronic hepatitis, predominantly attributed to HBV and HCV, is a leading cause of liver-related deaths. HCV/HBV coinfection exacerbates disease progression, increasing the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [2]....
La maladie de Lyme est la maladie transmise par les arthropodes la plus fréquente dans l’hémisphère Nord, transmise par diverses espèces de tiques Ixodes (1). La maladie de Lyme se manifeste généralement en trois stades : Stade localisé précoce : quelques jours à quelques semaines après l’infection,...
Dengue disease is a global health burden with an estimate of 390 million being infected annually. Dengue is a mosquito‐transmitted viral disease caused by dengue virus (DENV). Dengue infection results in a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic with no apparent symptoms to mild fever without warning signs (DOS) to severe forms of hemorrhagic manifestation termed as dengue...
Travellers visiting countries endemic for arboviral diseases may introduce arboviruses to new areas where competent vectors are already present, potentially leading to disease outbreaks in populations that have not previously been exposed. To assess exposure risks for travellers and identify which arboviruses they might import, we explored the use of international travellers to collect mosquito saliva...
A 58‐year‐old man attended a Sydney outpatient dermatology clinic in November 2022 for a lesion on the vertex of the scalp, enlarging over 3 years. On examination, elevated rolled edges with a large central haemorrhagic crust suggestive of basal cell carcinoma were observed; however, the mass was unusually boggy on palpation, raising the question of a superimposed infective process (Box)....
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a neurotropic flavivirus associated with generally mild disease but the risk of congenital abnormalities when contracted during pregnancy. Reports from the Maldives are rare. We describe a ZIKV infection in a traveller returning from the Maldives in August 2025, including clinical findings and molecular diagnostics with metagenomic sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. ZIKV ribonucleic...
Despite the effective hepatitis B vaccination programs and use of nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis globally. The natural history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is dynamic, determined by fluctuations in HBV replication and liver inflammation, and can be divided into several phases. Most...
Typhoid fever remains a risk for travelers to many global regions, especially South Asia, and rising antibiotic resistance makes this bacterial infection a greater challenge to treat.
The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was isolated in 1953 and received this name, derived from the African Makonde dialect meaning “that which bends up”, due to the posture acquired by affected patients related to intense musculoskeletal pain in the disease acute phase [1]. Over the following decades, isolated outbreaks of Chikungunya fever (CHIK) occurred in the African continent and major epidemics...
Many dead lying in the streets and burial impossible. We are faced with total deprivation of water, which must result in pestilence. —Sir Shenton Thomas, Colonial Governor of the Straits Settlements, Singapore 1942. Desperate times lead to desperate measures and none more so as when cities are captured during armed conflict, as happened in Singapore in 1942 and as we are now again seeing...
Typhoid fever is widespread in developing countries. Most typhoid vaccines have gone into some disrepute for their substantial side effects and low efficacy. The latest typhoid vaccines use Salmonella‘s Vi-capsular polysaccharide (Vi-CPS) conjugated to a protein carrier. The WHO recommends a single typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) dose at six months in endemic countries. However, this...
Dengue fever, a primarily mosquito-borne viral infection, has emerged as a major concern, especially in tropical and subtropical regions [1]. The transmission of dengue closely follows the life cycle of mosquitoes, and is driven by a variety of factors, including socioeconomic class, latitude, and climatic conditions [2]. Among these, rising temperatures due to climate change are of increasing concern....
This CME review is intended for pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, family medicine physicians, pediatric emergency physicians, pediatric hospitalists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, emergency medical services personnel, and any health care personnel who care for infants, children, and adolescents in the prehospital, office, urgent care, emergency department, or hospital Return...
En août 2025, l'ambassade des États-Unis à Cuba a signalé une augmentation des cas d'hépatite A à La Havane. En janvier 2026, il a été rapporté que plusieurs cas suspects d'hépatite A dans la province de Ciego de Ávila faisaient l'objet d'une surveillance. Le gouvernement canadien a mis à jour ses...
The history of dengue is long, tortured and often muddled; however, our modern understanding of the disease and its epidemiology began only in the late nineteenth century. Australian researchers were at the forefront of our modern understanding of dengue both by careful clinical observations and pioneering work on controlled human infections. The first mention of dengue in Australia in the medical...
Dengue remains a serious public health problem and until 2013, it was the only arbovirus transmitted by urban species of Aedes mosquitoes in the Western Hemisphere. Justifying the adoption of clinical and epidemiological criteria for reporting probable dengue cases, to overcome insufficient laboratory capacity and to increase sensitivity during large epidemic, probable cases are those reported as suspected...
Compte tenu de l’augmentation actuelle des cas en Afrique, le choléra reste un défi de santé publique persistant et complexe dans divers contextes géographiques et socioculturels, comme l’illustrent des études récentes en Tanzanie, en Zambie, ainsi que des perspectives historiques et mondiales.
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is primarily transmitted by infected Aedesspp. mosquitoes. Clinical manifestations include fever, myalgia, arthritis, and arthrosis. The global rise in arboviral infections led to 350,000 Chikungunya cases, with Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia reporting the highest numbers. To assess the epidemiological and clinical characteristics, viral load in individuals...
Re-emerging arboviruses including chikungunya, Zika, Rift Valley Fever, West Nile viruses, pose significant global health concerns due to their potential for sudden outbreaks and rapid spread, driven by factors such as global travel, urbanization, and climate change1. Chikungunya and Zika viruses (CHIKV and ZIKV) are transmitted by the same mosquito vectors, primarily from the Aedes genus2....
Vibrio choleraeO1/O139 is responsible for cholera epidemics that remains a huge public health menace across the globe. Furthermore, an increasing resistance rate among V. cholerae strains has been reported around the world. Therefore, the of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the weighted pooled resistance (WPR) rates in clinical V. cholerae O1/O139 isolates based on...
Tick‐borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), which belongs to the genus Flavivirus in the family Flaviviridae, is an important agent that causes neurological infections in humans and animals. TBEV is endemic in wide regions of Eurasia, with between 10,000 and 15,000 cases reported annually. TBEV is traditionally classified into three subtypes, namely FE‐TBEV, Siberian (Sib)...
Lyme borreliosis (LB), or Lyme disease, is the most common vector‐borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere caused by infection with extracellular spirochetes of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Bbsl) genospecies transmitted by hard‐bodied Ixodes ticks [1]. The majority of LB cases are caused by three genospecies: Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (B....
In August 2025, the U.S. Embassy in Cuba reported an increase in cases of hepatitis A in Havana. In January 2026 it was reported that several suspected cases of hepatitis A in the province of Ciego de Ávila were under monitoring. The Canadian government has updated their travel advice and advisories to Cuba to reflect reported cases of hepatitis A in returning travelers from Cuba. While the...
* A visual display of item features and person responses was proposed through online Rasch analysis, which has never been done previously. * This study has resulted in the development of an app. By providing the app to patients, family members, and clinicians in hospital settings. An earlier stage is achieved to ensure that DF is necessary and essential for patients. ...
Professor David Hamer (Boston University) talks to us today about the risk of Evolving Oropouche for International Travelers. Find out more in this video accompanied by his slides: ...
Neglected tropical diseases and malaria (NTDM) represent significant public health challenges globally, particularly threatening the health of populations in middle- and low-income countries [1, 2]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines NTDs to include more than 20 different diseases, all of which result in substantial incidence and mortality, especially among marginalized populations [3]. These...
* Hyperferritinemia is associated with a short-lived pro-inflammatory state during the critical phase of severe dengue (SD) and may have an association with one or more World Health Organization (WHO) severity categories. * During recovery, ferritin levels trend downwards, emphasizing its role as a severity marker rather than mediator of severe disease. ...
Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the main cause of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in South Asia, including India. There are 68 000 cases globally per year. Vector control is not so effective and difficult to implement. However, JE vaccination is reported to be an effective approach in various endemic countries. JE cases in India are reported to be high in the north‐central and north‐eastern...
Malaria is a major public health challenge. With an estimated 241 million new cases and 627,000 deaths in 2020, this disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality [1] worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) African Region is the most affected region with 95% and 96% of the global cases and deaths, respectively, and 77% of total malaria deaths occur in children under 5 years of age....
Bacterial pathogens serve as significant contributors to the occurrence of infectious diseases. Some diseases, such as meningitis, can be caused by multiple pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and even viruses [1, 2]. However, it is noteworthy that certain infectious diseases are attributed to specific bacterial pathogens. These include syphilis, gonorrhea,...
There is an increasing global burden from chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Bangladesh reported a major epidemic in 2017, however, it was unclear if there had been prior widespread transmission. We conducted a nationally representative seroprevalence survey in 70 randomly selected communities immediately prior to the epidemic. We found 69/2,938 (2.4%) of sampled individuals were seropositive to CHIKV. Being...
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection occurs via faeco-oral transmission and is associated with limited access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hand hygiene, and is endemic in mostly low- to middle-income countries (LMICs).1 In particular, a high prevalence of individuals positive for anti-HAV antibodies (anti-HAV) has been reported in several Indigenous communities where poor hygienic...
Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi, the Gram‐negative bacterium that causes typhoid fever in humans enters the bodies of healthy human hosts through contaminated food and water. Systemic dissemination of S. Typhi in humans results in high fever, nausea, abdominal pain and abnormal bowel movements (Masuet‐Aumatell & Atouguia, 2021)....
This study assessed safety and immunogenicity of Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd (SIIPL)'s tetanus toxoid (TT), diphtheria toxoid (DT), and acellular pertussis booster vaccine (Tdap). In this Phase II/III, multicenter, randomized, active-controlled, open-label study, 1500 healthy individuals, aged 4–65 years, were randomized to receive a single dose of SIIPL Tdap or comparator Tdap vaccine (Boostrix®;...
Many of you attended our webinar on Typhoid Fever. You can now watch (or re-watch) the session by clicking on the link below and download the speakers’ slides....
In 2015, the emerging American strain of Zika virus (ZIKV) was first detected in Brazil and its rapid spread throughout the Americas and the world was well documented during the subsequent epidemic years.1 First isolated from a sentinel rhesus macaque in Uganda in 1947, ZIKV was not identified as a public health concern until it was isolated in a series of self-limiting outbreaks in the Pacific Islands...
Enteric fever, a systemic infection caused by Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A, remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries. Enteric fever is preventable through the provision of clean water and adequate sanitation and can be successfully treated with antibiotics. However, high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) compromise the effectiveness...
Zika and yellow fever flaviviruses induce important human diseases, mainly in tropical regions. Zika virus is an emerging pathogen that has recently spread to new geographic areas, while yellow fever virus, effectively controlled in the past, has recently re-emerged and caused outbreaks in endemic regions. Since antibody-based vaccines could potentially increase the severity of infections by the related...
Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a worldwide major public health problem, leading to progressive liver disease through chronic inflammation and destruction of hepatocytes. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to serious complications such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]. Oral nucleos(t)ide analogues (NA) are widely used in the treatment of CHB to suppress HBV replication...
Despite significant gains over the past two decades, malaria continues to take the lives of almost 1700 people each day [1]. The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) estimates show progress has stalled in recent years, underscoring the importance of addressing gaps in access to and use of core malaria interventions, and the need for innovative and more tailored approaches to fighting the disease...
One of the major challenges faced by Emergency Departments (EDs) is the high number of patient admissions. Patients are influxed into EDs for a variety of reasons related to hospitals’ EDs and nations’ healthcare systems [1]. According to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), overcrowding in EDs outpaces available resources in EDs, hospitals, or both [2]. Turkey stands out...
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a positive-stranded Ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus that is stable at moderate temperatures and low pH, allowing for prolonged survival in the environment and fecal–oral transmission. It is known to circulate among children, especially in developing countries due to poor hygiene and lack of sanitation [1]. Although hepatitis A is usually asymptomatic or presents with mild...
Approximately 10–40 million travelers get Traveler's Diarrhea (TD) yearly. A significant decrease in TD incidence has not been achieved by depending solely on antibiotic prophylaxis and educational initiatives. Using prebiotics to prevent TD has also not been examined in previous evaluations of probiotics for TD, which failed to consider the strain-specificity of probiotic efficacy. This review...
HIV and hepatitis B continue to be global public health challenges. Each virus causes 1.2 million new infections annually. By 2025, roughly 40 million people live with HIV, and over 250 million have chronic hepatitis B. Using PubMed, we analyzed approaches to control HIV and HBV epidemics. Whereas no vaccine exists to prevent HIV acquisition, successful protective HBV vaccines are available. The high...
In Mayotte, the cholera epidemic is gaining ground with a crisis limiting access to drinking water for several months in the archipelago. Thus, some residents are faced with poor sanitation and consume river water, presenting a risk of spreading the disease. Although the link between climate change and cholera outbreaks in affected areas has not been fully proved, the violent rainfall observed in recent...
This webinar present a comprehensive literature review and expert recommendations on the management of Enteric Fever. Join Prof Cristina Masuet (Barcelona University, Spain) and Prof Stephen Baker (National University of Singapore, Singapore) as they present this webinar....
Non-toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae (C. diphtheriae), often associated with wounds, can rarely cause infective endocarditis (IE). Five patients with C. diphtheriae IE were identified within 12 months at a Seattle-based hospital system. We reviewed prior C. diphtheriae positive cultures to determine if detections had increased over time and evaluated epidemiologic...
Dengue is an arboviral infection endemic to the Asia–Pacific region, with diverse clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic disease to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and multiple organ failure [1]. Uncomplicated dengue infection is no different to other viral fevers in which recovery happens over a few days. But dengue hemorrhagic fever, if not diagnosed and managed in time, can be fatal....
The acceptance of vaccines and vaccine-related information from healthcare providers has been a hot topic during the COVID pandemic. This topic is not new to most travel health clinics, where refusal of recommended vaccines may be high, up to 25% in a large US study, or even very high (> 40%) especially for some travel-specific vaccines such as rabies or Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccines. Known...
To determine the efficacy of manuka honey against multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) clinical strains of SalmonellaTyphi. Materials & methods: Clinical isolates were processed using the Bactec blood culture system, identification and antibiogram by Vitek 2 and antibiotic resistance genes through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Microbroth...
Enteric infections are a leading cause of mortality in developing countries [1], responsible for 1.34 million deaths in 2021 worldwide. Such infections—which include diarrheal diseases and acute febrile illnesses—are also highly preventable [2]. Thanks to efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) over the past decade, countries in which diarrheal diseases are endemic have improved...
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations. The prevalence of short and long-term consequences, however, remains uncertain due to heterogeneity across studies. Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis (IPD-MA) offers an alternative approach to provide more precise and generalisable estimates through data harmonisation across studies,...
Chikungunya virus, an arthropod-borne pathogen is recognised by the World Health Organization as a top priority Emerging Infectious Disease and is ranked fourth in public health needs according to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). Despite its substantial impact, as evidenced by an annual estimate of 120,274 disability-adjusted life years, our understanding of the chronic aspects...
Chikungunya virus, emerging as an increasingly significant global health threat, poses significant uncertainty regarding the global risk of its endemicity and autochthonous transmission following importation. In this study, we established a multi-source database spanning 70 years (1953–2023), synthesizing 4515 geolocated records of human, vector, and animal infections alongside clinical metadata....
Transfusion of blood and/or blood derivatives is often seen as the only way to save patients in many situations. Blood transfusion is therefore considered an essential part of the healthcare system [1]. Indeed, transfusion is essential to patient care. However, it can sometimes present a risk of transmission of TTIs (transfusion‐transmitted infections). This is why the supply of safe blood and...
Infections with the chikungunya virus are increasingly reported due to many reasons including climate change. Two vaccines against chikungunya have recently been approved in Europe, the live-attenuated vaccine (LAV) Ixchiq and the virus like particle (VLP) vaccine Vimkunya. However, no systematic review of phase 3 clinical trial data has been published that summarizes the currently available evidence...
Dengue fever is a major arboviral disease, affecting approximately 390 million people annually. A recent review summed up the current state of knowledge [Paz-Baleey P et al. The Lancet 2024; 403(10427): 667-82] and another article detailed the early history of the disease in Australia [Aaskov P & Shanks GD. Internal Medicine Journal 2024; 54(3): 511-5]. Dengue is a rapidly growing global...
The Anopheles stephensi mosquito is an invasive malaria vector recently reported in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Ghana. The World Health Organization has called on countries in Africa to increase surveillance efforts to detect and report this vector and institute appropriate and effective control mechanisms. In Kenya, the Division of National Malaria Program conducted entomological...
This study aimed to develop and validate a clinical score for the prediction of critical care entrance in children with dengue. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using admissions from January 2019 to August 2021, at Hospital Infantil Napoleon Franco Pareja, in Cartagena, Colombia. We included all children 18 years or younger, with a positive immunoglobulin M or nonstructural protein...
Long-term immunity following yellow fever vaccination remains controversial. We aimed to summarise the literature regarding the long-term protection (≥10 years) conveyed by a single dose of yellow fever vaccination. Methods: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched 11 databases from database inception to Aug 24, 2023. We included cohort and cross-sectional studies reporting immunogenicity...
s We performed a cross- sectional study in two maternity hospitals in Athens, Greece between 2017 and 2019 assessing seroprevalence and Geometric Mean Titres (GMTs) of diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus antibodies in pregnant women and recorded adherence to Greek National Immunization Program (NIP) regarding Tdap vaccination in pregnancy. Blood samples were collected from women in...
Eighteen cases of chikungunya virus infection in travellers returning from Myanmar were reported to the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network, its subnetwork EuroTravNet and TropNet in 2019, reflecting an ongoing local outbreak. This report reinforces the importance of travellers as sentinels of emerging arboviral outbreaks and highlights the importance of vigilance for imported cases, due to the potential...
Epidermolysis bullosa or EB is a group of rare heritable skin diseases characterised by excessive skin fragility and blisters. EB is caused by mutations in genes coding for structural proteins of the skin, such as type VII collagen, keratin 5 and laminin 332, which severely compromise the integrity and natural barrier of the skin. Wound healing is of primary clinical importance in these patient populations....
We assessed the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of a yellow fever vaccine candidate, which was cloned from a YF-VAX substrain selected for growth in Vero cells (vYF-247), during the manufacturing process from the master seed lot (MSL) and working seed lot (WSL) through to the drug substance (DS) stage. There were nine minor nucleotide variants observed from the MSL to the DS stage, of which...
Lyme disease (LD) is one of the most prevalent vector-borne diseases in Europe and the USA [1, 2]. It is transmitted to humans by the bite of ticks infected by a bacterium from the spirochete group Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. This study focuses on infections in humans. The most common clinical presentation is erythema migrans (EM), a cutaneous rash that can appear within the first days....
Globally, there are an estimated 2.9 million cases of cholera per year. Cholera is caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with vibrio cholerae. Although diarrheal symptoms may be mild, failure to treat the illness promptly can lead to death within hours, particularly in low-income countries. Early detection of cholera outbreaks is crucial for allocating the resources needed to...
Yellow fever virus (YFV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, endemic in 47 countries in Africa and South America, which causes febrile symptoms that can evolve in 15% of the patients to serious hemorrhagic conditions, liver injury, and multiorgan failure. Although a highly effective vaccine (YF-17D vaccine) is available, to date, no antiviral drugs have been approved for the prevention and treatment of...
Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is a tick‐borne infection caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. LNB can present with several neurological manifestations, for example cranial nerve palsy, radiculitis or meningitis. To diagnose LNB, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is tested for pleocytosis and intrathecal antibody production. Guidelines are ambiguous about when a lumbar puncture...
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a severe infection of the central nervous system caused by the TBE virus (TBEV), a member of the flavivirus genus, endemic in northeastern Europe and eastern Asia [1]. TBEV can be transmitted by a tick-bite with the highest incidence in the summer months, although transmission through consumption of unpasteurized milk products has also been documented. In Switzerland,...
Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study. All data relevant to the study are included in the article or uploaded as supplementary information. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/...
A next-generation Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV-NG2) was developed using the same Pitman–Moore strain as in the licensed purified Vero cell vaccine (PVRV; Verorab®) and the human diploid cell vaccine (HDCV; Imovax Rabies®). This dual-center, modified double-blind, phase III study in France evaluated immunogenic non-inferiority and safety of PVRV-NG2 with and without concomitant intramuscular...
Data are available upon reasonable request. The creation of a data set consisting of over 1000 patients with AWD during the 2022 cholera outbreak in Aleppo, Syria, along with detailed patient observations, is of great significance. Through the documentation and analysis of this extensive data set, we are better equipped to comprehend the characteristics, trends and outcomes of cholera cases during...
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a frequent primary liver cancer, and it has ranked the second leading cause of various cancers’ mortality up to 2020 [1]. The incidence of HCC has been reported to increase during the past decades, and over 90,000 new cases of HCC are estimated in 2020 [2]. Many risk factors for developing HCC have been widely investigated, such as non-alcoholic steatohepatitis,...
Malaria is a major public health problem worldwide, particularly in tropical countries, especially those in sub‐Saharan Africa. It remains by far the most widespread parasitic disease in the inter‐tropical world. It is a parasitic, febrile, haemolytic and endemic erythrocytopathy caused by the development and multiplication in red blood cells of a haematozoan of the genus Plasmodium...
As measles outbreaks surge worldwide, declining vaccination rates and misinformation threaten global health security. Travel health practitioners are in an ideal position to counter misinformation and advocate for vaccination to protect vulnerable populations and prevent further spread.
Over a 1‐month period in early 2022, a cluster of four cases of unexplained encephalitis presented to Albury Wodonga Health Service, situated on the Murray River that borders New South Wales and Victoria, triggering notification to public health authorities. Concomitantly, an increased rate of abortions and stillbirths in pigs led to the detection of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in local...
We all know about the risks of ultraviolet (UV) light exposure and the importance of preventive measures such as sun avoidance and SPF-providing sunscreen and clothing to prevent skin cancer; however, despite health professionals’ best efforts at counselling patients on the risks of sun exposure, travellers to sunny destinations often want ‘a perfect tan’ as a souvenir of...
Nous connaissons tous les risques liés à l'exposition aux rayons ultraviolets (UV) et l'importance des mesures préventives, comme éviter le soleil et utiliser une crème solaire et des vêtements avec un indice de protection solaire (IPS) pour prévenir le cancer de la peau (1). Cependant, malgré tous les efforts déployés par...
Chikungunya outbreaks can be explosive but have been hard to predict. Given the recent approval of a vaccine for chikungunya, we need strengthened systems for identifying outbreaks and rapidly disseminating information to public health authorities and health care providers.
Meningitis or the inflammation of the meninges (membrane surrounding brain and spinal cord) is a condition that affects the central nervous system while encephalitis is the inflammation of the brain itself. The incidence and etiology of meningitis and encephalitis vary greatly by age and geographical location. Meningitis can be acute, with symptoms that last less than 5 days, subacute with symptoms...
Epidemics of cholera due to infection with toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 continue to be a significant public health problem in many developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America [1, 2]. V. cholerae as a species encompasses more than 200 serogroups which exist as a part of the normal bacterial flora of the aquatic ecosystems, although some strains are pathogenic and infect...
Dengue, malaria, Japanese encephalitis, and filariasis are mosquito-borne illnesses that threaten more than 2 billion people worldwide, predominantly in tropical countries [1, 2]. Recent investigations indicate that Aedes spp. mosquitoes have possible significance in disease transmission in India [3–5]. Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the two most common vectors...
Lyme disease (LD) is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and is the most common tickborne disease in the northern hemisphere. Although classical characteristics of LD are well-known, the diagnosis and treatment are often delayed. Laboratory diagnosis by serological testing is recommended for most LD manifestations. The of this study was to describe clinical characteristics and associated serological profiles...
Nigeria accounts for a substantial cholera burden globally, particularly in its northeast region, where insurgency is persistent and widespread. We used participatory group model building (GMB) workshops to explore enablers and barriers to implementing known cholera interventions, including water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), surveillance and laboratory, case management, community engagement, oral...
Rotavirus is a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease in infants and young children worldwide. Vaccination offers the best protection against this disease, and two rotavirus vaccines were developed in India and included in its routine immunization program. The Government of India's decision to adopt this intervention was supported by a solid base of evidence from clinical trials, as well as substantial...
The spread of vector-borne infectious diseases is determined, among other things, by temperature. Thus, climate change will have an influence on their global distribution. In the future, Europe will approach the temperature optimum for the transmission of ZIKV and CHIKV. Climate scenarios and climate models can be used to depict future climatic changes and to draw conclusions about future risk areas...
Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute infection caused by a number of viruses, many within the family Flaviviridae and genus Flavivirus (Table 1). As the name indicates, they are all transmitted by ticks, particularly those within the genus Ixodes. They are related to other viruses within the genus that cause encephalitis but are transmitted by mosquitoes such as West Nile virus and...
Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis are potentially severe bacterial diseases. Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. Diphtheria causes a thick pseudomembrane covering the back of the throat, which can lead to breathing issues, paralysis, or heart failure, and tetanus causes painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body, and can...
At the 3rd plenary session of the 19th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM19), held in New Orleans, the field of vaccine decision-making was placed in the spotlight [1]. Moderated by Prof. Elizabeth Barnett (Boston Medical Center, MA, USA) and Prof. Miguel Cabada (University of Texas Medical Branch, TX, USA), the session featured 2 dynamic voices in travel medicine: Dr....
Chikungunya virus re-emerged on Réunion Island in August 2024, 18 years after a first major outbreak. Analysis of 173 genomes from the current epidemic reveals a monophyletic clade with mutations linked to adaptation to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, including E1-A226V. Bayesian inference suggests only brief cryptic circulation before detection. The same lineage was also detected on Mayotte...
En décembre 2024, la grippe aviaire hautement pathogène A H5N1 [IAHP-A(H5N1)] avait touché 108 pays sur les cinq continents, dont 500 espèces d'oiseaux et 70 espèces de mammifères.(1) Bien que le risque pour l'homme soit actuellement faible et que les cas humains aient principalement touché des travailleurs des industries laitières...
At the 19th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM19), global inconsistencies in travel medicine were addressed in the second plenary session [1]. The session catalogued regional differences in clinical practices and called for more structured international alignment, while acknowledging the realities of diverse risk profiles, regulatory hurdles, and cultural norms.
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) annually infects a substantial population in the Asia‐Pacific region, particularly in rural and suburban areas (Baluni et al., 2018; Mulvey et al., 2021). Its primary impact is on children, leading to severe conditions such as meningoencephalomyelitis, poliomyelitis, acute flaccid paralysis and persistent illness characterized by muscle weakness and...
Late relapsing hepatitis after yellow fever (LHep-YF) during the convalescent phase of the disease has been described during recent yellow fever (YF) outbreaks in Brazil. LHep-YF is marked by the rebound in liver enzymes and non-specific clinical manifestations around 30-60 days after YF symptom onset. Here we have characterized the clinical course and risk factors for LHep-YF using data from a representative...
Evaluation of the impact on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of a HBV-prevention program that incorporates maternal antiviral prophylaxis is hindered by the limited availability of real-world data. This study analyzed data on maternal HBV screening, neonatal immunization, and post-vaccination serologic testing (PVST) for HBsAg among at-risk infants born to HBV carrier mothers from the National Immunization...
Dengue virus (DENV) is an enveloped RNA virus belonging to the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae. The viral genome encodes a precursor polypeptide; post‐translational cleavage of this polypeptide by the host cell and the action of virus‐encoded protease results in the formation of three structural proteins—capsid (C), membrane (M), and envelope (E)–and seven...
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-c ontaining vaccines (DTPCVs) represent the forefront of combination vaccine development globally. However, the licensing of high-valent DTPCVs varies worldwide owing to diverse regulatory requirements. Some national regulatory authorities (NRAs) have adopted flexible strategies to fast-track the approval and uptake of critical DTPCVs to address public health needs. This...
In today’s medical practices, increased microbial resistance to commonly used antibiotics has become a serious concern. The primary compounds and their active metabolites, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and their resistant genes are frequent pollutants in various environments due to years of antibiotic overuse. Wastewater, as well as human and animal feces, are known to be significant sources...
Dengue is a viral disease, transmitted by Aedes species mosquito, endemic to parts of Asia and South America, among which Vietnam is one of the countries carrying the highest burden, reaching more than 100,000 caseson average every year. The highest incident was 320,331 casesin 2019, with 53 fatalities. There are four serotypes of the virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family that...
The spread of Chikungunya virus is a major public health concern in the Americas. There were >120,000 cases and 51 deaths in 2023, of which 46 occurred in Paraguay. Using a suite of genomic, phylodynamic, and epidemiologic techniques, we characterized the ongoing large chikungunya epidemic in Paraguay....
Brazil was the epicentre of the Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreak in 2015 (Zanluca et al., 2015). Initially, it was considered a self‐limited and benign Flavivirus infection (Heang et al., 2012), but the inexplicable and unexpected increase in cases of neonates with microcephaly was subsequently associated with ZIKV infection during pregnancy (Mlakar et al., 2016; Rasmussen et al., 2016)....
Vector-borne diseases (VBDs) have been spreading geographically, which is largely attributed to climate change [1–4]. As new areas become suitable for vectors and pathogens, the threat to unexposed populations grows [5]. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a zoonotic disease transmitted by mosquitoes endemic to Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific [6]. In 2022, Australia experienced a geographic...
Congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) can lead to a range of developmental and neurological issues, which increases the risk of early death. However, the all-cause and cause-specific mortality in children with CZS in the first 5 years of life remain unknown.Objective: To compare the hazard of all-cause and cause-specific mortality before age 5 years among children with and without CZS in Brazil....
Zika virus infection during pregnancy, especially the first trimester, results in a high risk of perinatal complications and congenital abnormalities that increase risk of failure to thrive and death in the first few years of life.
Diphtheria, caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, usually spreads person‐to‐person by droplets. The typical clinical manifestation is pseudo‐membranous pharyngitis and the disease has a mortality rate of 5%–10% [1]. Tetanus occurs after infection with toxigenic strains of the bacterium Clostridium tetani, mainly via broken skin or in mothers and neonates...
L'infection par le virus Zika pendant la grossesse, en particulier le premier trimestre, entraîne un risque élevé de complications périnatales et d'anomalies congénitales qui augmentent le risque de retard de croissance et de décès au cours des premières années de vie.
Chikungunya is an arbovirus caused by an alphavirus, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes genus mosquitos. It was isolated for the first time in 1952, when it was responsible for an outbreak in Tanzania [1]. In the 2000s, CHIKV emerged as an important infectious disease when epidemics of great magnitude broke out in Kenya, where the attack rate was 75% of the...
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the leading cause of acute liver infection known as viral hepatitis A. It is one of the earliest diseases that humans have ever encountered. Only a tiny percentage of people with this disease develops fulminant hepatitis and die. However, HAV is a significant contributor to morbidity and socioeconomic losses in many parts of the world. Hepatitis type A, infectious hepatitis,...
The frequency and magnitude of infectious disease outbreaks are expected to rise. Although emergency vaccine stockpiles have emerged as a strategy to hedge against sporadic demand and accelerate response efforts, their long-term management is complex. This study investigates the role of global emergency vaccine stockpiles in achieving public health goals over time and underlying health system structures...
The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is responsible of enteric acute hepatitis worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.5 million symptomatic HAV infections occur every year all worldwide. However, since most infections in young children are asymptomatic and due to a high rate of underreporting, the current number of annual infections may be around 100–120 million cases. HAV was...
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus mainly transmitted in tropical areas by Aedes spp. mosquitoes. It has been responsible for small-to-large outbreaks in temperate areas including southern Europe and North America. Past outbreaks in 2006 on the islands of Maldives, as well as on other islands in the Indian Ocean and in Southeast Asia, demonstrated for the first time the capacity...
Diphtheria‐like diseases have been described throughout history, but diphthérite was not used until 1826. The aetiological bacterial agent Corynebacterium diphtheriae was identified in 1884 and it became clear that serious clinical symptoms were caused by an exotoxin produced by certain strains of Corynebacteria. The diphtheria toxin was characterised 4 years...
Malaria continues to remain a major global health problem with nearly a quarter of a billion clinical cases and more than 600,000 deaths in 2022. There has been significant progress toward vaccine development, however, poor efficacy of approved vaccines requiring multiple immunizing doses emphasizes the need for continued efforts toward improved vaccines. Progress to date, nonetheless, has provided...
Typhoid fever, an enteric fever caused by Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi (Salmonella typhi), is endemic in much of Asia, Africa, South and Central America. The highest incidence of typhoid fever has been reported in South Asia, with 7.5 million cases per year and 79 000 annual deaths. Though typhoid fever is not endemic in high-income countries in Asia...
Lyme borreliosis (LB) is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi) sensu lato (s.l.), which is spread to humans by the Ixodes tick. LB is the most common tick‐borne disease in Europe and is endemic in central, eastern, northern, and western European countries (1–3). Although LB most commonly presents as a mild localized disease in...
After rabies pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) vaccination, scarcely available rabies immunoglobulins are not required for post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). However, PrEP is not sufficiently accessible as it is cost-intensive and time-intensive. This study investigates whether rabies PrEP schedules can be shortened to one visit, removing some of these barriers. In a block-randomised (2:2:2:1) controlled,...
Yellow fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the yellow fever virus and transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, remains a significant global health concern, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South and Central America, despite the availability of a highly effective vaccine [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a syndromic approach for surveillance in endemic regions, diagnosing...
Prenatal exposure to the mosquito-borne Zika virus (ZIKV) had a devastating effect on infants born during the epidemic in Brazil that peaked in 2015-2016. Between 2015 and 2018, there were 239,742 reported cases of ZIKV infection in the general population of Brazil (Venancio et al. 2019). Clinical, epidemiologic, and laboratory evidence linked ZIKV infection during pregnancy with nearly a 20-fold increase...
Diphtheria is an acute disease caused by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae mainly affects the upper respiratory tract (tonsils, pharynx, larynx, nose) [1]. Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease but multiple doses and booster doses are necessary to establish and maintain immunity [1, 2]. Thus, young children and those who are not immunized or under-immunized are at risk of...
Dengue virus (DENV), which causes dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever, has been spreading rapidly in tropical and sub-tropical regions. In 2000, approximately, 500,000 dengue infection cases and 900 deaths were reported worldwide [1]; however, in 2023, over 5 million cases and 5,000 deaths were reported [2]. Latin America was particularly affected in 2023, with 4.57 million cases and 2,363 deaths...
Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a neurotropic flavivirus endemic to south and southeast Asia. JEV is an important cause of encephalitis in children with half of the world's population living in endemic regions.1 Recently, there has been evidence of geographic expansion of JEV secondary to climate change.1,2 In 2022, JEV acquired in southern Australia (New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia)...
We would like to thank Furuya-Kanamori et al. for commenting on our paper ‘Single Visit Rabies Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: A Literature Review’, in which we conducted a 20-year literature review (until 31 December 2022) on single visit rabies Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP). Our colleagues were concerned by our analytical approach, therefore they re-analysed the data by performing...
The protozoan parasite Giardia duodenalis, also referred to as Giardia lamblia and Giardia intestinalis (hereafter Giardia), is one of the most common enteric pathogens among children and adults worldwide, with >200 million persons infected annually [1]. This high prevalence is particularly pronounced among children in low-resource settings; several studies...
Rabies, primarily transmitted to humans by dogs (accounting for 99% of cases). Once rabies occurs, its mortality rate is approximately 100%. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is critical for preventing the onset of rabies after exposure to rabid animals, and vaccination is a pivotal element of PEP. However, high costs and complex immunization protocols have led to poor adherence to rabies vaccinations....
Vaccines are indispensable tools in public health, annually averting an estimated 2–3 million deaths globally [1]. Disparities in both efficacy and immunogenicity across different geographic regions, remain a significant challenge [2]. The response to BCG vaccine, for example, varies from 0% to 80% as one moves from a lower to a higher latitude [3]. Similarly, oral vaccines including rotavirus...
http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/archdischild-2023-325... Statistics from Altmetric.com...
Malaria continues to be a major health threat in Africa, mainly in rural areas. Recently, the urban malaria vector Anopheles stephensi invaded Djibouti and Ethiopia, potentially spreading to other areas of Africa. Urgent action is needed to prevent urban malaria epidemics from emerging and causing a public health disaster....
The travel industry is intricately connected with the spread of emerging infectious diseases (EID). Since the mid-20th century, people across the world have experienced an increase in the occurrence of emerging and re-emerging disease events; this pattern is expected to continue, posing a challenge to global health [1, 2]. Given current global connectivity, travel and tourism have been identified as...
Only few rabies survivors have been described in the medical literature, of whom most suffered severe neurological sequelae. Published treatment protocols have not been applied successfully. Yet, experimental treatments may be of benefit when factors associated with survival are present. Here, we describe two patients who were hospitalised at Amsterdam UMC with clinical rabies and who died despite...
Dengue fever remains the most significant vector-borne disease in Southeast Asia, imposing a substantial burden on public health systems. Global warming and increased international mobility may exacerbate the disease's prevalence. Furthermore, the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic may have influenced the epidemiological patterns of dengue.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate epidemiological changes...
Professor David Hamer (Boston University) talks to us today about 2025 Chikungunya Outbreak in the Indian Ocean region. Find out more in this video accompanied by his slides: ...
The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target reductions in neonatal mortality rate and include ending preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age [1]. A collaborative toolkit has been developed to support the implementation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health and accelerate the health-related Development Goals....
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is an infectious disease caused by tick-borne encephalitis virus which is transmitted by the bite of infected Ixodes ricinus ticks.1 TBE is the most common tick-borne disease in Central and Eastern Europe and is endemic in 27 European countries.2 Based on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Annual Epidemiological Report for 2019, Lithuania...
Despite the availability of effective vaccinations against Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, this infection continues to be a serious public health problem worldwide [1]. 257 million people worldwide are subjected to chronic HBV infection, and 60,000 people worldwide die from chronic hepatitis B each year, as estimated by The World Health Organization (WHO). China has been reported as one of the areas...
Chikungunya virus infection can lead to long-term debilitating symptoms. A precursor phase 3 clinical study showed high seroprotection (defined as a 50% plaque reduction of chikungunya virus-specific neutralising antibodies on a micro plaque reduction neutralisation test [μPRNT] titre of ≥150 in baseline seronegative participants) up to 6 months after a single vaccination of the chikungunya virus...
Hepatitis A is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV), which is an RNA virus belonging to the picornavirus family, and infects primarily humans as its only natural host [1]. HAV is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route, through either close contact with infected individuals or ingestion of contaminated food and water. Infected individuals may develop symptoms of hepatitis,...
Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease typically acquired through fecal-oral transmission. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection rates in the United States declined approximately 97% during 1995-2015 after the introduction and widespread pediatric use of hepatitis A vaccines (1). Since 2016, hepatitis A outbreaks have been reported in 37 states, involving approximately 44,650 cases, 27,250 hospitalizations,...
Every year on August 20th, the global health community observes World Mosquito Day, commemorating Sir Ronald Ross’s discovery in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria. While this day is rooted in a historic scientific breakthrough, its relevance today extends far beyond malaria. For practitioners in travel medicine, it is a powerful reminder of both the risks mosquitoes...
We report a case of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in a pregnant woman from Denmark who traveled to Thailand during her first trimester. Late in the second trimester, severe microcephaly was diagnosed in the fetus, and ZIKV infection was confirmed. Travelers and clinicians should be aware of ongoing ZIKV risk in Thailand....
Salmonella enterica encompasses human-restricted pathogens, Salmonella typhi (S. typhi) and Salmonella paratyphi (S. paratyphi) types A, B, and C, which are linked to the onset of typhoid fever [1]. Most human salmonellosis cases are foodborne. However, infections can also be contracted through direct or indirect contact...
Insect vector-borne diseases (VBDs) pose significant global health challenges, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The WHO has launched the “Global Vector Control Response (GVCR) 2017–2030” to address these diseases, emphasizing a comprehensive approach to vector control. This systematic review investigates the potential of malaria and dengue vaccines in controlling...
Chikungunya fever (CF) is caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), which is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes [1]. The disease was first reported in Tanzania, and the name is derived from the ‘Makonde dialect’, which means ‘that which bends up’, about the stooped posture adopted by patients as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease [1, 2]. Humans may serve...
Children with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) have severe damage to the peripheral and central nervous system (CNS), greatly increasing the risk of death. However, there is no information on the sequence of the underlying, intermediate, immediate, and contributing causes of deaths among these children. The aims of this study are describe the sequence of events leading to death of children with CZS up...
The government of Indonesia has formally pledged to eliminate malaria by 2030 by a Minister of Health Decree 293/2009 [1] and by the President of the Republic of Indonesia at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014 [2]. In 1999, Indonesia’s government system decentralized, whereby the primary responsibility for service delivery and funding of health programs was transferred to provincial and district...
This content is only available as a PDF....
Zambia is a highly endemic malaria country and is among the 20 countries reporting the highest malaria incidence and mortality globally, with the entire population considered at risk of malaria transmission. [1] The government of the Republic of Zambia had set a goal of eliminating local malaria infection and disease in Zambia by 2021. [2]. The country’s Ministry of Health relies on a range of...
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is traditionally defined as carbohydrate intolerance of variable severity with the onset or first detection during pregnancy. It is associated with an increased risk of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes, including hypertensive disorders, macrosomia, and type II diabetes later in life. Over the past decades, the prevalence of GDM has been increasing annually...
Cholera is still a major public health problem worldwide with 1.3 million to 4.0 million cases and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths yearly [1]. The greatest burden of the disease is borne by resource-limited countries recording the highest attack rate as well as case fatality at yearly basis [1]. Cameroon is among the frequently affected countries with sporadic outbreaks associated with high attack and case-fatality...
Le professeur David Hamer (Université de Boston) nous parle aujourd'hui de l'épidémie de Chikungunya dans la région de l'océan Indien qui a eu lieu en 2025. Découvrez-en plus dans cette vidéo accompagnée de ses diapositives : ...
A recent report on 1,651 pre-travel consultations performed at a clinic in the United Kingdom found that the median number of vaccine courses recommended per new consultation was 3 (range 0-10) and 93% of travellers were recommended at least one vaccine. Of these, only 53.9% accepted all recommended vaccines for various reasons. In this case, it must be noted that hepatitis A, typhoid, cholera, and...
On December 11, 2024, the World Health Organization’s 2024 World Malaria Report was released. Here, we will discuss highlights related to recent changes in the epidemiology of malaria worldwide, vaccination for those living in areas at moderate or high risk of malaria, and what impact these vaccination programs may have on malaria risk among travellers. ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A H5N1 [HPAI-A(H5N1)] has affected 108 countries across 5 continents as of December 2024, including 500 bird species and 70 mammalian species. While the risk to humans is currently low and cases in humans have been largely among dairy and poultry workers, concerns about its impact on egg supply and prices exist due to the need to cull infected flocks to reduce its...
The 4th plenary session of the 19th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM19) delivered a powerful reminder of why travel medicine is uniquely positioned at the intersection of clinical care, global equity, and human resilience [1]. Co-chaired by ISTM President Prof. Anne McCarthy (University of Ottawa, Canada) and Prof. Lin Chen (Harvard University, MA, USA), featured two...
