Abstract
BackgroundYellow Fever (YF) immunization required a single dose vaccine with boosters every 10 years. After International Health Regulation (IHR) amendment annex 7 (July 2016), it was accepted that a single dose confers lifelong immunity. Since pre-travel advice is as important as vaccination when traveling, it is essential to clarify why travelers come to a travel health consultation, with the possibility of IHR amendment having a negative impact on travelers’ health. This study aims to describe travelers’ reasons to come to a pre-travel consultation in Lisbon and if they would return if they wouldn’t need the YF vaccine booster.MethodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted during 5 months in the waiting room of Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical travel clinic in Lisbon, Portugal. Travelers were asked about sociodemographic characteristics, destination country, travel duration and reasons to travel in an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.ResultsA total of 1043 travelers agreed to participate in the study. Although 61.0% (627/1028) did not come to the clinic to get the YF vaccine, from those who did, 36.7% (133/362) would not come and 12.9% (47/362) didn’t knew if they would come if the vaccine would not be necessary.ConclusionThe IHR amendment may have a negative impact on travel clinic attendance and on travelers´ health.
Highlights
Yellow Fever (YF) immunization required a single dose vaccine with boosters every 10 years
Individuals were asked about their sociodemographic characteristics, destination country, travel duration and reasons to travel and answered to the following questions: are you coming to the travel clinic to get the YF vaccine? Would you still come to this consultation if you wouldn’t have to get the YF vaccine? What other reasons do you have to come? Are you coming to this consultation to know what precautions to take while traveling? Are you coming to get other vaccines than the one against YF? Are you coming to learn how to prevent some diseases that may exist in the country of destination?
The majority of travelers who came to the travel health consultation motivated to: 1) receive the YF vaccine alone 82.0% (114/139); 2) receive concurrently the YF vaccine, other vaccines and counseling 67.4% (161/239), were travelling to countries where the vaccine was required (Fig. 2)
Summary
Yellow Fever (YF) immunization required a single dose vaccine with boosters every 10 years. After International Health Regulation (IHR) amendment annex 7 (July 2016), it was accepted that a single dose confers lifelong immunity. Since pre-travel advice is as important as vaccination when traveling, it is essential to clarify why travelers come to a travel health consultation, with the possibility of IHR amendment having a negative impact on travelers’ health. WHO recommendations for YF immunization were a single dose vaccine with booster doses every 10 years [4]. In April 2013, the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) concluded that there is no need for booster doses, since a single dose of YF vaccine confers lifelong immunity in most individuals. After the IHR amendment annex 7, on 11th July 2016, the
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