The rolling out of a new year often brings with it the ramping up of business spending in areas, such as travel, that were cut back during the fourth quarter. And with the range of infectious diseases around the globe, increased travel can also mean increased ailments upon one’s return home. This is particularly true when no pre-travel health advice is sought or precautions taken when traveling to high-risk destinations.
A recent UK study has shown that the lack of pre-travel advice, or even awareness of its availability, on the risk of food and waterborne diseases in the area being visited may be increasing the risk of potentially serious gastrointestinal infections for travelers. This is of increased concern as the study notes that globalization has increased travel to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where health risks due to endemic and vector-borne diseases exist.
While noting that reports from Australia and the USA show only 54% of those travelling to LMICs seek pre-travel health advice, the study stated that gastrointestinal illnesses are estimated to range from 20% to 60%, with morbidity believed to be highest in travelers to LMICs where water, sanitation, and hygiene may be compromised. The most common causes appear to be diarrhoeagenic E. coli strains for travelers to Latin America, with Campylobacter also reported for Southeast Asia travel.
With such risks, and the frequent lack of travelers’ perceptions of the risks, it is advised that businesses provide their employees with pre-travel advice and resources. There are a number of government resources, from the US and foreign bodies, that provide information both general and specific to the area(s) being traveled, including the following:
- https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel.html
- https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel
- https://www.usa.gov/travel-advisory
- https://www.who.int/travel-advice
- https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice
Another good source of advice and precautionary tools are travel clinics, such as Passporthealthusa.com. Not only can these clinics provide advice based on the specific areas to which travelers are going, they can also provide recommended vaccinations or medications. Regardless of the resource chosen, taking pre-travel measures can help keep your team healthy and productive during and after travel.
COVID Risk Matrix:
Influenza:
Public Health News:
- Canada is advising travelers to Cuba to prevent mosquito and midge bites, the insects that can transmit Oropouche, and to be alert for possible Hepatitis infection. In addition, Cuban officials have reported over 38,000 suspected cases of mosquito-borne Chikungunya.
- Starting in early January, the UK is offering for the first time a vaccine denoted as MMRV, which combines the chickenpox vaccine with the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine.
- New World screwworm cases have been increasingly reported in Mexico and the most recent report represents the most northerly detection of the fly-transmitted, flesh-eating parasite, about 200 miles from the Texas border. To date, no cases have been reported in the US and aggressive efforts are underway to prevent it.
- In 2025, the US reported almost 28,000 whooping cough cases with 13 deaths, mainly in children less than 1 year old. This represents the second consecutive year with more than 25,000 cases, following a peak of more than 30,000 cases in 2024, compared to only 7,063 cases in 2023. The increase in cases is likely linked to declining vaccine rates and lower population immunity after COVID-19 mitigation measures lapsed.
- The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will no longer require states to report childhood vaccination rates. Without such reliable data, it will be more difficult to track gaps in vaccination, and it could leave communities more exposed to serious and infectious diseases.
- Recent changes to the CDC childhood immunization recommendations include:
- CDC will continue to recommend that all children are vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis (whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), Pneumococcal conjugate, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and human papillomavirus (HPV), for which there is international consensus, as well as varicella (chickenpox).
- The immunizations recommended for certain high-risk groups or populations are for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), hepatitis A, hepatitis B, dengue, meningococcal ACWY, and meningococcal B.
- Influenza and COVID are not on either list. Related to this, a NYT article states: “Other shots, including those against rotavirus, influenza and hepatitis A, can be administered to children only after consultation with a health care provider.”
