Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 39 in total

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  1. A Heart for Travel: Travel Health Considerations for Patients with Heart Disease and Cardiac Devices
    Flaherty G, De Freitas S
    Ir Med J, 2016 Dec 12;109(10):486.
    PMID: 28644591
    Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in adult international travellers. Patients living with heart disease should receive specific, individualised pre-travel health advice. The purpose of this article is to provide evidence-based advice to physicians who are consulted by travellers with cardiovascular disease. Fitness-to-travel evaluation will often be conducted by the general practitioner but other medical specialists may also be consulted for advice. Patients with chronic medical conditions should purchase travel health insurance. The general pre-travel health consultation addresses food and water safety, insect and animal bite avoidance, malaria chemoprophylaxis, and travel vaccinations. Patients with devices such as cardiac pacemakers should be familiar with how these may be affected by travel. Cardiac medications may cause adverse effects in cold or hot environments, and specific precautions must be followed by anticoagulated travellers. The physician should be aware of how to access medical care abroad, and of the potential for imported tropical diseases in returned travellers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  2. Aesthetic journeys: a review of cosmetic surgery tourism
    Pereira RT, Malone CM, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2018 06 01;25(1).
    PMID: 29924349 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay042
    Background: Medical tourism has witnessed significant growth in recent years. The emerging trend towards international travel for cosmetic surgical interventions has not previously been reviewed. The current review aims to critically address the scale and impact of cosmetic surgical tourism and to delineate the complication profile of this form of medical tourism.

    Methods: Articles published in the English language on the PubMed database that were relevant to surgical tourism and the complications of elective surgical procedures abroad were examined. Reference lists of articles identified were further scrutinized. The search terms used included combinations of 'surgery abroad', 'cosmetic surgery abroad', 'cosmetic surgery tourism', 'cosmetic surgery complications' and 'aesthetic tourism'.

    Results: This article critically reviews the epidemiology of cosmetic surgical tourism and its associated economic factors. Surgical complications of selected procedures, including perioperative complications, are described. The implications for travel medicine practice are considered and recommendations for further research are proposed.

    Conclusion: This narrative literature review focuses on the issues affecting travellers who obtain cosmetic surgical treatment overseas. There is a lack of focus in the travel medicine literature on the non-surgery-related morbidity of this special group of travellers. Original research exploring the motivation and pre-travel preparation, including the psychological counselling, of cosmetic surgical tourists is indicated.

    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  3. Altitude training for elite endurance athletes: A review for the travel medicine practitioner
    Flaherty G, O'Connor R, Johnston N
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2016 May-Jun;14(3):200-11.
    PMID: 27040934 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2016.03.015
    High altitude training is regarded as an integral component of modern athletic preparation, especially for endurance sports such as middle and long distance running. It has rapidly achieved popularity among elite endurance athletes and their coaches. Increased hypoxic stress at altitude facilitates key physiological adaptations within the athlete, which in turn may lead to improvements in sea-level athletic performance. Despite much research in this area to date, the exact mechanisms which underlie such improvements remain to be fully elucidated. This review describes the current understanding of physiological adaptation to high altitude training and its implications for athletic performance. It also discusses the rationale and main effects of different training models currently employed to maximise performance. Athletes who travel to altitude for training purposes are at risk of suffering the detrimental effects of altitude. Altitude illness, weight loss, immune suppression and sleep disturbance may serve to limit athletic performance. This review provides an overview of potential problems which an athlete may experience at altitude, and offers specific training recommendations so that these detrimental effects are minimised.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  4. An educational journey in travel medicine: content analysis of CISTM conferences, 1988-2017
    Coyle DJ, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2019 May 10;26(3).
    PMID: 30407552 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay121
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine/education*
  5. Bibliometric analysis and curriculum mapping of travel medicine research
    Flaherty GT, Lim Yap K
    J Travel Med, 2017 Sep 01;24(5).
    PMID: 28498914 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tax024
    Evidence-based travel medicine requires that research priorities reflect the wide knowledge base of this discipline. Bibliometric analysis of articles published in Journal of Travel Medicine yielded the following results: epidemiology (6%, n = 105); immunology/vaccinology (8.5%, n = 148); pre-travel assessment/consultation (30.5%, n = 533); diseases contracted during travel (48.3%, n = 843); other clinical conditions associated with travel (6.8%, n = 119); post-travel assessment (5.2%, n = 91) and administrative and general travel medicine issues (6%, n = 105).
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine/statistics & numerical data*
  6. Changing landscape of digital communication in travel medicine
    Kohl SE, Van Tilburg C, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2019 Jan 01;26(1).
    PMID: 30535106 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay145
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine/trends*
  7. Fulltext Experiences and Attitudes of International Travelers with Cardiovascular Disease: A Qualitative Analysis
    Liew CH, Flaherty GT
    Am J Trop Med Hyg, 2020 03;102(3):689-697.
    PMID: 31933464 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0793
    Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among international travelers. It is unknown whether CVD is a barrier to international travel. The purpose of this study was to describe the travel experiences of a cohort of individuals with CVD, to identify their perceived barriers to travel, and to generate recommendations for CVD travelers, medical practitioners, and the travel industry. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with CVD patients who had attended either a regional, structured, multidisciplinary CVD prevention program or a cardiac rehabilitation program. Coding and thematic analysis of the transcripts were supported by NVivo® computer software. Peer debriefing with an independent researcher was undertaken. Demographic and clinical data such as gender, age, and types of cardiovascular condition were also recorded. Twelve patients (eight males), with a mean age of 68 ± 7.58 years, agreed to semi-structured interviews (26-78 minutes duration). The key themes emerging from the interviews included altered travel perception, accessing medical care overseas, issues with medications, medical device concerns at airports, restricted leisure travel activities, and optimal self-care. All interviewees perceived a health benefit to travel and did not regard CVD as a significant barrier to international travel. Certain cardiovascular conditions precipitated more travel anxiety. These findings highlight the unique experiences of CVD patients when engaging in international travel. Cardiovascular disease optimization and responsible travel health behaviors would facilitate medically uneventful overseas travel. The results may inform pretravel health advice given to CVD travelers. Further studies on issues relating to air travel in CVD are warranted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  8. Going viral: embracing the changing culture of social media in travel medicine
    Flaherty GT, Walden LM
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2015 Mar-Apr;13(2):120-1.
    PMID: 25812774 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2015.03.005
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  9. Healthcare seeking during travel: an analysis by the GeoSentinel surveillance network of travel medicine providers
    Piyaphanee W, Stoney RJ, Asgeirsson H, Appiah GD, Díaz-Menéndez M, Barnett ED, et al.
    J Travel Med, 2023 May 18;30(3).
    PMID: 36637429 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taad002
    BACKGROUND: International travellers may seek care abroad to address health problems that arise during their trip or plan healthcare outside their country of residence as medical tourists.

    METHODS: Data were collected on travellers evaluated at GeoSentinel Network sites who reported healthcare during travel. Both unplanned and planned healthcare were analysed, including the reason and nature of healthcare sought, characteristics of the treatment provided and outcomes. Travellers that presented for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis were described elsewhere and were excluded from detailed analysis.

    RESULTS: From May 2017 through June 2020, after excluding travellers obtaining rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (n= 415), 1093 travellers reported care for a medical or dental issue that was an unanticipated part of the travellers' planned itinerary (unplanned healthcare). Travellers who sought unplanned healthcare abroad had frequent diagnoses of acute diarrhoea, dengue, falciparum malaria and unspecified viral syndrome, and obtained care in 131 countries. Thirty-four (3%) reported subsequent deterioration and 230 (21%) reported no change in condition; a third (n = 405; 37%) had a pre-travel health encounter. Forty-one travellers had sufficient data on planned healthcare abroad for analysis. The most common destinations were the US, France, Dominican Republic, Belgium and Mexico. The top reasons for their planned healthcare abroad were unavailability of procedure at home (n = 9; 19%), expertise abroad (n = 9; 19%), lower cost (n = 8; 17%) and convenience (n = 7; 15%); a third (n = 13; 32%) reported cosmetic or surgical procedures. Early and late complications occurred in 14 (33%) and 4 (10%) travellers, respectively. Four travellers (10%) had a pre-travel health encounter.

    CONCLUSIONS: International travellers encounter health problems during travel that often could be prevented by pre-travel consultation. Travellers obtaining planned healthcare abroad can experience negative health consequences associated with treatments abroad, for which pre-travel consultations could provide advice and potentially help to prevent complications.

    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  10. Fulltext Is there an association between article citations and altmetrics in travel medicine research?
    Galickas D, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2021 Dec 29;28(8).
    PMID: 34414442 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taab115
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  11. Itching for a diagnosis - A travel medicine perspective on delusional infestation
    Maher S, Hallahan B, Flaherty G
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2017 05 31;18:70-72.
    PMID: 28576666 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2017.05.011
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  12. Journal author funding sources and conflict of interest disclosures in travel medicine
    Lim BWW, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2023 Jun 23;30(4).
    PMID: 37040343 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taad046
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  13. Learning to travel: reducing the health risks of study abroad opportunities
    Flaherty GT, Leong SW, Geoghegan R
    J Travel Med, 2018 01 01;25(1).
    PMID: 30239844 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/tay085
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  14. Medico-legal risk, clinical negligence and the practice of travel medicine
    Kennedy KM, Flaherty GT
    J Travel Med, 2016 May;23(5).
    PMID: 27432905 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taw048
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine/legislation & jurisprudence*
  15. Obtaining a reliable travel history from III returned travellers
    Gately R, Economos H, Fleming C, Flaherty G
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2015 Jul-Aug;13(4):342-3.
    PMID: 26005161 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2015.05.003
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine/methods*
  16. Fulltext Overview of Japanese encephalitis disease and its prevention. Focus on IC51 vaccine (IXIARO®)
    Amicizia D, Zangrillo F, Lai PL, Iovine M, Panatto D
    J Prev Med Hyg, 2018 Mar;59(1):E99-E107.
    PMID: 29938245 DOI: 10.15167/2421-4248/jpmh2018.59.1.962
    Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a vector-borne disease caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). JEV is transmitted by mosquitoes to a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including birds and mammals. Domestic animals, especially pigs, are generally implicated as reservoirs of the virus, while humans are not part of the natural transmission cycle and cannot pass the virus to other hosts. Although JEV infection is very common in endemic areas (many countries in Asia), less than 1% of people affected develop clinical disease, and severe disease affects about 1 case per 250 JEV infections. Although rare, severe disease can be devastating; among the 30,000-50,000 global cases per year, approximately 20-30% of patients die and 30-50% of survivors develop significant neurological sequelae. JE is a significant public health problem for residents in endemic areas and may constitute a substantial risk for travelers to these areas. The epidemiology of JE and its risk to travelers have changed, and continue to evolve. The rapid economic growth of Asian countries has led to a surge in both inbound and outbound travel, making Asia the second most-visited region in the world after Europe, with 279 million international travelers in 2015. The top destination is China, followed by Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Japan, and the number of travelers is forecast to reach 535 million by 2030 (+ 4.9% per year). Because of the lack of treatment and the infeasibility of eliminating the vector, vaccination is recognized as the most efficacious means of preventing JE. The IC51 vaccine (IXIARO®) is a purified, inactivated, whole virus vaccine against JE. It is safe, well tolerated, efficacious and can be administered to children, adults and the elderly. The vaccination schedule involves administering 2 doses four weeks apart. For adults, a rapid schedule (0-7 days) is available, which could greatly enhance the feasibility of its use. Healthcare workers should inform both short- and long-term travelers of the risk of JE in each period of the year and recommend vaccination. Indeed, it has been shown that short-term travelers are also at risk, not only in rural environments, but also in cities and coastal towns, especially in tourist localities where excursions to country areas are organized.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  17. Fulltext Passengers' destinations from China: low risk of Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) transmission into Africa and South America
    Haider N, Yavlinsky A, Simons D, Osman AY, Ntoumi F, Zumla A, et al.
    Epidemiol Infect, 2020 02 26;148:e41.
    PMID: 32100667 DOI: 10.1017/S0950268820000424
    Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV [SARS-COV-2]) was detected in humans during the last week of December 2019 at Wuhan city in China, and caused 24 554 cases in 27 countries and territories as of 5 February 2020. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk of transmission of 2019-nCoV through human passenger air flight from four major cities of China (Wuhan, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou) to the passengers' destination countries. We extracted the weekly simulated passengers' end destination data for the period of 1-31 January 2020 from FLIRT, an online air travel dataset that uses information from 800 airlines to show the direct flight and passengers' end destination. We estimated a risk index of 2019-nCoV transmission based on the number of travellers to destination countries, weighted by the number of confirmed cases of the departed city reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). We ranked each country based on the risk index in four quantiles (4th quantile being the highest risk and 1st quantile being the lowest risk). During the period, 388 287 passengers were destined for 1297 airports in 168 countries or territories across the world. The risk index of 2019-nCoV among the countries had a very high correlation with the WHO-reported confirmed cases (0.97). According to our risk score classification, of the countries that reported at least one Coronavirus-infected pneumonia (COVID-19) case as of 5 February 2020, 24 countries were in the 4th quantile of the risk index, two in the 3rd quantile, one in the 2nd quantile and none in the 1st quantile. Outside China, countries with a higher risk of 2019-nCoV transmission are Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Canada and the USA, all of which reported at least one case. In pan-Europe, UK, France, Russia, Germany and Italy; in North America, USA and Canada; in Oceania, Australia had high risk, all of them reported at least one case. In Africa and South America, the risk of transmission is very low with Ethiopia, South Africa, Egypt, Mauritius and Brazil showing a similar risk of transmission compared to the risk of any of the countries where at least one case is detected. The risk of transmission on 31 January 2020 was very high in neighbouring Asian countries, followed by Europe (UK, France, Russia and Germany), Oceania (Australia) and North America (USA and Canada). Increased public health response including early case recognition, isolation of identified case, contract tracing and targeted airport screening, public awareness and vigilance of health workers will help mitigate the force of further spread to naïve countries.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
  18. Fulltext Predicting the natural history of artificial intelligence in travel medicine
    Flaherty GT, Piyaphanee W
    J Travel Med, 2023 Feb 18;30(1).
    PMID: 36208173 DOI: 10.1093/jtm/taac113
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  19. Preliminary study of dengue virus infection in Iran
    Chinikar S, Ghiasi SM, Shah-Hosseini N, Mostafavi E, Moradi M, Khakifirouz S, et al.
    Travel Med Infect Dis, 2013 May-Jun;11(3):166-9.
    PMID: 23194952 DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2012.10.001
    Dengue fever is one of the most important arthropod-borne viral diseases of public health significance. It is endemic in most tropical and subtropical parts of the world, many of which are popular tourist destinations. The presence of dengue infection was examined in Iranian patients who were referred to the Arboviruses and Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers Laboratory of the Pasteur Institute of Iran and tested negative for Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) between 2000 and 2012. Serum samples from these patients were tested for the presence of specific IgG and IgM and viral nucleic acid in blood. Of the 300 sera tested, 15 (5%) were seropositive, and 3 (1%) were both serologically and PCR positive. Of the 15 seropositive cases, 8 (53.3%) had travelled to endemic areas including Malaysia (5, 62.5%), India (2, 25%) and Thailand (1, 12.5%). In contrast, 7 (46.7%) of the cases had not reported travelling abroad. Of these, six cases were from the Sistan and Baluchistan province in southeast Iran and neighbouring Pakistan. Travellers play a key role in the epidemiology of dengue infection in Iran and it is recommended that travellers to endemic areas take precautionary measures to avoid mosquito bites.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine*
  20. Profile of travelers with preexisting medical conditions attending a specialist travel medicine clinic in Ireland
    Han CT, Flaherty G
    J Travel Med, 2015 Sep-Oct;22(5):312-7.
    PMID: 26095866 DOI: 10.1111/jtm.12221
    BACKGROUND: Patients with complex medical comorbidities travel for protracted periods to remote destinations, often with limited access to medical care. Few descriptions are available of their preexisting health burden. This study aimed to characterize preexisting medical conditions and medications of travelers seeking pre-travel health advice at a specialized travel medicine clinic.
    METHODS: Records of travelers attending the Galway Tropical Medical Bureau clinic between 2008 and 2014 were examined and information relating to past medical history was entered into a database. Data were recorded only where the traveler had a documented medical history and/or was taking medications.
    RESULTS: Of the 4,817 records available, 56% had a documented medical history and 24% listed medications. The majority of travelers with preexisting conditions were female. The mean age of the cohort was 31.68 years. The mean period remaining before the planned trip was 40 days. Southeast Asia was the most popular single destination, and 17% of travelers with medical conditions were traveling alone. The most frequently reported conditions were allergies (20%), insect bite sensitivity (15%), asthma (11%), psychiatric conditions (4%), and hypertension (3%). Of the 30 diabetic travelers, 14 required insulin; 4.5% of travelers were taking immunosuppressant drugs, including corticosteroids. Half of the female travelers were taking the oral contraceptive pill while 11 travelers were pregnant at the time of their pre-travel consultation.
    CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an insight into the medical profile of travelers attending a travel health clinic. The diverse range of diseases reported highlights the importance of educating physicians and nurses about the specific travel health risks associated with particular conditions. Knowledge of the effects of travel on underlying medical conditions will inform the pre-travel health consultation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Travel Medicine
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