Background

Epidemiological data on pediatric travelers are lacking, especially from Oceania. We aimed to evaluate travelers presenting to a pediatric emergency department in Sydney during a time of heightened travel surveillance.

Method

Cases between December 2014 and February 2015 were ascertained by screening medical records for key terms and visa status, as well as laboratory data for malaria testing. Cases were restricted to communicable diseases and evidence of travel within 21 days.

Results

104 children were identified. 82 children were Australian-resident travelers returning from abroad, 11 were visitors to Australia, 8 were recent migrants/refugees and 3 were medical transfers. Travel and behavioral patterns were characterized by exposures to low-income countries in the Asia-Pacific, visiting families and relatives, prolonged exposure periods and limited uptake of prophylaxis. Intrinsic vulnerabilities included extremes of age (median: 3.3 years) and pre-existing co-morbidities (6.7%). Common syndromes were respiratory (38.5%), systemic febrile illness (19.2%), acute diarrhea (17.3%) and dermatological conditions (9.6%). A minority were diagnosed with tropical infections: four typhoid or paratyphoid fever, two dengue and one tropical ulcer.

Conclusions

Young travelers are a heterogeneous group who present with a broad spectrum of diseases, from the benign to the life-threatening. Our data may be used to inform diagnostic approaches, empiric therapies and contribute towards public health strategies.

中文翻译：

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向澳大利亚急诊科就诊的儿科旅行者（2014-2015年）：回顾性横断面分析。

背景

缺少有关小儿旅行者的流行病学数据，尤其是大洋洲的流行病学数据。我们的目的是评估在加强旅行监控的时间到悉尼儿童急诊科就诊的旅行者。

方法

通过筛查关键条件和签证状态的医疗记录以及疟疾检测的实验室数据，确定了2014年12月至2015年2月之间的病例。病例仅限于传染病和21天之内旅行的证据。

结果

确定了104名儿童。82名儿童是澳大利亚居民从国外返回的旅行者，其中11名是澳大利亚游客，8名是新移民/难民，3名是医疗人员。出行和行为方式的特点是接触亚太低收入国家，来访的家庭和亲戚，接触时间延长和预防措施的使用有限。固有漏洞包括极端年龄（中位数：3.3岁）和既往合并症（6.7％）。常见的综合征为呼吸系统疾病（38.5％），全身性发热疾病（19.2％），急性腹泻（17.3％）和皮肤病（9.6％）。少数人被诊断出患有热带感染：四次伤寒或副伤寒，两次登革热和一个热带溃疡。

结论

年轻旅客是一个异质性群体，他们从良性到威胁生命的各种疾病。我们的数据可用于为诊断方法，经验疗法提供信息，并有助于制定公共卫生策略。