Dataset Information

High-risk US International Travelers Seeking Pretravel Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To assess the implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related travel disruptions, we compared demographics and travel-related circumstances of US travelers seeking pretravel consultation regarding international travel at US Global TravEpiNet (GTEN) sites before and after the initiation of COVID-19 travel warnings.

Methods

We analyzed data in the GTEN database regarding traveler demographics and travel-related circumstances with standard questionnaires in the pre-COVID-19 period (January-December 2019) and the COVID-19 period (April 2020-March 2021), excluding travelers from January to March 2020. We conducted descriptive analyses of differences in demographics, travel-related circumstances, routine and travel-related vaccinations, and medications.

Results

Compared with 16 903 consultations in the pre-COVID-19 period, only 1564 consultations were recorded at GTEN sites during the COVID-19 period (90% reduction), with a greater proportion of travelers visiting friends and relatives (501/1564 [32%] vs 1525/16 903 [9%]), individuals traveling for >28 days (824/1564 [53%] vs 2522/16 903 [15%]), young children (6 mo-<6 y: 168/1564 [11%] vs 500/16 903 [3%]), and individuals traveling to Africa (1084/1564 [69%] vs 8049/16 903 [48%]). A smaller percentage of vaccine-eligible travelers received vaccines at pretravel consultations during the COVID-19 period than before, except for yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis vaccinations.

Conclusions

Compared with the pre-COVID-19 period, a greater proportion of travelers during the COVID-19 period were young children, were planning to visit friends and relatives, were traveling for >28 days, or were traveling to Africa, which are circumstances that contribute to high risk for travel-related infections. Fewer vaccine-eligible travelers were administered travel-related vaccines at pretravel consultations. Counseling and vaccination focused on high-risk international travelers must be prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUBMITTER: Hyle EP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9384642 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

High-risk US International Travelers Seeking Pretravel Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Hyle Emily P EP Le Mylinh H MH Rao Sowmya R SR Mulroy Nora M NM Walker Allison T AT Ryan Edward T ET LaRocque Regina C RC

Open forum infectious diseases 20220803 8

<h4>Background</h4>To assess the implications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related travel disruptions, we compared demographics and travel-related circumstances of US travelers seeking pretravel consultation regarding international travel at US Global TravEpiNet (GTEN) sites before and after the initiation of COVID-19 travel warnings.<h4>Methods</h4>We analyzed data in the GTEN database regarding traveler demographics and travel-related circumstances with standard questionnaires in the ...[more]

PMID: 36000001

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Project description:BackgroundThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the Otolaryngology outpatient clinical practice, which is at high risk of respiratory viral transmission due to the close contact between the examiner and the patient's airway secretions [1]. Moreover, most otolaryngological procedures, including oropharyngoscopy, generate droplets or aerosols from high viral shedding areas [1]. Thus, only non-deferrable consultations were performed in the outbreak's acute phase. Along with the re-opening of elective clinical services and the impending second wave of the outbreak, a reorganization is necessary to minimize the risk of nosocomial transmission [1].MethodsThis video (Video 1) shows how to safely conduct an outpatient Otorhinolaryngological consultation, focusing on complete ear, nose and throat examination, according to evidences from the published literature and Otolaryngological societies guidelines [2,3].ResultsAfter telephonic screening, patients reporting Covid-19 symptoms or closecontact with a Covid-19 case within the last 14 days are referred to telehealth services [1-3]. To avoid crowding, the patient is admitted alone, after body temperature control, except for underage or disabled people [1]. The waiting room assessment must guarantee a social distance of 6 ft [1-3]. The consultation room is reorganized into two separate areas (Fig. 1): 1) a clean desk area, where an assistant wearing a surgical mask and gloves, handles the patient's documentation and writes the medical report, keeping proper distance from the patient, and 2) a separate consultation area, where the examiner, equipped with proper personal protective equipment (Fig. 2) [3,4], carries out the medical interview and physical examination. Endoscopic-assisted ear, nose and throat inspection using a dedicated monitor allows the examiner to maintain an adequate distance from the patient throughout the procedure while providing an optimal view (Figs. 3-6) [3]. Recent evidence shows that nasal endoscopy does not increase droplet production compared to traditional otolaryngological examination [5]. When necessary, nasal topic decongestion and anesthesia must be performed using cottonoids rather than sprays [3]. The patient keeps the nose and mouth covered throughout the consultation, lowering the surgical mask on the mouth for nasal endoscopy and removing it only for oropharyngoscopy. After the consultation, the doffing procedure must be carried out carefully to avoid contamination [4]. All the equipment and surfaces must undergo high-level disinfection with 70% alcohol or 0.1% bleach solutions [3]. Proper room ventilation must precede the next consultation [3].ConclusionsThe hints provided in this video are useful to ensure both patient and examiner safety during Otolaryngological outpatient consultations and to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission.

Dataset Information

High-risk US International Travelers Seeking Pretravel Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

High-risk US International Travelers Seeking Pretravel Consultation During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Similar Datasets

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