International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
Year:2021 | Volume:9 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

The controversial subject of transplant tourism has been neglected in the travel medicine literature. According to the Declaration of Istanbul, travel for transplantation can be regarded as transplant tourism if it involves organ trafficking and/or commercialised transplantation activities. While no registry of transplant tourism activities exists, published case series point to significant negative clinical outcomes. Adverse outcomes among donors include postoperative depression and anxiety, deterioration in health status, poor surgical wound care, and negative financial effects. Poor perioperative management, inadequate immunosuppression, blood transfusion-associated infections, antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections and invasive fungal infections, are among the most commonly reported complications in transplanted patients. Iran operates a legal and ethically regulated system of rewarded altruistic kidney donation. Travel medicine practitioners have a role to play in protecting the health of intending transplant tourists through targeted pre-travel health counselling and vaccination.

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among international travellers. This study aims to estimate the proportion of travellers diagnosed with CVD during international travel. Methods: A narrative synthesis of peer-reviewed literature was conducted on CVD among international travellers. Healthcare databases and sources of grey literature were searched using pre-defined criteria between February and June 2019. Two reviewers screened all the identified studies against protocol and extracted data using a piloted form. Results: Eight studies were eligible for final analysis. Four studies evaluated data from GeoSentinel Clinic databases. The number of study participants varied across studies from a minimum of 24 to a maximum of 63 076. Between 0. 1% and 14% of international travellers were reported or diagnosed with CVD while travelling abroad. CVD was common in male travellers as compared with female travellers. There was a lack of information on pre-existing morbidity, smoking status, obesity in all included studies. Conclusion: This review provides a first-time estimate of the proportion of international travellers with CVD while travelling overseas. Hence, preventive measures to minimize CVD risk such as sufficient exercises during long-distance flights, progressive acclimatization to altitude, wearing a face mask in polluted areas, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and nutrition during travelling should be considered. CVD should be an important part of pre-travel health advice.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran, several electronic registration systems have been created to record the data of infected patients. This narrative review aimed to investigate the articles that described the COVID-19 electronic registry systems designed and implemented in Iran. Methods: In this review, four electronic databases [Medline (accessed from PubMed), Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science] were searched till June 22, 2020, using specific MeSH terms and related keywords in English language. Considering the titles and abstracts, unrelated studies were excluded. The full texts of the remained studies were evaluated by authors, independently. Then, their findings were assessed and reported. Results: Finally, four articles were enrolled, introducing four COVID-19 registries. These registries were designed and launched by Isfahan, Shiraz, Tehran, and Ilam Universities of Medical Sciences. They were different in design, the used algorithms for patients’ management, recorded data, and methods of quality assurance. Conclusion: Considering the differences between various registry systems designed for COVID-19 in Iran, it is recommended to develop a single web-based registry system by the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education to register and follow up the patients with COVID-19.

Introduction: Travel Medicine specialty has existed in Latin American for more than 25 years. The creation of the Latin American Society of Travel Medicine (SLAMVI) stimulated medical education in this discipline, through research and scientific publications. However, Travel Medicine is practically unknown to Latin Americans. Methods: Latin Americans (n = 9487) completed an online survey of ten questions from nine countries of the region to determine the knowledge of the population about the existence of this specialty and their attitudes about it. Results: Although more than 90% of those surveyed knew that traveling to certain countries requires to receive certain vaccines, less than 30% had heard of the specialty of Travel Medicine. After knowing the definition and objectives of the specialty, more than 90% of the participants considered it important to carry out a pre-travel consultation with a specialist. Conclusion: The lack of knowledge of the specialty is the main barrier to Latin Americans to have access to Travel Medicine consultation. It is necessary to publicize the specialty, make the population aware of the importance of pre-and post-travel consultation, as well as the creation of this service in more public hospitals in Latin America.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of changes on an individual and societal level. The current study was designed to investigate the impact of the isolation/ social distancing period on people’ s sense of Being, Belonging, and Becoming at the early stages of the COVID-19 measures. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study design was employed utilizing a researcher-developed questionnaire with items developed based on the Model of Occupational Wholeness to investigate the changes that may have happened to what people have been doing during the COVID-19 measures compared to the time before. A sample of 1206, using snowball sampling, responded to the online questionnaire. Results: Findings indicated that participants at the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic had changed the pattern of their doings. The change of pattern, which was considered positive, was in relation to people valuing their health, having more time to take care of themselves, and doing activities which they had never had enough time to do before. Conclusion: While these findings are not generalizable, they provide some insights into how the post-pandemic lifestyle of many people does not permit doing a lot of activities that could help with their health and well-being. While enforced isolation may have negative consequences, it is also clear that the pre-COVID-19 pandemic lifestyle did not fully support healthy living. Reflecting on the COVID-19 lockdown experience provides an opportunity to review the essential personal and societal elements for living a healthy life.

Introduction: Research shows that race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES) have multiplicative rather than additive effects on the risk of cigarette smoking. In a national sample of American adult smokers, this study tested (1) the effects of race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and poverty status on first cigarette flavor in a national sample of American adult smokers, and (2) racial and ethnic differences in the effects of educational attainment and poverty status on first cigarette flavor. Methods: This cross-sectional study entered 22, 144 ever-smoker adults who had participated in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; 2013), a nationally representative study in the US. Independent variables were race, ethnicity, educational attainment, and poverty status. There were three dependent variables: initiating smoking using any, menthol/mint, and candy/fruit-flavored cigarettes. Age, sex, and region were the covariates. Results: Black individuals had higher odds of initiating smoking using menthol/mint-flavored cigarettes (OR = 3. 86, 95% CI = 3. 55-4. 20), and Hispanics had higher odds of initiating smoking using candy/fruit-flavored cigarettes (OR = 1. 79, 95% CI = 1. 44-2. 21). Overall, individuals with higher education had lower odds of initiating smoking using menthol/mint-flavored cigarettes (OR = 0. 94, 95% CI = 0. 92-0. 96), but higher odds of candy/fruit-flavored cigarettes (OR = 1. 35, 95% CI = 1. 26-1. 45). Living out of poverty was not associated with initiating smoking using flavored cigarettes. Conclusion: In the US, race, ethnicity, and SES show multiplicative rather than additive effects on first cigarette flavor.

Introduction: Early diagnosis and prognostication of infections such as dengue are crucial for better patient outcomes, as they help predict the likelihood of patients developing severe dengue, allowing more comprehensive patient triage and therapeutic interventions. This study aimed to determine clinical, laboratory, and radiological factors predicting prognosis in dengue infection. Methods: This prospective observational study included 250 patients seropositive for dengue. They were classified into dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS); and evaluated both on admission and at the end of their hospital course, the latter was performed for factors responsible for the progression of dengue to severe dengue. Data were statistically analyzed using R 3. 6. 1, with P < 0. 05 considered statistically significant. Results: Final diagnosis correlated significantly with systolic blood pressure (P = 0. 004), lowest platelet count (P < 0. 001), serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (P = 0. 001), urine protein (P < 0. 001), urine red blood cells (P < 0. 001), pleural effusion (P = 0. 0064), serositis (P < 0. 001), vomiting (P < 0. 001), rash (P < 0. 001), restlessness (P < 0. 001), and bleeding manifestations (P < 0. 001). Conclusion: The prognosis of dengue is significantly associated with blood pressure, lowest platelet count, serum transaminases, serum creatinine, proteinuria, hematuria, pleural effusion, abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rash, restlessness, serositis, and bleeding manifestations. Monitoring these parameters is useful for the effective management of dengue.

Dear Editor, The number of doses of vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is limited in most countries but some doses are administrated to already immunized asymptomatic people. With serological triages, we could reach an effective collective immunization1 swifter and potentially reduce allergic/immunological reactions (anaphylaxis2), blood clots, or other uncommon disorders following vaccine(s). Triages should concern all people; anti-spike antibodies could be ignored after asymptomatic COVID-19 but could also be missing after symptomatic COVID-19 (T-cell immunity). 3 For immunized people (post-infection or/and post-vaccination), persistent immunity could be assessed each 8 months4 or more, according to risk(s) of severe COVID-19 and death. 5 Exceptions could be made, as a vaccine(s) could treat long COVID-19 cases in which anti-Spike antibodies seem insufficient but this hypothesis should be confirmed. Figure 1 illustrates the suggested guidelines for vaccination...