TY - JOUR AU - Belderok, Sanne-Meike AU - Rimmelzwaan, Guus AU - van den Hoek, Anneke AU - Sonder, Gerard J.B. T1 - Effect of Travel on Influenza Epidemiology T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2013 VL - 19 IS - 6 SP - 925 SN - 1080-6059 AB - To assess the attack and incidence rates for influenza virus infections, during October 2006–October 2007 we prospectively studied 1,190 adult short-term travelers from the Netherlands to tropical and subtropical countries. Participants donated blood samples before and after travel and kept a travel diary. The samples were serologically tested for the epidemic strains during the study period. The attack rate for all infections was 7% (86 travelers) and for influenza-like illness (ILI), 0.8%. The incidence rate for all infections was 8.9 per 100 person-months and for ILI, 0.9%. Risk factors for infection were birth in a non-Western country, age 55–64 years, and ILI. In 15 travelers with fever or ILI, influenza virus infection was serologically confirmed; 7 of these travelers were considered contagious or incubating the infection while traveling home. Given the large number of travelers to (sub)tropical countries, travel-related infection most likely contributes to importation and further influenza spread worldwide. KW - Influenza KW - travel KW - prospective study KW - attack rate KW - incidence KW - viruses KW - epidemiology KW - the Netherlands DO - 10.3201/eid1906.111864 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/6/11-1864_article ER - End of Reference