As unprecedented numbers of travelers cross international borders each day, the need for up-to-date, practical information about the health challenges posed by travel has never been greater. For both international travelers and the health professionals who care for them, the CDC Yellow Book 2018: Health Information for International Travel is the definitive guide to staying safe and healthy anywhere in the world.The fully revised and updated 2018 edition codifies the U.S. government's most current health guidelines and information for international travelers, including pretravel vaccine recommendations, destination-specific health advice, and easy-to-reference maps, tables, and charts. The 2018 Yellow Book also addresses the needs of specific types of travelers, with dedicated sections on:Precautions for pregnant travelers, immunocompromised travelers, and travelers with disabilitiesSpecial considerations for newly arrived adoptees, immigrants, and refugeesPractical tips for last-minute or resource-limited travelersAdvice for air crews, humanitarian workers, missionaries, and others who provide care and support overseasAuthored by a team of the world's most esteemed travel medicine experts, the Yellow Book is an essential resource for travelers -and the clinicians overseeing their care -at home and abroad.

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CDC Yellow Book 2018: Health Information for International Travel

Background The annual Hajj and Umrah are one of the largest recurring religious mass gatherings across the globe drawing pilgrims from more than 185 countries. The living circumstances and activities of the pilgrims may create an environment for the occurrence and spread of communicable diseases. Each year, the Health authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in coordination with international health authorities, updates health requirements for pilgrims. The Hajj for 2017 took place from August 24 to September 5, 2017. Here, we review the expected obligations for immunizations for the 2018 Hajj and Umrah. Results The Hajj and Umrah vaccine requirements include mandatory vaccinations against yellow fever, quadrivalent meningococcal polysaccharide (every 3 years) or conjugated (every 5 years) vaccines and poliomyelitis vaccine. Influenza vaccine utilizing the 2016 (Southern Hemisphere vaccine to all pilgrims) was recommended but was not obligatory for pilgrims. Ciprofloxacin is required for individuals >12 years excluding pregnant women as chemoprophylaxis to be given at the port of entry for Pilgrims coming from the meningitis belt. With the ongoing outbreaks of measles in Europe, it is recommended that all pilgrims have an updated immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles and mumps). Conclusion The mandatory vaccines remain the same with continued vigilance for the development of any new or emerging infectious diseases. Continuing surveillance for Zika virus, cholera and MERS-CoV are ongoing.

Expected immunizations and health protection for Hajj and Umrah 2018 —An overview

Dear Editor,

We read with great interest a recent editorial published in Postgraduate Medical Journal ,1 suggesting the potential harms associated with the use of unproven antimicrobials for the management of COVID-19. We appreciate the efforts of authors to underscore the potential drug safety concerns during the ongoing health crisis. In align with these suggestions, we felt inclined to share another potential hazard associated during the current phase of drug repurposing.

COVID-19 has encompassed more than 200 countries with unprecedented rise in infected cases along with mortalities. Healthcare professionals and researchers around the globe are battling hard to combat the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and taking all possible measures to reduce the growing encumbrance of the disease. Since most of the countries have imposed lockdown and people are confining to their homes with restricted movements, they are more vigilant for the updates on COVID-19, particularly on treatments and preventive measures. Most of the people are relying on electronic media and social networking to get latest and updated information related to the disease. On the other hand, increasing numbers of COVID-19-related deaths are creating panic among the general public. In such circumstances, both general and healthcare communities are anxiously waiting to receive any positive news regarding the treatment and prevention of infection. Literature has reported several medications such as hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ)2 carrying the potential to cure COVID-19. Most of these reports primarily rely on invitro investigations and lack firm clinical evidences from human studies.3 4 5 Though such a hypothesis, generations for the treatment of COVID-19 are the need of hour, but uncontrolled amplified dissemination of news or information by the lay press, electronic and social media may trigger self-medication of candidate drugs among general community. It is pertinent to mention that …

https://pmj.bmj.com/content/postgradmedj/early/2020/08/25/postgradmedj-2020-138447.full.pdf

Drug repurposing for COVID-19: a potential threat of self-medication and controlling measures.

Emerging mosquito-borne viruses continue to cause serious health problems and economic burden among billions of people living in and near the tropical belt of the world. The highly invasive mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus have successively invaded and expanded their presence as key vectors of Chikungunya virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, and Zika virus, and that has consecutively led to frequent outbreaks of the corresponding viral diseases. Of note, these two mosquito species have gradually adapted to the changing weather and environmental conditions leading to a shift in the epidemiology of the viral diseases, and facilitated their establishment in new ecozones inhabited by immunologically naive human populations. Many abilities of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, as vectors of significant arbovirus pathogens, may affect the infection and transmission rates after a bloodmeal, and may influence the vector competence for either virus. We highlight that many collaborating risk factors, for example, the global transportation systems may result in sporadic and more local outbreaks caused by mosquito-borne viruses related to Ae. aegypti and/or Ae. albopictus. Those local outbreaks could in synergy grow and produce larger epidemics with pandemic characters. There is an urgent need for improved surveillance of vector populations, human cases, and reliable prediction models. In summary, we recommend new and innovative strategies for the prevention of these types of infections.

Emerging Mosquito-Borne Viruses Linked to Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus: Global Status and Preventive Strategies.

http://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201971222003903/pdf

Enhanced surveillance of monkeypox in Bas-Uélé, Democratic Republic of Congo: the limitations of symptom-based case definitions

The year 2018 heralded many new developments in the field of tropical medicine, including licensure of novel drugs for novel indications, licensure of existing drugs for existing indications but in novel settings, and globalized outbreaks of both vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. We herein describe five top stories in tropical medicine that occurred during 2018, and illuminate the practice-changing development within each story.

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2018 in review: five hot topics in tropical medicine

Whole genome sequence analysis of two acinetobacter oleivorans clinical isolates from terengganu, malaysia, revealed the carriage of several virulence factors

Strongyloides colitis is a gastrointestinal manifestation of the parasitic infection, Strongyloides stercoralis, which may be misdiagnosed and treated as ulcerative colitis (UC) in patients presenting in non-endemic regions. Treatment of Strongyloides colitis as UC can lead to a lethal hyperinfection syndrome. Therefore, prior to commencing immunosuppressive treatment of UC, it is essential to use diagnostic markers to differentiate the two etiologies. In this case series, we discuss two migrant patients who were previously diagnosed with UC and treated accordingly who presented to our clinic for further investigation of suspected parasitic infection.

Shareese Clarke

Papers

2018 in review: five hot topics in tropical medicine

Whole genome sequence analysis of two acinetobacter oleivorans clinical isolates from terengganu, malaysia, revealed the carriage of several virulence factors

Inflammatory bowel disease later diagnosed as strongyloides colitis in migrants to Canada: a case series