Travel health update

This month's update is bursting with links to resources for Zika virus, malaria, education and Brexit

ZIKA ADVICE

An update to many Zika resources was posted on the Public Health England website at the end of February – see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/zika-virus-zikv-clinical-and-travel-guidance together with an interesting blog, which you can read at https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2019/02/28/why-and-how-the-guidance-for-zika-virus-is-changing/ This information is also reflected on NaTHNaC https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/news/394/zika-virus-zikv-update-to-guidance. In summary, for UK for couples considering pregnancy the advice is to ensure consistent use of effective contraception and condoms (or other barrier methods) for vaginal, anal and oral sex during and after travel. These measures should be used even in the absence of symptoms while travelling and, if both partners travelled to ‘risk’ areas, for 3 months (previously 6 months) after return or after last possible Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure. If only the male traveller travelled to ‘risk’ areas, these measures should be continued for 3 months (previously 6 months) after return or after last possible Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure. The last possible ZIKV exposure is defined as the date of leaving an area with high or moderate ZIKV risk, or the date on which unprotected sexual contact with a potentially infectious partner took place. A useful algorithm to help explain risk and advice to your travellers can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/zika-virus-sexual-transmission-advice-algorithm

MALARIA MATTERS

Last month I covered some of the changes to the UK Malaria Guidelines and now I’ve updated my free online course that covers the whole of this publication. This is available free of charge to study if you’ve never done it before, or you need a refresher. Go to https://www.janechiodini.co.uk/education/malaria-course/. I have also recorded a 30-minute malaria update video for Emporiatrics mentioned below, so this may be of interest.

TRAVEL HEALTH EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

There’s been a surge of information for travel education of late – here’s a selection of opportunities. Emporiatrics is a travel medicine ‘magazine’ which I’ve developed as part of my role as Dean of the Faculty of Travel Medicine and which is planned to be published three times per year. This is an online experience which encompasses many topics to help keep you up to date in the format of downloadable documents, videos, a podcast, links to outside resources including selected interesting articles from the Journal of Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease, helpful hints and tips and much more. This first edition is available as open access so browse through it to see how exciting this new format of education can provide chunk sized pieces of knowledge – essential when we’re all so busy in our day to day lives. Please also share the experience with your colleagues including the doctors and any pharmacists you may work with. See http://janechiodini.blogspot.com/2019/02/emporiatrics.html

There have a couple of postings from NaTHNaC about a new course of their own called Current Aspects of Travel Health, and an online course using an Asynchronous* learning model from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine which covers four modules and can lead to a Professional Diploma in Travel Health. Go to https://travelhealthpro.rg.uk/factsheet/24/educational-events for more information. Meanwhile I am speaking at a series of travel health updates in a roadshow around the UK, designed for those practising travel health who want a short (half-day) face-to-face training session. More details can be found at https://www.janechiodini.co.uk/education/update.

AND AN EXIT NOTE

By the time I write next month’s Update, we’ll know whether or not we’ve left the EU but how much wiser will we be in regards to travel related topics, quite apart from anything else? I read this interesting article just yesterday from the BBC about how Brexit will affect holidays to Europe, from the insurance to modes of transport – but the only reference to vaccines was in relation to pets. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46627083 How will vaccine stock be affected? Well, that’s another big unknown but the Department of Health and Social Care have posted a news story ‘Update on medicines and medical products supply as we exit the EU’ to update us! See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-medicines-and-medical-products-supply-as-we-exit-the-eu

*Asynchronous e-learning involves recorded material, individual exercises, group work and online discussions delivered via a virtual learning environment