The following is a summary of “Influenza in travelers from Germany returning from abroad: a retrospective case–control study,” published in the October 2024 issue of Infectious Diseases by Brehm et al.  

Influenza is the leading vaccine-preventable infection among travelers, impacting around 1% of those visiting subtropical and tropical regions.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate demographic, travel-related, and clinical data from travelers diagnosed with influenza at a travel clinic between January 2015 and March 2020.   

They examined 68 travelers with influenza and 207 controls and assessed the vaccination status of the patients with influenza, particularly those older than 60 years and with comorbidities for which annual influenza vaccination is recommended. The risk proportion of positive influenza tests based on symptoms and presentation timing during the German influenza season was also analyzed.  

The results showed that 22.1% of patients with influenza (n = 15) were older than 60 years and had comorbidities, but only 1 had received an influenza vaccine. Patients with respiratory and musculoskeletal symptoms presenting during the German influenza season had the highest positive test rate (54%, n=25/46); 3 patients with influenza (4.4%) were hospitalized, 2 (2.9%) received antiviral treatment, while 8 (11.8%) received antibiotic therapy.  

Investigators concluded that influenza occurred year-round in international travelers, causing morbidity, and recommended testing for febrile travelers with respiratory or musculoskeletal symptoms, during local influenza seasons, while highlighting the need to improve vaccination coverage in high-risk individuals. 

Source: bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-024-10008-9