Illness in a Traveller - Quick Reference

This is a Quick Reference article. See also the main article Fever in a returning traveller Fever in a Returning Traveller.

Causes

Primary disease activated or worsened while on travel
New illness started while on travel, independent of destination
A disease that is rare in the home country but typical for the destination, usually an infection

Travel history (travel destinations and times)
Symptoms and their onset dates in chronological order
Exposure to infections (sexual contacts, dubious food, injections, insect stings, animal contacts, contact with freshwater)
Possible abuse of alcohol or drugs
Medication and possible treatment received during the travel
Vaccinations
Antimalarial medication and its regularity
Symptoms in travel companions

Respiratory tract, consciousness, cutaneous symptoms, diarrhoea, urinary tract symptoms
Malaria specimen always when the possibility of malaria cannot be reliably excluded (destination, reliably conducted prophylactic medication, another obvious diagnosis explaining the symptoms - malaria still possible)
Basic investigations: basic blood count, CRP, ALT, urine sample
At discretion: plasma Na, K, creatinine, faecal bacteria and parasites, chest x-ray, possible antibody tests

The possibility of malaria Diagnosis and Treatment of Malaria must always be kept in mind, even if the patient appears to be in good condition when examined.
Further care must immediately be arranged for a seriously ill patient.
- Septicaemia Sepsis, meningitis Meningitis in Adults, pneumonia Pneumonia, pyelonephritis Urinary Tract Infections, malaria Diagnosis and Treatment of Malaria
Fever without local symptoms
- Malaria, dengue Viral Diseases in Warm Climates, typhoid fever Diarrhoeal Diseases Caused by Microbes, primary HIV infection HIV Infection
Fever and pulmonary symptoms
- Pneumonia, legionellosis
Fever and cerebral symptoms
- Encephalitides Encephalitis (herpes, Japanese encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis)
- Septicaemia Sepsis
- Mefloquine use while on travel
- Alcohol or drug abuse while on travel
- Dehydration, ”sunstroke”
Fever and diarrhoea Acute Diarrhoeal Disease in a Traveller
- Fever and melaena: salmonella, shigella, EHEC
- Other severe diarrhoea: campylobacter, ETEC, viruses
Fever and jaundice
- Viral hepatitis Viral Hepatitis, malaria, typhoid fever
- Alcoholic hepatitis, pancreatitis Acute Pancreatitis
Fever and skin rash
- Primary HIV infection
- Various bacterial and viral infections
- Allergic conditions (foods, drugs)
- Stings and bites
- Sunburns