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VIDEO: Joseph A. Bocchini Jr., MD, discusses dangers of travel infections abroad

NEW YORK — In this video, Joseph A. Bocchini Jr., MD, professor and chairman of the department of pediatrics at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, discusses common travel-related infections.

“It’s really important for providers to understand that travelers are at risk for acquiring endemic tropical diseases if they go to countries [where] those diseases are prevalent,” said Bocchini, who is also an Infectious Diseases in Children Editorial Board member. “It is therefore important for the provider to pay attention to where the patient has traveled, what season they travel in and what kind of pre-travel recommendations they have followed.”

Bocchini also emphasized that patients who visit friends and relatives overseas are at risk for travel-related illnesses — particularly those who did not seek pre-travel advice from their providers — because they are more likely to bring younger children and have a tendency to visit remote areas. – by Eamon Dreisbach