MIAMI BEACH—The next edition of “Health Information for International Travel,” also known as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's “Yellow Book,” will be more clinically oriented and will include new chapters on specific diseases, such as SARS, according to a sneak preview at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Clinical presentation and treatment information will be added to the new and traditional chapters. Previously, the book addressed only prevention, risk, descriptions, and occurrence of travel-related diseases, according to Christie Reed, M.D., of the CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine.
“Increase in travel was exponential in the 1990s. And the places people were going were different—there was a marked increase in travel to developing parts of the world,” she said. The volume of people migrating around the world also increased significantly, Dr. Reed said, adding, “Yesterday's migrant can become today's traveler.” Many immigrants to the United States return to their countries of origin to visit family and friends, for example, and present unique challenges in travel-related health.
One of the main goals of the CDC's Travelers' Health division is to share information, primarily through the Yellow Book and the Internet (www.cdc.gov/travel
“The Web has been a boon to us in terms of getting information out there quickly. The Yellow Book is out of date every 2 years, but the Web site allows us to be accurate and up to date with rapidly changing information,” Dr. Reed said.
The 2005–2006 edition will include more information from experts outside the CDC and a new bibliography on evidence-based medicine for travelers. New chapters are expected to include:
▸ Norovirus
▸ Severe acute respiratory syndrome
▸ Pneumococcus
▸ Legionella
▸ Jet lag
▸ Fish poisoning
▸ Sunburn
▸ Health-seeking travelers. “This includes people traveling for surgery, dental care, etc. The standards for health care may not be the same in other places as they are in the U.S.,” Dr. Reed said.
There will also be expanded sections on preconception, pregnancy, and breast-feeding issues for travelers. In addition, there will be more information on travel for immunocompromised people, not just for those with HIV infection, as in past editions.
New maps will highlight regions of increased risks associated with Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever.
The 2005–2006 edition is expected to be available in May 2005, to coincide with the 9th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine in Lisbon, Portugal.
Although the next edition of the Yellow Book is nearly complete, online information is updated continuously.
Dr. Reed encouraged physicians to submit any travel health-related information or concerns using the “contact us” option on the Web site.