Infections are common during travel, and frontline physicians frequently must evaluate sick returned travelers. Sick travelers can be clinically challenging due to the wide range of endemic diseases in different geographic regions. To guide the diagnostic and treatment plan, consideration of endemic and emerging infections in the region of travel, as well as careful review of the travelers’ exposures and preventative measures are necessary. Routine laboratory tests and cultures cannot confirm many tropical infections, and pathogen directed testing is typically required. Common tropical infections that can be severe, such as malaria, dengue, and enteric fever, should always be considered in the diagnostic evaluation. Providers should also be vigilant for rare but highly pathogenic emerging infections such as Ebola virus disease and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
Evaluation of the sick returned traveler