key: cord-0797891-a0tsrjlr authors: Rashid, Harunor; Badahdah, Al-Mamoon; Khatami, Ameneh title: Special Issue: Travel and Tropical Medicine date: 2021-04-19 journal: Trop Med Infect Dis DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6020053 sha: 36314c74739230605350c1c236ea3a7888bd37c8 doc_id: 797891 cord_uid: a0tsrjlr Historically, travel is known to be associated with an amplified risk of acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases, including pandemics [...]. Historically, travel is known to be associated with an amplified risk of acquisition and transmission of infectious diseases, including pandemics. In his travelogue, "Rihla", Moroccan explorer Ibn Battutah record that his team contracted a febrile illness, most likely malaria, while in Kuzestan (Iran). Battutah keenly observed that "visitors to these countries in the hot season generally suffer from fever, as happens also in Damascus and other cities which have abundant waters and fruits". He narrowly escaped the mediaeval black death of 1348 in Syria on his journey to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage [1] . However, compared to mainstream specialties of medicine, there is paucity of research in the field of travel medicine. In this Special Issue, we present a suite of publications on various aspects of travel medicine ranging from refugee and immigrant health to mass gathering medicine. Highlights of this Special Issue include a case report of melioidosis in the United States in a Filipino immigrant [2] and another report of five cases of histoplasmosis among film crew members who acquired the illness in Guatemala and presented in Australia [3] ; although rare, both these infections are important in travel medicine and practitioners should be aware of these exotic infections during pre-travel advice sessions. Nicknamed a "great mimicker", for imitating other chronic infections, melioidosis should be considered in travellers returning from the Asia-Pacific. Histoplasmosis is a possibility in travellers with histories of exposure to bird or bat droppings, especially if immunocompromised. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious concern for travellers; two publications explored two different aspects of AMR: an original study showed fewer than 5% of health care workers (HCWs) who knew about a standard clinical guideline on antibiotic prescription (e.g., NICE-CG69, Centor Criteria) practised it correctly for Hajj pilgrims [4] and, in a systematic review, Fouz and colleagues show AMR genes can be detected in wastewaters from mass gatherings [5] . Both these publications highlight the importance of considering AMR among travellers and their external environments. Two original articles focussed on the health of Rohingyas, among the most persecuted minorities in the world. One article assessed health literacy and health status of Rohingya refugees before their exodus to Bangladesh in 2017, showing that the majority (70%) of the 192 deaths that occurred in 1634 families in the year before their migration to Bangladesh occurred in men and 44% were claimed to be due to homicide [6] . A focussed survey involving 670 infants aged < 2 months showed that about 15% of children had watery or purulent discharge from their eyes [7] ; although the study design did not include establishment of microbiological diagnosis, given the high likelihood of sexually transmitted infections among Rohingya refugees [8] , some of these eye symptoms could be due to gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum and, thus, deserve public health attention. Two other review articles looked at rather unique topics in travel medicine: a systematic review on the understanding of immigrant populations' knowledge and attitude on the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine showed immigrants often lacked sufficient knowledge of HPV infections and some had negative attitudes towards vaccination [9] and another study described pathophysiology of disproportionate thrombotic tendency of COVID-19 and its implications for travellers, along with guidance based on the severity of COVID-19 and coagulopathy [10] . One original study focussed on Hajj pilgrims' understanding and practice of hand hygiene [11] and another of meningococcal vaccination [12] . A cross-sectional study conducted during the 2019 Hajj identified that most pilgrims knew hand hygiene could prevent respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, but many pilgrims did not know about precise hand washing methods. A follow up study conducted during the 2020 Hajj amidst the COVID-19 pandemic showed no improvement and pilgrims' mean hand hygiene knowledge score remained essentially unchanged (mean score 6.7 (±1.9) vs 6.4 (±1.35) of total 12) [11, 13] . Another cross-sectional study conducted in 2017 and 2018 showed that 13.4% of Hajj pilgrims certainly missed meningococcal vaccination and another 4.8% were unsure about their vaccination status, which is a great concern [12] . Since 2000, when the quadrivalent meningococcal vaccination was made a Hajj visarequirement, the uptake among overseas pilgrims ranged from 93% to 100% [12, 14, 15] , but the vaccination rate among domestic pilgrims was lower (≤82%) [11, 12, 16, 17] . A recent study with detailed breakdown on vaccination history has shown that, even among overseas pilgrims, the actual vaccine uptake is only 77%. At least 11% of vaccination certificates are fake and another 12.6% are dubious; in 0.5%, an incorrect vaccine (e.g., bivalent vaccine) is recorded, making the certificate non-valid [18] . Suboptimal vaccination rates have also been reported among HCWs at Hajj [19, 20] . These findings forecast a serious problem that could arise following the implementation of "vaccination passports" to allow passengers to avoid official border restrictions and quarantine as part of the global COVID-19 control strategy [21] . Non-vaccination and use of false vaccination certificates to cross international borders would jeopardise global efforts to curb the pandemic. Stringent measures supervised by international public health observers are needed to ensure the safety of world health. The Travels of Ibn Battutah Persistent Burkholderia pseudomallei Bacteremia in A Filipino Immigrant to the United States: A Case Report Acute Pulmonary Histoplasmosis Outbreak in A Documentary Film Crew Travelling from Guatemala to Australia Pilot Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions of Hajj Deployed Health Care Workers on Antibiotics and Antibiotic Prescrip-tions for Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: Results from Two Hajj Seasons The Con-tribution of Wastewater to the Transmission of Antimicrobial Resistance in the Environment: Implications of Mass Gathering Settings A Rapid Assessment of Health Literacy and Health Status of Rohingya Refugees Living in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh Following the August 2017 Exodus from Myanmar: A Cross-Sectional Study Prevalence of Eye Problems among Young Infants of Roh-ingya Refugee Camps: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Survey Sexually transmitted infections among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh Attitudes and Perceptions of Immigrant Parents Towards Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination: A Systematic Review Laher, I. The COVID-19 Pandemic: Disproportionate Thrombotic Tendency and Manage-ment Recommendations Hand Hygiene Knowledge and Practices among Domestic Hajj Pilgrims: Implications for Future Mass Gatherings Amidst COVID-19 Meningococcal Vaccine for Hajj Pilgrims: Compliance, Predictors, and Barriers Hand Hygiene Knowledge, Perception, and Practices among Domestic Visitors to the Prophet's Mosque in Al Madinah City amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study Ex-ploring barriers to and facilitators of preventive measures against infectious diseases among Australian Hajj pilgrims: Cross-sectional studies before and after Hajj Prevalence of MERS-CoV nasal carriage and compliance with the Saudi health recommendations among pilgrims attending the 2013 Hajj Saudi Hajj pilgrims' preparation and uptake of health preventive measures during Hajj Health at Hajj and Umra Research Group Meningococcal vaccine coverage in Hajj pilgrims Meningococcal carriage among Hajj pilgrims, risk factors for carriage and records of vac-cination: A study of pilgrims to Mecca Meningococcal, influenza virus, and hepatitis B virus vaccination coverage level among health care workers in Hajj Mandatory meningococcal vaccine, and other recommended immunisations: Uptake, barriers, and facilitators among health care workers and trainees at Hajj Variants, vaccines and vac-cination passports: Challenges and chances for travel medicine in 2021 Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable. The authors declare no conflict of interest.