Assessment of fever in the returning traveller

What it is

Fever after travel is assessed along four lines: the incubation period, a travel risk assessment covering vector, living area and potential exposure, an assessment of severity, and the symptoms, grouped as CNS, skin rashes, gastrointestinal and respiratory.

Causes and risk

The main causes of fever in returning travelers, with the share of cases each accounts for:

• Malaria 27%-42%
• Respiratory tract infection 2.6%-24%
• Diarrhea and dysentery 4.5%-14%
• Dengue 2%-8%
• Hepatitis A 3%-6%
• Enteric fever 1.5%-3%
• UTI and pyelo 2%-4%
• Rickettsial 0.5%-2%
• Tuberculosis 0.4%-1%