Acta Pædiatrica ISSN 0803-5253
REGULAR ARTICLE
Preparedness of paediatric international travellers departing from Athens, Greece: an 18-month airport-based survey Helena C Maltezou ([email protected])1, Androula Pavli1, Athina Spilioti1, Stavros Patrinos1, Ioanna Lymperi1, Maria Theodoridou2 1.Department for Interventions in Health Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece 2.University of Athens First Department of Pediatrics, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
Keywords Children, International travellers, Malaria, Preparedness, Vaccinations Correspondence Dr Helena C Maltezou, MD, Department for Interventions in Health-Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3-5 Agrafon Street, Athens 15123, Greece. Tel: +30-210-5212-175 | Fax: +30-210-5212-177 | Email: [email protected] Received 2 September 2013; revised 12 October 2013; accepted 29 November 2013. DOI:10.1111/apa.12531
ABSTRACT Aim: The number of children who travel to tropical and subtropical areas has increased. This study aimed to assess the preparedness of children departing from Greece to Africa and Asia, in terms of vaccination and malaria chemoprophylaxis. Methods: An 18-month airport-based study was conducted in Athens between November 2011 and April 2013. Results: Of the 183 children studied, 122 (66.7%) had a foreign nationality. Their main destinations were the Indian subcontinent (43.2%), South-East Asia (30.6%) and subSaharan Africa (14.2%). Just under three-quarters (73.2%) of the children were travelling to visit friends and relatives. Forty (21.9%) children had received pretravel services. Children visiting friends and relatives sought pretravel services less frequently than those who were not (17.9% versus 32.7%; p = 0.033). Female children and Greek nationals were significantly more likely to seeking pretravel services than males and foreign nationals (p = 0.007 and
REGULAR ARTICLE
Preparedness of paediatric international travellers departing from Athens, Greece: an 18-month airport-based survey Helena C Maltezou ([email protected])1, Androula Pavli1, Athina Spilioti1, Stavros Patrinos1, Ioanna Lymperi1, Maria Theodoridou2 1.Department for Interventions in Health Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Athens, Greece 2.University of Athens First Department of Pediatrics, ‘Aghia Sophia’ Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece
Keywords Children, International travellers, Malaria, Preparedness, Vaccinations Correspondence Dr Helena C Maltezou, MD, Department for Interventions in Health-Care Facilities, Hellenic Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 3-5 Agrafon Street, Athens 15123, Greece. Tel: +30-210-5212-175 | Fax: +30-210-5212-177 | Email: [email protected] Received 2 September 2013; revised 12 October 2013; accepted 29 November 2013. DOI:10.1111/apa.12531
ABSTRACT Aim: The number of children who travel to tropical and subtropical areas has increased. This study aimed to assess the preparedness of children departing from Greece to Africa and Asia, in terms of vaccination and malaria chemoprophylaxis. Methods: An 18-month airport-based study was conducted in Athens between November 2011 and April 2013. Results: Of the 183 children studied, 122 (66.7%) had a foreign nationality. Their main destinations were the Indian subcontinent (43.2%), South-East Asia (30.6%) and subSaharan Africa (14.2%). Just under three-quarters (73.2%) of the children were travelling to visit friends and relatives. Forty (21.9%) children had received pretravel services. Children visiting friends and relatives sought pretravel services less frequently than those who were not (17.9% versus 32.7%; p = 0.033). Female children and Greek nationals were significantly more likely to seeking pretravel services than males and foreign nationals (p = 0.007 and
