Travel medicine in the age of coronavirus

With COVID-19 highlighting the importance of travel medicine like never before, is there an opportunity for GPs to make a greater contribution?

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrust travel — in particular, international travel — into the spotlight as a public health issue.

The practice of travel medicine requires “up-to-date knowledge on the global epidemiology of infectious and non-infectious health risks, health regulations and immunisation requirements in various countries and the changing patterns of drug-resistant infection”, according to the International Society of Travel Medicine.1

The current pandemic has shown this also needs to include awareness of emerging diseases and how travel can facilitate their spread.

As the world adapts to COVID-19 and international travel resumes, it will be more important than ever that travellers have access to high-quality health advice.