Update on Vector Borne Diseases - Risk Ahead of Summer
- APEM Team
- Jun 3
- 1 min read
Overview
The epidemiology of VBDs is evolving worldwide. Some popular European travel destinations now pose a risk of infections including the following:
Dengue fever
West Nile virus (WNV)
Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever (CCHF)
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE)
Usutu
There is a risk that patients and clinicians may be unaware of recent changes in epidemiology and therefore not consider these diseases in the differential diagnosis of illnesses, particularly of neurological syndromes.
More detailed information can be found in the briefing paper below:
Who To Refer
All clinicians are reminded:
To consider VBDs in the differential diagnosis of patients with relevant clinical syndromes, even where there has been no history of travel abroad.
To ensure that a travel history and outdoor exposure history is taken from patients with relevant clinical syndromes – particularly fever and rash or symptoms of central nervous system infection.
That a ‘significant’ travel history for VBDs should now include countries in Europe. Patients may not mention travel to European destinations unprompted as there may not be a perception of risk.
Of the requirement to notify certain infectious disease syndromes on clinical suspicion to UKHSA (e.g. meningitis / encephalitis / acute flaccid paralysis).
That input from infection services should be sought for illnesses that are clinically compatible with infection syndromes in returning travellers.
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