Review on Emporiatrics: A Public Health Perspective on Global Travel

Emporiatrics, or travel medicine, is a multidisciplinary field that caters to the health of travellers by combining relevant healthcare specialisations such as tropical medicine, global epidemiology and immunisation. Due to increased interaction between populations that were previously isolated by geographical boundaries, the cross-country spread of diseases such as dengue, Zika and Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a significant health hazard. The present review article discusses the importance of emporiatrics for public health and details how medical tourism and globalisation have contributed to the spread of both infectious and non communicable diseases. It includes a classification of passengers based on their baseline traits, vulnerabilities and intent of travel. Some common travel-related diseases are described, along with their modes of transmission, prevention and treatment. A strong public health foundation is required, in addition to pretravel counselling and awareness-raising, to reduce the health risks associated with international travel.