Health Risks in Travelers to China: The GeoSentinel Experience and Implications for the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Xiaohong M. Davis Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Susan MacDonald Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Sarah Borwein Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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David O. Freedman Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Phyllis E. Kozarsky Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Frank von Sonnenburg Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Jay S. Keystone Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Poh Lian Lim Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Nina Marano Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics, Beijing, China; Central Health Medical Practice, Hong Kong SAR, China; W. C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Canada; Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore

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Selected data collected for travelers to China from 1998 through November 2007 by the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network were used to provide an evidence base for prioritizing recommendations for Olympic and other future travelers to China. Respiratory illness and injuries were common among patients seen during their travel; acute diarrhea and dog bites were common among those seen after travel. Tropical and parasitic diseases were rare. Pre-travel consultation for China travelers should be individualized according to these findings.

Author Notes

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