Travel-associated gonorrhoea in four Nordic countries, 2008 to 2013

Travel may be associated with a higher risk of gonorrhoea and infection by antibiotic-resistant strains. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk for gonorrhoea among travellers from four Nordic European countries using surveillance data and to identify at-risk travellers to help target...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Euro surveillance : bulletin européen sur les maladies transmissibles 2017-05, Vol.22 (20), p.2
Main Authors: Beauté, Julien, Cowan, Susan, Hiltunen-Back, Eija, Kløvstad, Hilde, Velicko, Inga, Spiteri, Gianfranco
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data
Disease transmission
Female
Gonorrhea
Gonorrhea - epidemiology
Gonorrhea - transmission
Heterosexuality - statistics & numerical data
Homosexuality, Male
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Neisseria gonorrhoeae - isolation & purification
Population Surveillance
Prevalence
Risk Assessment - methods
Scandinavian and Nordic Countries - epidemiology
Travel - statistics & numerical data
Travel Medicine
Young Adult
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Summary:Travel may be associated with a higher risk of gonorrhoea and infection by antibiotic-resistant strains. The objective of this study was to estimate the risk for gonorrhoea among travellers from four Nordic European countries using surveillance data and to identify at-risk travellers to help target interventions. We retrieved gonorrhoea surveillance data from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden and tourism denominator data from the Statistical Office of the European Union. A travel-associated case of gonorrhoea was defined as one for which the reported country of infection differed from the reporting country. During 2008-2013, the four countries reported 3,224 travel-associated gonorrhoea cases, of which 53% were among individuals below 35 years of age. The overall risk associated with travel abroad was 2.4 cases per million nights abroad. The highest risk was observed with travel to Asia (9.4). Cases more likely to be reported as travel-associated were: males, heterosexuals of both sexes, people older than 65 years, and foreign-born individuals. More effective interventions targeting young adults and other at-risk groups are needed. The use of travel-planning websites and social media should be explored further.
ISSN:1025-496X
1560-7917
DOI:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2017.22.20.30537