Grippe et voyage

There is a risk for the traveler to acquire an exotic disease when traveling and to introduce it in non-endemic areas after returning. Influenza is a good example of such a disease. The incidence of flu in travelers is unknown. However, numerous outbreaks of flu have been reported in groups of travelers: package tours, pilgrims, elderly people, and travel by plane or cruise ships. Nowadays vaccination against flu is not recommended in travelers unless they belong to groups at risk for flu. Nonetheless vaccination against flu is difficult to apply to travelers due to problems in vaccine availability and inadequacy between vaccine strains and strains responsible for ongoing outbreaks in the opposite hemisphere. This vaccination seems important to travelers because flu may impair their vacation. In addition, it is also interesting for the community if it limits the spread of flu worldwide.