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The International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) is committed to the promotion of healthy and safe travel. This year’s ISTM conference was held in Barcelona (May 14-18). Many festive events were organized in this beautiful Spanish city to celebrate ISTM’s 25th anniversary. Some highlights of the ISTM conference are presented below.

Female travellers

Generally, it is thought that both male and female travellers have an equal risk of developing travel related disease. In fact, sex and gender are often associated with travel health and illness. For example, malaria occurs more in males, while urinary tract infections are more prevalent in women. The research of P. Schlagenhauf-Lawlor shows that women are significantly more likely to develop adverse events after travel vaccination and medication. Future research on new vaccines and drugs should therefore also address the potential association with sex.

Research on rabies in travellers

Many sessions during the conference were focused on rabies vaccination, as discussed by L. Visser, C.A. de Pijper, P. Soentjes, P. Gautret and D. Shlim. Interestingly, D. Shlim demonstrated that the risk of getting rabies was not associated with duration of travel. Travel destination, on the other hand, was found to be an important risk factor. Furthermore, abbreviated rabies schedules were of interest among the research results presented by the previously mentioned speakers. One or two vaccinations, compared to the current three-dose primary schedule, seem to induce adequate antibody titers (>0.5 IU/mL). Other studies on rabies booster vaccination, as presented by L. Visser, P. Sjoentjes, C.A. de Pijper and A.C. Langedijk, indicate that adequate antibody responses are achieved after one year and last even up to ten years or more.

Immunocompromised travellers

A growing number of patients using immunosuppressive medication are travelling nowadays. Good pre-travel care, concerning vaccinations and prophylactics, is even more important in this patient group because of their immunocompromised status, as was demonstrated by H. Hervius Askling. D. Turner indicated the need of pre-travel serology for identifying those patients at risk. Moreover, M. van Aalst added that standby antibiotics should be considered for immunocompromised travellers.

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