Illness in Children Presenting to the Emergency Department After International Travel: A 10‐Year Retrospective Analysis From the University Hospital of Helsinki, Finland
Tuula Pelkonen, Svetlana VakkilainenABSTRACT
Aim
We characterized infections after international travel and identified predictors of severe infection to refine management.
Methods
We conducted a retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of children aged 0–18 years presenting to Helsinki University Hospital Emergency Department within 90 days of international travel between January 1, 2015, and January 26, 2025.
Results
Among 921 patients (median age 5.1 years), 59.6% were travellers visiting friends and relatives (VFR), 31.7% outbound tourists, 7.3% migrants and 1.4% visitors to Finland. Sub‐Saharan Africa was the most common travel destination (46.3%). The leading diagnoses were diarrhoea (36.0%), viral (22.6%) and respiratory infections (21.3%); 8.2% of infections were tropical and 15.3% potentially severe. Independent predictors of severe infection were migrant status, fever, travel from South‐Central Asia, presentation > 5 days after return, and male sex. Malaria was diagnosed in 3.3% of patients, and only 22.4% of eligible travellers received adequate prophylaxis. Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase producing organisms were frequent in
Conclusion
The main reason for paediatric travel was visiting friends and relatives. Migrants presented more frequently with potentially life‐threatening infections. Only 22% of eligible travellers received adequate malaria chemoprophylaxis. Antimicrobial resistance represents a significant concern among paediatric travellers.