International travelers face increased health risks abroad, especially in developing countries.
At a meeting of the International Society of Travel Medicine, Dr. Robert Steffen of the University of Zurich presented estimates of the number of infections that would occur in unprotected travelers. Most deaths abroad are due to traffic and swimming accidents often associated with alcohol intoxication. For every one million people traveling to developing countries for a one-month stay, about 24,000 would develop malaria if visiting West Africa, while 500 would if visiting South America. Around 300 visitors to Africa or India and about 30 visiting other countries would get typhoid fever. Cholera would only occur in 3 travelers and only 1 would get polio.