摘要：We examined New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene surveillance data on hepatitis A, malaria, and typhoid to determine the proportion of these diseases related to travel and their geographic distribution. We found that 61% of hepatitis A cases, 100% of malaria cases, and 78% of typhoid cases were travel related and that cases clustered in specific populations and neighborhoods at which public health interventions could be targeted. High-risk groups include Hispanics (for hepatitis A), West Africans living in the Bronx (for malaria), and South Asians (for typhoid). Travel to developing countries is associated with hepatitis A, malaria, and typhoid infection, and travelers who are visiting friends and relatives are at considerably higher risk than are tourists of acquiring these diseases. 1 – 3 Diseases acquired during travel are problematic in New York City (NYC) because the percentage of immigrants residing in the city, with 36% of residents born abroad, is approximately 3.5 times the national percentage. In addition, NYC residents account for 12% of US air travelers to overseas destinations while representing only 3% of the US population. 4 – 6 Using data collected by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, we assessed the burden of hepatitis A, malaria, and typhoid (3 diseases targeted by the US Department of Health and Human Services with respect to prevention efforts 7 ) carried back to the city by travelers. We focused on people who had traveled to visit friends and relatives in their home countries in an attempt to determine whether particular high-risk groups (as well as particular areas of NYC) should be targeted for prevention interventions. We classified travelers visiting friends and relatives as immigrants who were ethnically or racially distinct from the majority population of the United States and who returned to their homeland to visit friends or relatives. 2 , 8
