Epidemiology

There are regional differences in the risk of travellers' diarrhoea and estimates of incidence rates vary in different studies:

• low-risk areas
  • Western Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan
  • around 7% of travellrs experience travelers diarrhoea while visiting these countries
    
    
• intermediate risk areas
  • southern Europe, Israel, South Africa, some parts of the Caribbean and the Pacific islands
  • incidence rates of travelers diarrhoea is between 8 and 20 %
    
    
• high risk areas
  • most of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America;
  • more than 20% of travelers from a high-income country will experience diarrhoea when visiting these areas (1)

Between 2004 and 2008, there were 24,332 cases of laboratory confirmed travel-associated gastrointestinal (GI) illness reported in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

• Salmonella spp. (non typhoid) was responsible for 50% of cases
• other organisms included Campylobacter spp.,Shigella spp., Giardia lamblia, and Cryptosporidium spp

Reference:

• (1) National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaThNaC). Factsheet. Travellers' diarrhoea