[9] The two cases of HCV infection

occurred in travelers to Vietnam and Thailand on short holiday trips. Screening for HCV in blood products is not universal in many developing countries and reuse of injection equipment without sterilization DAPT manufacturer is common in Southeast Asia.[10] Neither Vietnam nor Thailand has mandatory reporting of HCV infection. Prevalence estimates for Thailand vary from 0.41% to 7.5%. In Vietnam prevalence estimates vary between 2 and 2.9% and up to 21% in studies of blood donors.[10] The one case of HBV infection occurred during a short trip to China, which is known to have an HBV prevalence of greater than 8%.[11] HCV transmission generally results from parenteral exposure to contaminated blood[11]: travelers who are exposed to contaminated blood or undertake medical procedures while abroad are at risk.[5] Transmission of HBV occurs through percutaneous or mucosal exposure to infected MK-2206 purchase blood or bodily fluids. HBV acquisition in travelers has been associated with: duration of travel, immune status, VFR, casual sex, medical therapy, and the destination HBV prevalence.[2, 3] Both HBV and HCV may

have prolonged incubation periods (up to 6 months). A limitation of our study is the inability to exactly determine the date of HBV or HCV exposure. However, the travel duration together with the time to collection of post-travel serum makes it very likely that these infections were acquired abroad in countries with high endemic rates for both HBV and HCV infection. Despite limitations of this retrospective study, including inability to elucidate risk behaviors as relevant questions were not included in the traveler questionnaire, quantifying the risk of these infections among travelers is crucial in facilitating informed decision making regarding

the importance of vaccination and other preventative strategies. HCV infection prevention requires education and avoidance of high-risk activities. For HBV, the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Australian Guidelines recommend that HBV vaccination should be considered Arachidonate 15-lipoxygenase in nonimmune travelers to countries with a moderate to high prevalence of HBV (HBsAg ≥ 2%). Allowing sufficient time for pre-travel vaccination is crucial. For hepatitis B, an accelerated HBV vaccine schedule (doses on days 0, 7, 21, and 12 months) is safe and efficacious.[12] In this cohort, 59% (100/159) of travelers with an anti-HBs <10 mIU/mL attended a pre-travel clinic at least 21 days prior to departure to Asia providing sufficient time for HBV vaccination. The traveler diagnosed with HBV seroconversion attended clinic 32 days prior to travel and represents a potentially missed opportunity for vaccination.