Chapter 6
The immunosuppressed
traveler: infection risks with
autoimmunity and
immunosuppression,
vaccinations, and general
travel advice
Victoria Allen,
1
Nicky Longley,
2, 3
James B. Galloway
4,
* and
Katie Bechman
4
1
Department of Infection, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, United
Kingdom;
2
Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine at The Hospital For Tropical
Diseases, London, United Kingdom;
3
Associate Professor at The London School of Hygiene and
Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom;
4
MRC Clinical Research Training Fellow, Centre for
Rheumatic Disease, Kings College London, London, United Kingdom
*Corresponding Author: E-mail: james.galloway@kcl.ac.uk
1. Introduction
People travel abroad for many reasons, to experience new places, to relax, to
visit friends and relatives, for business opportunities, and for work. More and
more people are traveling globally; in 2017 there were approximately 1.3 billion
international tourist arrivals worldwide [1]. This growth in international travel
has occurred alongside the rise of biologic drugs and other therapies for auto-
immune diseases such as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, as well as other forms
of immunosuppression used for solid organ transplantation and treatment for
malignancies. These treatments mean that those living with chronic or previ-
ously untreatable conditions are now experiencing a much-improved quality of
life. Whereas previously they might have been too unwell to travel they are now
able to visit a wide range of destinations and enjoy a variety of activities.
Research has shown that immunosuppressed travelers follow similar travel
Infections in Systemic Autoimmune Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-64217-2.00006-3
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