Travel illness in British package holiday tourists: prospective cohort study

Objectives: To examine the relationship between knowledge of travel health matters, health preparation for travel and risk of travel related illness. Methods: Travellers on holiday charter flights from Cardiff-Wales Airport provided information on holiday preparation before departure and were surveyed 2 weeks after return for details of holiday lifestyle and travel illness. Results: Travellers' diarrhoea was reported by 25.7% of 1469 travellers; 24.4% had sunburn and 7.6% had respiratory infection. Attack rates for travellers' diarrhoea were highest in people aged 15–34 years (34.1%). Rates were higher the shorter the interval between holiday booking and departure (χ2for linear trend 13.5, 1df, P