{"title":"Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trends of select travel-acquired enteric illnesses in Canada.","authors":"Lauren Rusk, Russell Forrest, Meghan Hamel","doi":"10.14745/ccdr.v51i05a02","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Millions of Canadians contract enteric illnesses each year, many of which are acquired during, or are otherwise associated with, international travel. As the number of Canadians travelling fluctuates throughout the year, a corresponding change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses was expected. A change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses was also expected during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aims to explore trends in the number and distribution of select travel-acquired enteric infections in Canada, from May 2017 to April 2023.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To evaluate trends, Student's t-tests and negative binomial regression modelling were conducted. Percent changes and relative risks were calculated to assess the impact of the pandemic on travel-acquired enteric illnesses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings demonstrated a seasonal peak in the number of reported travel-acquired enteric illnesses during the winter and spring pre- and post-pandemic travel restrictions (May 2017-February 2020 and September 2021-April 2023). Additionally, there was a decrease in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses added to enteric illness travel clusters with cases in more than one province or territory (multi-jurisdictional) during and after the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, cases reported post-travel restrictions had a higher risk of being added to a multi-jurisdictional enteric illness travel cluster compared to the pre-travel restriction phase.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Nonessential travel restrictions and changes in the healthcare-seeking behaviours due to the pandemic likely account in part for the change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses observed while travel restrictions were implemented and after they were lifted. Further research is required to explain the increased risk of illnesses being added to multi-jurisdictional enteric illness travel clusters after the lifting of travel restrictions compared to pre-COVID-19.</p>","PeriodicalId":94304,"journal":{"name":"Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada","volume":"51 5","pages":"160-166"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12363433/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.14745/ccdr.v51i05a02","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Millions of Canadians contract enteric illnesses each year, many of which are acquired during, or are otherwise associated with, international travel. As the number of Canadians travelling fluctuates throughout the year, a corresponding change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses was expected. A change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses was also expected during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Objective: This study aims to explore trends in the number and distribution of select travel-acquired enteric infections in Canada, from May 2017 to April 2023.
Methods: To evaluate trends, Student's t-tests and negative binomial regression modelling were conducted. Percent changes and relative risks were calculated to assess the impact of the pandemic on travel-acquired enteric illnesses.
Results: Findings demonstrated a seasonal peak in the number of reported travel-acquired enteric illnesses during the winter and spring pre- and post-pandemic travel restrictions (May 2017-February 2020 and September 2021-April 2023). Additionally, there was a decrease in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses added to enteric illness travel clusters with cases in more than one province or territory (multi-jurisdictional) during and after the lifting of COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, cases reported post-travel restrictions had a higher risk of being added to a multi-jurisdictional enteric illness travel cluster compared to the pre-travel restriction phase.
Conclusion: Nonessential travel restrictions and changes in the healthcare-seeking behaviours due to the pandemic likely account in part for the change in the number of travel-acquired enteric illnesses observed while travel restrictions were implemented and after they were lifted. Further research is required to explain the increased risk of illnesses being added to multi-jurisdictional enteric illness travel clusters after the lifting of travel restrictions compared to pre-COVID-19.