Over the decade to June 2014, the number of annual short-term resident departures from Australia more than doubled, from 3.9 million to 8.9 million per year.
A large number of these journeys involved destinations with known risk of exposure to vector-borne and enteric diseases. Many of these disease risks are preventable if travellers seek advice about the areas they choose to visit, and are vaccinated in the appropriate time frame before their departure. Vaccination is an essential component of national control of travel-associated infectious diseases. General practitioners (GPs) are well-placed to inform patients about potential disease risks in their intended travel regions and to vaccinate patients before their departure.
