Persons planning to travel outside the US should be up to date on routine vaccines and, depending on their destination, duration of travel, and planned activities, may also receive certain travel-specific vaccines. Tickborne encephalitis and dengue vaccines, which are not available in the US, are reviewed in a separate article available online. Detailed advice for travel to specific destinations is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list. Recommendations for administration of vaccines as part of routine adult immunization are discussed in a separate issue.

No vaccines against tickborne encephalitis (TBE) or dengue are available in the US, but vaccines have been licensed in some other countries.

The FDA has approved Vaxchora (PaxVax), a single-dose, oral, live-attenuated cholera vaccine, to protect against disease caused by Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1 in adults 18-64 years old traveling to cholera-affected areas. Vaxchora is the only cholera vaccine available in the US. A whole-cell killed injectable vaccine was previously approved, but is no longer available in the US.

Patients planning to travel to other countries should be up to date on routine immunizations and, depending on their destination, duration of travel, and planned activities, may also need to receive certain travel-specific vaccines. Common travel vaccines are listed in Table 2. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/travel. Guidelines for routine adult immunization are discussed in a separate issue.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask for information about appropriate vaccines and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/travel. Guidelines are also available from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

The text below reviews some common bacterial infections and their treatment. The recommendations made here are based on the results of susceptibility studies, clinical trials and the opinions of Medical Letter consultants.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask physicians for information about appropriate vaccines and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. Guidelines are also available from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

Information about empirical treatment of bacterial infections, emerging trends in antimicrobial resistance, new drugs and new data about older drugs continue to become available. Usual pathogens and empiric treatment for some common types of infections are summarized in the text and a table listing the drugs of choice and alternatives for each pathogen begins on page 40. The recommendations made here are based on the results of susceptibility studies, clinical trials and the opinions of Medical Letter consultants.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask physicians for information about immunizations and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) or www.cdc.gov/travel.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask physicians for advice about immunizations and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) or www.cdc.gov/travel. Recommendations for the treatment of parasitic diseases are available in the public reading room of The Medical Letter's web site.

New drugs for bacterial infections and new information about older drugs continue to become available. Empirical treatment of some common bacterial infections is discussed in this article. A table listing the drugs of choice and alternatives for each pathogen begins on page 18. These recommendations are based on results of susceptibility studies, clinical trials and the opinions of Medical Letter consultants. Local resistance patterns should be taken into account. Trade names are listed on page 24.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask physicians for advice about immunizations and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the CDC at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) or www.cdc.gov/travel.

New drugs for treatment of bacterial infections and new information about older drugs continue to become available. Empirical treatment of some infections is discussed and a table listing the drugs of choice and alternatives for each pathogen are contained in this article. These recommendations are based on results of susceptibility studies, clinical trials and opinions of Medical Letter consultants. Local resistance patterns should be taken into account.

Since The Medical Letter last reviewed the choice of drugs for treatment of bacterial infections, a few new drugs and some new information about older drugs have become available.

Patients planning to travel to other countries often ask physicians for advice about immunizations and prevention of diarrhea and malaria. More detailed advice for travelers is available from the CDC at 877-FYI-TRIP (877-394-8747) or www.cdc.gov/travel.

Almost 300,000 cases of epidemic cholera have occurred in the Western Hemisphere in 1991, mostly in South and Central America (Morbid Mortal Weekly Rep, 40:562, Aug 16, 1991). The few US cases caused by the epidemic strain have been in returning travelers or associated with contaminated food they brought back illicitly, with no secondary spread to date.