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New Look, Same Update
Meeting invitations and updates from the Department of Health Services (DHS) Travel Health Team will now be sent using GovDelivery. You can still connect directly with the Travel Health Team through email.
CDC Travel Health Notices
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issues Travel Health Notices to inform travelers and clinicians about current issues that impact travelers' health.
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 Microscopic view of Ebola virus
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Health infrastructure breakdown in Venezuela
The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Venezuela due to multiple outbreaks of infectious disease and inadequate access to health care. For more on this travel notice, visit the CDC website.
Global polio
Several international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Ensure that travelers who are unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated complete the routine polio vaccine series before international travel. Learn more about the situation on the CDC website.
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Coming Soon in November: Travel Health Network Meetings
The DHS Travel Health Team is hosting two virtual opportunities for travel health service providers. Travel Health Network meetings are an opportunity for travel health service providers from a variety of settings to come together to discuss current travel health trends and provide feedback on potential resources developed by DHS. Attendees are also encouraged to share information and resources, network, and ask questions.
Meeting dates and details
November 9 at 12 p.m.
November 10 at 7 a.m.
Travel Health Humor
Question: What travels the world but stays in one corner? See the answer at the bottom of this email.
Disease Spotlight: Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)
What is it?
Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, is a fungal disease caused by inhaling spores from Coccidioides species. This fungus lives in the soil of semi-arid regions of the world and is endemic in areas of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and portions of South America.
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Who is at risk?
When asked, most people diagnosed with Valley fever in Wisconsin have a history of travel to Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, or Texas. Travelers are at increased risk if they participate in activities that expose them to soil disruption and outdoor dust (such as construction, archaeological excavation, and military training exercises). Certain groups of people are at higher risk for becoming severely ill.
What are the symptoms?
About 60% of infected people exhibit mild or no clinical illness. People who develop symptoms usually present with a flu-like illness, with fever, cough, headache, fatigue, rash, and muscle aches one to three weeks after exposure.
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 This map shows the average incidence of reported Valley fever per 100,000 people, by county, during 2011–2017 (Source: CDC).
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Reporting and follow-up
This disease is a category II disease in Wisconsin and should be reported to the patient's local public health department within 72 hours upon recognition of a case. Wisconsin case reporting and public health follow-up guidelines are available on the DHS website.
In Case You Missed It: Update from September
CDC to discontinue distribution of intravenous artesunate for treatment of severe malaria in the U.S.
On September 30, the CDC discontinued its distribution of intravenous artesunate for treatment of severe malaria in the U.S.
Travel Health Humor answer: A stamp.
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