Critical care medicine | 2019
The authors reply.
Abstract
might render elderly travelers from industrialized countries fully susceptible to HAV infection. Conceptually this concern is suggested by experience with polio virus. A 65-year-old British male was afllicted by polio virus type 1 wild infection while on holidays in Morocco. In Morocco itself, yet another 62-year-old previously healthy man during a holiday in a beach resort acquired poliomyelitk3 An extension of the recommendation of Laurichesse et al., to include HAV vaccination of elderly travelers might be essential to ensure their protection fiom HAV infection and to avoid the importation of HAV to industrialized countries. HAV vaccination might also be indicated among expatriates in endemic countries even if they are housed in modern residential apartments with a potable water supply and modern sanitary conditions. They might not acquire HAV infection while living in such an environment, but any accidental or intentional visit to locations outside such dwellings (e.g., to holiday resorts) would likely be associated with acquiring HAV infection. HAV vaccine would be indicated for children and adolescents of expatriates living in modern residential apartments when they venture outside the modern confines or otherwise visit an HAV endemic foci.