The mean percentage for accurate responses to malaria questions was 67.3% (range, 16.8%–90.5%). The accuracy was lowest for the two questions: (1) duration of mefloquine use as prophylaxis for malaria, and (2) the longest incubation period of malaria due to the dormant phases of Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale. The most often chosen, incorrect Doxorubicin molecular weight answer (21.2% physicians and 33.5% nurses)

regarding the duration of prophylactic mefloquine use was one week before travel and continue using until one week after leaving malarious area. The chosen answers to the question about malaria’s incubation period were distributed evenly: 1 month (23.2%), 3 months (26.7%), 6 months (16.5%), 1 year (16.5%), and not sure (16.8%). The mean percentage of accurate responses for the yellow fever questions was 65.4% (range, 39.6%–79.3%), and Table 2 demonstrates the results of the two groups. There were four questions with an accuracy between 70 and 80%, and two questions with an accuracy less than 60%. Only 39.6% of health professionals knew the revaccination interval for the yellow fever vaccine. Approximately 22% of health-care providers reported 5 years as the current suggested revaccination interval, and 24% answered not sure. Table 3 shows the items surveyed and accurate response percentages for both groups regarding knowledge about dengue fever. The mean percentage

of accurate selleck screening library responses to the dengue fever questions was 74.4% (range, 14.4%–96.5%). One item (the behavior of the vector Aedes aegypti mosquito) had a very low accuracy (14.4%). Approximately 60% of physicians and 58% of nurses selected the answer that the mosquito is only active at dusk. Figure 1 shows physicians had statistically significant, higher scores for all three diseases. The average score was highest for knowledge about dengue fever in both the physician (dengue fever vs yellow fever vs malaria = 0.83 vs 0.76 vs 0.73) and

nurse (0.71 vs 0.61 vs 0.65) groups. This study represents one of the first nationwide surveys focusing on health-care professionals’ knowledge of travel medicine and provides valuable information for the burgeoning travel medicine profession in Taiwan, as well as other countries looking to improve the quality of medical care for their traveling citizens. Understanding the behavior of disease vectors can help health-care professionals provide appropriate Cediranib (AZD2171) suggestions to travelers and help create a safe travel schedule.16 Advising travelers to protect against vector-borne diseases is a crucial component of any pre-travel consultation. This advice is especially important in situations where there are no effective vaccines or prophylactic drugs available (eg, dengue fever). Travelers may be able to modify their schedules according to peak biting activity, such as twilight periods for malaria or daylight hours for dengue fever. Knowledge regarding the Anopheles mosquito was high (82.8% accuracy), while knowledge about the A aegypti mosquito was quite low (14.4%).