A Healthy 18-Year-Old Presents With Questions About Travel Vaccinations

Introduction. An 18-year-old high school senior and her parents present to their long-time family physician's office with questions about travel vaccinations.

Patient history. The patient’s school recently awarded her with a fellowship trip to Central America under the auspices of the World Health Organization. She will volunteer as an aide in a large hospital in Panama City. The patient is a top student who enjoys science subjects and hopes to pursue a career in medicine. She is healthy and has no medical issues.

She has had all required and recommended childhood vaccines (MMR, polio) and is vaccinated against human papillomavirus, COVID-19, and influenza. She feels that completing this fellowship will markedly strengthen her college admission process. However, her parents have read online about the presence of and risk for infection from a variety of "tropical fevers" in tropical climates and would like more bona fide medical input before agreeing to let their daughter travel. They are aware of the availability of vaccines against yellow fever and medication for Malaria prophylaxis but are concerned after reading about dengue fever.