Should obstetricians working in non-endemic countries care about emerging tropical diseases?

Due to migration and international travels, obstetricians are increasingly faced with a globalized obstetric setting and should adapt their daily clinical and diagnostic approach to the modifications of tropical and subtropical infections epidemiology. This paper is focused on five emerging infectious diseases, namely Chagas disease, HTLV-1 infection, malaria, schistosomiasis and Zika virus infection, having a high prevalence in migrant populations and which can affect international travelers. These diseases frequently pass unrecognized since they are characterized by few or no symptoms during pregnancy, however they may cause a relevant maternal, fetal and neonatal impact. Specific and reliable diagnostic and treatment options are available but are rarely used during routine obstetrical practice. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Obstetricians need to adapt to the globalized obstetric setting and pay attention to five emerging infectious diseases that migrant populations and international travelers may be affected by, which often go unnoticed during pregnancy but can have significant impacts on maternal and neonatal health.