GeoSentinel: past, present and future

Abstract

Rationale for review In response to increased concerns about emerging infectious diseases, GeoSentinel, the Global Surveillance Network of the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM) in partnership with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was established in 1995 in order to serve as a global provider-based emerging infections sentinel network, conduct surveillance for travel-related infections and communicate and assist global public health responses. This review summarizes the history, past achievements, and future directions of the GeoSentinel Network. Key findings Funded by the US CDC in 1996, GeoSentinel has grown from a group of eight US-based travel and tropical medicine centers to a global network, which currently consists of 68 sites in 28 countries. GeoSentinel has provided important contributions that have enhanced the ability to use destination-specific differences to guide diagnosis and treatment of returning travelers, migrants, and refugees. During the last two decades, GeoSentinel has identified a number of sentinel infectious disease events including previously unrecognized outbreaks and occurrence of diseases in locations thought not to harbor certain infectious agents. GeoSentinel has also provided useful insight into illnesses affecting different traveling populations such as migrants, business travelers, and students, while characterizing in greater detail the epidemiology of infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, leishmaniasis, and Zika virus disease. Conclusions Surveillance of travel- and migration-related infectious diseases has been the main focus of GeoSentinel for the last 25 years. However, GeoSentinel is now evolving into a network that will conduct both research and surveillance. The large number of participating sites and excellent geographic coverage for identification of both common and illnesses in individuals who have traversed international borders uniquely position GeoSentinel to make important contributions of travel-related infectious diseases in the years to come.

Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants using traveler-based genomic surveillance at four US airports, September 2021- January 2022

“…Detection of imported emerging infectious diseases has traditionally focused on travelers presenting to health clinics after symptom onset [12]. COVID-19 presents unique challenges since transmission often occurs before symptom onset or in asymptomatic infected persons [7].…”

Acute hepatitis A in international travellers: a GeoSentinel analysis, 2008–2020

“…GeoSentinel—a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM)—is a global clinician-based sentinel surveillance system that monitors infectious diseases and other adverse health events that affect international travelers. 16 GeoSentinel comprises 68 sites in 28 countries, where clinicians diagnose patients and collect demographic and travel-related information on infections acquired during travel. GeoSentinel’s data collection protocol was reviewed by a human subjects advisor at the CDC National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases and has been classified as public health surveillance and not human subject research.…”

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in international travelers

“…One recent example of this is nearly identical plasmids with bla NDM-5 and qepA in E. coli found in Pakistan and Canada [ 73 ]. Existing efforts to follow AMR and specific pathogens include GeoSentinel, NARMS and PathogenWatch, and such efforts could be implemented more broadly [ 50 ▪▪ , 74 – 77 ]. New genomic surveillance efforts have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, and prioritizing the development and support for such infrastructure is crucial for global AMR control efforts as well [ 78 – 80 ].…”