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A changing world, a new approach to travel health
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In conversation with – Gerard Vondeling, VP Global Medical Affairs, Access and Value, Valneva
“Where are you traveling to?” For decades, that question largely determined the travel health advice a person received. Today, it is no longer enough.
International travel has reached new heights, with around 1.5 billion international tourist arrivals recorded globally in 2025. But as global travel continues to evolve, so too do the health risks.
Vector-borne diseases – infections transmitted by vectors such as mosquitos and ticks – have primarily been associated with tropical regions. Today, changing environmental conditions, alongside global travel, are reshaping where and how exposure occurs.
Looking beyond the destination
Traditionally, travel health advice has been closely linked to geography, with recommendations shaped by the infectious disease risks associated with a particular destination. Geography remains important, but it is no longer a fixed – or sufficient – guide to individual risk.
Climate change, together with global trade, travel and urbanization is altering the geography of vector-borne diseases. Changing temperatures , rainfall patterns and milder winters due to climate change are allowing disease-carrying vectors to survive in new areas and remain active for longer periods of the year.
In Europe, the expanding presence of mosquitos capable of transmitting diseases is blurring the boundary between “tropical” risks and those found closer to home. For example, the tiger mosquito ( Aedes albopictus ), which can transmit diseases such as dengue and chikungunya, is now established in 16 countries across Europe – double the number just over a decade ago. In 2025 , 809 locally acquired chikungunya cases were reported in mainland France, largely seeded by infections imported from a major outbreak in La Réunion.
But changing geography is only part of the picture. Even among people visiting the same destination, individual risk varies by when someone travels, how long they stay, what they do, and their own health circumstances.
This requires us to move beyond asking simply whether a destination is considered “risky”, towards understanding the individual traveling and their journey.
Risk is not always where we expect it
Different vectors create different patterns of exposure. Mosquito-borne diseases are often closely associated with international travel, yet risk can vary considerably depending on the mosquito and its behavior. Tiger mosquitos, for example, are typically active during daylight hours, meaning protection may be needed during the day as well as from dusk until dawn.
Tick-borne diseases – such as Lyme disease, which is found in many parts of Europe – present a different kind of exposure. Often closely connected to behavior, exposure risk can increase with activities such as hiking, cycling and camping that potentially bring people into contact with ticks in woodland, grassland and other suitable habitats. A woodland adventure close to home may therefore present a greater risk of tick exposure than a city break much farther afield – showing that what someone does when they travel can matter just as much as how far they have travelled.
Making travel health a crucial part of the journey
Travel health must keep pace with a rapidly changing disease landscape. Effective health advice should draw on current surveillance of vector-borne diseases and the circumstances of each journey, and be accessible before, during and after travel.
After returning, anyone who becomes unwell should seek medical advice and share their recent travel history and relevant activities. This information can help healthcare professionals consider whether a travel-related or vector-borne disease may be relevant, such as chikungunya or Lyme disease, and reach a diagnosis sooner. Making such support widely available will require specialist travel clinics to be complemented by pharmacies and primary care.
Vaccination also has an important role to play, providing a valuable means of prevention where appropriate and available. But it cannot address every vector-borne disease or individual risk. It should sit alongside practical advice and greater awareness of how and when exposure can occur. At Valneva, this reinforces our commitment to advancing vaccines for better lives and helping prevention keep pace with changing health risks.
Checking passports, insurance and accommodation is already part of preparing to travel; understanding health risks relevant to a journey should be just as routine. The ambition should not be fewer journeys, but better-prepared ones.
[1] 260120-international-tourist-arrivals-up-4-in-2025-reflecting-strong-travel-demand-around-the-world-en.pdf
[2] Vector-borne diseases
[3] World Mosquito Day 2026: Europe must upgrade control tools as disease risks rise
[4] Chikungunya, Dengue, and Zika in Metropolitan France. 2025 Report. | Santé publique France
[5] International travel and health. Module 1. General health risks and considerations for travellers
[6] Factsheet for health professionals about chikungunya virus disease
[7] Factsheet about Borreliosis
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