Awareness, practices, and health problems of backpackers traveling during flooding in Thailand during 2011

During late 2011, Thailand experienced its worst flooding in 50 years with over 4.6 million people directly affected. During the flooding we conducted a cross sectional survey of backpackers in the Khao San Road area of Bangkok to determine awareness, practices, and their incidence of health problems during the flooding. A total of 422 subjects completed questionnaires which were analyzed. Seventy percent were European and 12.3% were North American. The overall median age was 27 years and the median stay in Thailand was 22 days. Most of the backpackers were aware of the flooding in Thailand; some had sought travel health information prior to their trip from various sources including the internet, their family physician or a travel clinic. However, even in travel clinics specific health advice related to flooding, such as leptospirosis risk/prevention, was rarely given to travelers. Fifteen point four percent of subjects (65/422) had come into contact with floodwater; 30.8% of those (20/65) washed their feet/legs afterward. Our findings indicate most backpackers were inadequately aware of potential health hazards, such as leptospirosis, during the floods.