Faculty Collaboration Database

American travel deaths in Mexico. Causes and prevention strategies. West J Med 1991 Feb;154(2):169-71

Date

02/01/1991

Pubmed ID

2006562

Pubmed Central ID

PMC1002706

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0026024351 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   53 Citations

Abstract

About 3 to 4 million Americans travel to Mexico every year, yet their mortality experience has never been analyzed. Fatalities among US travelers to Mexico during the years 1975 and 1984 were examined using a previously unanalyzed data source. The leading cause of death to all US travelers to Mexico was injuries (51%), with 18% of deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Of all travelers' deaths, 37% were due to circulatory diseases and less than 1% were due to infectious diseases. While the proportion of all deaths from motor vehicle crashes was similar for US citizens traveling in Mexico and US residents, travelers had significantly higher proportions of injury deaths due to aircraft crashes and drowning. Injury, rather than infectious diseases, appears to pose the greatest risk of death to travelers to Mexico. Physicians and travel clinics need to place greater emphasis on injury prevention when giving advice to clients traveling to Mexico.

Author List

Guptill KS, Hargarten SW, Baker TD

Author

Stephen W. Hargarten MD, MPH Professor in the Emergency Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Accidents, Traffic
Cause of Death
Female
Humans
Male
Mexico
Mortality
Travel