Viajes al extranjero durante la pandemia de COVID-19

13.08.2020
Podróże zagraniczne podczas pandemii COVID-19
Agnieszka Wroczyńska (MD, PhD), Anna Kuna (MD, PhD), Weronika Rymer (MD, PhD)

Cómo citar: Wroczyńska A., Kuna A., Rymer W., Viajes al extranjero durante la pandemia de COVID-19, Med. Prakt., 2020, 7‑8: 147‑156, 164

Siglas y abreviaturas: CDC — Centers for Disease Prevention and Control, COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) — enfermedad por coronavirus 2019, EASA — European Union Aviation Safety Agency, ECDC — European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ETG — encefalitis transmitida por garrapatas, IATA (International Air Transport Association) — Asociación Internacional de Transporte Aéreo, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) — coronavirus del síndrome respiratorio de Oriente Medio, NaTHNaC — National Travel Health Network and Centre, OMS — Organización Mundial de la Salud, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2): coronavirus 2 del síndrome respiratorio agudo grave, UE — Unión Europea

¿Qué relevancia tienen los viajes al extranjero para el desarrollo de la pandemia de COVID-19?

La pandemia de COVID-19 constituye una circunstancia excepcional entre las enfermedades del viajero. Los viajes al extranjero y el turismo favorecen la transmisión del SARS-CoV-2 debido a la movilidad de los viajeros, posibilidad de que la infección llegue al país de destino, grandes aglomeraciones de personas en aeropuertos, centros turísticos, hoteles, etc. Viajar en avión u otro medio de transporte cerrado (autobús, tren, barco) a poca distancia de una persona infectada supone un factor de riesgo de infección que se ha incluido en la definición de caso de COVID-19.

En la fase inicial de la pandemia de COVID-19, los viajes y el turismo contribuyeron significativamente a la transmisión del SARS-CoV-2 entre países y continentes, así como a la expansión de la epidemia en cada país. Sin embargo, según el criterio actual del European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), en la mayoría de los países del mundo las infecciones asociadas al turismo y los viajes internacionales pueden ser menos relevantes que las transmisiones dentro de las comunidades locales. Cuando el pasado junio se reanudaron los vuelos internacionales y la Unión Europea (UE) abrió sus fronteras, solo el 3 % de las infecciones por SARS-CoV-2 se produjeron fuera del país de residencia habitual de las personas con diagnóstico confirmado de COVID-19. El ECDC considera que, en el futuro cercano, lo más seguro es que las personas infectadas por SARS-CoV-2 en el extranjero representen una minoría insignificante entre todos los habitantes de Europa con COVID-19 diagnosticada.

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