6% higher than in 2009.[2] With the increase in international tourism, Thailand has augmented its efforts to address health issues related to international travel. The Thai government commended the implementation of International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), which entered into effect in June 2007.[3] In accordance with these regulations (Annex 1 of the

IHR 2005) the local public health agencies shall utilize their resources to improve their capacity of epidemiological surveillance to tracking health problems among those residing and visiting their jurisdiction.[3, 4] Several factors contribute to morbidity and mortality for international travelers. Individual characteristics, behaviors, and underlying disease conditions of travelers may increase or exacerbate the likelihood

of a travel-related health complication.[5] Among see more travel-related morbidity studies, Freedman reported the morbidity rates for illness after traveling in developing countries to be about 22% to 64%.[6] Mortality studies among international travelers are limited. The US Department Selleck Olaparib of State reports that over 6,000 Americans die abroad each year.[7] The Health Protection Agency Office in the UK reports more than 4,000 British nationals die abroad each year.[8] In Thailand, epidemiological data on the health status among international travelers are limited. Most travel-related health research in Thailand has focused on tropical diseases such as dengue hemorrhagic fever, and malaria.[9-11] There have not been any epidemiological studies on international travelers

Pazopanib concentration who expire while visiting Thailand. This is the first study to do so, and we elected to examine mortality data among foreign travelers in Chiang Mai Province, one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Thailand. Chiang Mai is one of 77 provinces in Thailand, and the provincial city is about 700 km north of Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. The population was approximately 1.7 million in 2009. The province hosted approximately 4.3 million visitors in 2009, including 3.1 million Thais and 1.2 million foreign nationals.[12] The primary objective of this study is to assess characteristics, patterns, and causes of death among foreign nationals in Chiang Mai City. The secondary objective is to develop public health strategies to monitor health problems among foreign nationals in Thailand. We assessed the mortality registration system in Thailand from 1991 to 2010. The system flow of the death registration was evaluated by reviewing publicly available documents, official websites, and work manuals.[13-15] All registered deaths of foreign nationals under the jurisdiction of the Chiang Mai Municipality were manually reviewed. The Chiang Mai Municipality is governed by an elected official, a “mayor,” that oversees four administration offices in four divisions of the Chiang Mai City. These included the administration offices at the Sriwichai, Mengrai, Kawila, and Nakhonping subdistricts.