[The risk of contracting hepatitis A or hepatitis B run by visitors to the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe].

Hepatitis A and B continue to represent a risk for travelers. Those traveling to tropical countries are usually aware of this risk, while those visiting a Mediterranean country often are not. This investigation presents a destination-related risk assessment and vaccination recommendations for travellers, on the basis of incidences and prevalences of hepatitis A and hepatitis B. For hepatitis B, the WHO classification based on HBsAg prevalence has been selected. For hepatitis A, countries have been categorized as low-, moderate- or high-risk. A comparison of infection risk with the numbers of airline passengers showed that in particular the large number of travelers to Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt, in conjunction with hygienic conditions in those countries, represent a source of imported hepatitis A. With regard to destinations in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe, too, the risk of contracting hepatitis A or hepatitis B is not always negligible, so that vaccination may need to be recommended.