Are travelers willing to pay for prophylaxis? Will professionals supply?

This study was undertaken to assess the willingness of travelers attending a travel clinic to pay for vaccination and the willingness of health care p rofessionals to prescribe medications for self-treatment of traveler's diar rhea. Two questionnaires were issued. The first was sent to individuals who had attended the Dundee Teaching Hospitals' travel clinic in Scotland betw een April 1993 and July 1995; the second was sent to medical practitioners and pharmacists in hospital and community practices in Tayside, Scotland. O f the 111 respondents to the travelers' questionnaire, 95 answered the ques tions regarding willingness to pay. The majority (48.4%) disagreed that vac cinations should be free, 54.7% were of the opinion that the current prescr iption charge should be the recognized cost, and 18.9% thought that a priva te prescription charge should be levied. Of the 420 health care professiona ls who responded to the second questionnaire, 31.9% supported the availabil ity of ciprofloxacin, a quinolone antibiotic, over the counter far the trea tment of traveler's diarrhea. This study demonstrates that there is little support for private prescriptions for travel immunization. There is a surpr ising level of support for over-the-counter availability of ciprofloxacin f or the treatment of traveler's diarrhea.