ISTM Electronic Communication Committee
(ECC) Report - June 1999

Current Status of the Three Major Activities

Web Page: www.istm.org is currently located on a sever maintained for the Society by Shoreland Inc. They format and mount content (computer files) provided to them by various arms of the society. Present format includes provision of Mission and Membership information; Travel Clinic Directory; ISTM News Service, Publications (JTM, NewsShare); Links to Important Other Sites; Links to Travel Clinic Web Pages; ICTM information.

Members and ISTM sponsors have requested hyperlinks to commercially oriented sites not directly related to the provision of medical care to individual patients. The ECC has been tasked by the Executive Board to report back on this issue but the initial feeling is that the revenue stream from this would be small and that this sort of endeavour is unusual for academic and professional societies.

TravelMed: The listserv discussion group. Presently 348 members subscribe. Discussion is lively and often of high quality and usefulness to participants. The move to an unmoderated format in 1998 has been highly successful. A Liability Disclaimer to automatically appear on all postings will be added.

Membership wide e-mail distribution: Selected surveys, ISTM notices, GeoSentinel requests, and GeoSentinel Advisories/alerts will continue to be disseminated in this way.

New Recommendations

1. ISTM should consider an expanded web presence. This might include creation of a WebPage Editor position that held significant stature within the organisation as well as an editorial board for this electronic publication. Resources for editorial assistance would be required. Education of the public, new media, legislative entities, and K-12 classrooms about travel medicine should be an important focus of the Web publication. The Societies’ mission would be well served if the answer to the many enquiries we all receive from reporters, legislative aides, or schoolchildren needing to write a report on malaria or any travel related disease could be “go to www.istm.org”. Provision of content would ultimately depend on the good will of our membership.
2. All electronic publication of the Newsletter. This would eliminate significant printing and postage costs. Access by members would not be affected and the electronic version would be available, for most members, at least two to three weeks prior to receipt of any mailed hardcopy. Near universal internet access is now the norm even in the developing world. Internet should now be viewed as a way to reach more people rather than as an elitist tool that would restrict information flow to academia and the economically advantaged.

The Executive Board passed on a resolution mandating gradual transition to all electronic publication subject to member feedback. Beginning in calendar 2000, upon electronic availability of each issue on the ISTM Web Page, each member would receive an e-mail announcing the issue. Embedded in the e-mail would be the URL for the PDF version of the file. Current e-mail software and PC operating systems link URLs and Web Browsers so that simply clicking on the URL in the e- mail message will bring up the issue, completely formatted, on the screen. Those with colour printers would even be able to print in colour. Year 2000 and 2001 membership renewal forms will both ask members whether they want to discontinue receipt of their print versions. For 2000 the default for those not replying will be to continue to receive the print version, for 2001 the default for those not replying will be discontinuation of receipt of the print version. The Executive Board will consider total cessation of the print version at its 2001 meeting. Due to the relative permanence of print media, scientific publications such as the Journal should remain available in print, with the extent to which content is disseminated electronically to be determined by the Board, the Journal Editor, and the Publications Committee.

ISTM Electronics Communications Committee: David O Freedman (USA), Chair., Steven Denny (USA), Graham Fry (Ireland), Jeff Chapman (USA), Andrew Jamieson (South Africa), Yvan Fortin (Canada), Deborah Mills (Australia), San Lanfranco (Canada)