Letters from Members / Notes from the Editor

Dear Sir

Many of the issues discussed at the 6th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine raise the need for further research or action. Stephen Bezruchka, in his communication session “Adverse Effects of Tourism to Majority Countries on the Health of the Host Population”, explored not only the impact of tourism on the health and environment in host countries, but also the relationship between income inequality and life expectancy. He also discussed the loss of local control that occurs where holidays spent in resorts owned by transnational corporations, result in a new outflow of foreign exchange. He suggested that travel clinics could attempt to address the problem by promoting responsible choices of travel destinations to our clients.

As travel physicians, concerned about preventing disease in host countries as well as in travellers and in expatriates, I proposed that we also do what we can to support Jubilee 2000. Recent debt reduction proposals by Tony Blair do not go far enough. ‘Structural adjustment’ did not succeed in increasing prosperity in the majority world. As long as countries must spend more on debt payments to their northern creditors than they do on the health and education of their people, disease and social unrest will continue to increase.

Maurianne Reade, MD, Lakeland Medical Clinic, Cold Lake, Canada
Mailing Address: General Delivery, Westerose, Alberta, Canada, TOC 2VO.

An Analysis of Travel Health Advice

I am planning a content analysis of travel health advice material given to travellers. The emphasis will be on the investigation of issues which seem to not have been covered in previous such analyses.

I would like to ask ISTM members to assist me with this research by sending me material that they pass on to their clients.

I am mainly looking for written material (leaflets, brochures, booklets, photocopies of self compiled advice etc) on any travel health related issue. I will also examine audio tapes or video tapes should you use them and send me one (please attach a note if you wish them returned).

The material can be in one of the following languages: English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese, or Arabic (standard). I will be able to get assistance for other languages.

I would appreciate your passing this request on to other colleagues who might not be ISTM members, and I am happy to receive any contacts for institutions or publishers producing/distributing other material.

Please send any material you wish to share to the address below. The collection of items starts now, the actual analysis will start approximately March/April 2000. Any comments are welcome as well. Please note, to maintain confidentiality, names of individuals or clinics who have submitted information will not be identified in any report on the results.

Your help in this matter is very much appreciated.

Dr Irmgard Bauer, School of Nursing Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville Qld 4811, Australia
Telephone: + 61-7-47815312 or Fax: + 61-7-47814026.
E-mail: Irmgard.Bauer@jcu.edu.au

Thank you to all contributors for this first NewsShare after the Montréal Conference. In addition to the excellent scientific content, the conference was an opportunity for people to meet and discuss issues relating to the society and its future.

It has been decided that members with access to the Internet and the ISTM Website should be able to ‘opt out’ of receiving NewsShare as a ‘hard copy’.

This for many of us is a sign of the times and knowing that current and back numbers of NewsShare are readily available on the ISTM WebSite, this means less paper arrives into our offices to be filed or piled away (!)

If you do not wish to receive a hard copy of NewsShare in the future please let Brenda Bagwell know at the secretariat address below. This will also mean less costs for printing and postage.

Please keep your contributions coming in.

We have also decided to limit the amount of non-society material in NewsShare so we are dependent upon you to let us have material to share with other members.