A Message from the President

Dear ISTM Members

We write to apprise you of an interesting opportunity that promises to be productive both for individual authors and for two highly regarded journals.  We have been asked to edit the Travel Medicine section of the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases.  Dr. Sherwood Gorbach, the editor of Clinical Diseases Infectious, has asked that we solicit short mini-reviews on infectious disease topics in travel medicine.  Dr. Gorbach has agreed that a mini-review could be expanded and published in the Journal of Travel Medicine as a major, comprehensive review with fewer constraints on number of pages or references.

Conceptually, the CID mini-review is intended to provide brief, reader-friendly reviews of important issues or major trends in an infectious disease topic within the broad field of travel medicine.  These are intended to represent personal, authoritative viewpoints, and not to be exhaustive compendia of current literature.  Such comprehensive reviews, which could also include non-infectious disease aspects of a topic, should be reserved for later publication in JTM.

While the mini-review can have multiple authors, we ask that the tone of the piece clearly reflect the wisdom and perspective of the seasoned expert.  Because the target audience is the readership of Clinical Infectious Diseases (practicing infectious diseases physicians and fellows), the focus should include not only a description of a topic but also an explanation of how new information might affect interpretation of laboratory or clinical data or influence clinical decision-making. Think of these reviews as if they were informal “chalk talks” by an expert to small group of clinicians.

The article should be written in the form of a mini-review of approximately 2500 words (about 10 double-spaced typed pages), along with a maximum of 20-25 highly selected references and appropriate tables or figures. Because this is a peer-reviewed journal, we will send all papers for review.  We would appreciate your providing the names of 2 or 3 reviewers who would be qualified to comment upon your manuscript.

We hope you will be willing to share your expertise.  If you have a topic that you think would be appropriate for CID or JTM or both, please contact either of us.  At that time we can apprise you of the requested timetables for submission.

Warm regards,

Charles D. Ericsson, MD Professor of Medicine and Head, Clinical Infectious Diseases, University of Texas, Houston Medical School, President, International Society of Travel Medicine, Phone:  713-500-6732, Fax:  713-500-5495

Robert Steffen, MD, Professor and Head, Division of Communicable Diseases, Director, WHO CC for Travelers’ Health, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Zurich, Sumatrastrasse 30, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland, Phone:  +41-1-634 4620, Fax: +41-1-634 4984

The travel industry and public education committee survey

The Travel Industry and Public Education Committee recently commissioned a nationwide survey of 500 travellers to ascertain travellers’ perceptions of health risks in travel. The survey, which was conducted by the market research firm Strategy One, revealed that more than 50% of all travellers surveyed were “unaware” of the different health risks involved with visiting their travel destinations.

The survey was conducted utilising a computer assisted telephone interviewing (CA TI) facility and respondents were contacted randomly via random digit dialing sampling methods.

Consumer studies such as this one are valuable tools in meeting the goals of the Travel Industry and Public Education Committee, which is namely to raise the traveler’s awareness of travel health issues.

Highlights of the survey include:-
a) 40% of travellers surveyed did not seek advice concerning potential health risks and medications to reduce the risk of disease exposure.
b) 80% of international travellers surveyed stated that they were ‘unconcerned’ about exposure to diseases such as malaria.
c) Almost half of the respondents, who knew that malaria could be fatal, did not seek health advice about prevention prior to travel.

The statistics from the survey indicate an overall lack of awareness on behalf of international travelers and subsequently demonstrates a need for greater educational outreach to the public. Communicated properly, these survey findings can function as helpful tools for ISTM members as well as national and international healthcare providers.

The international travel health survey was, in fact, a nationwide outreach. The survey was based upon a random telephone dialing sampling of people previously identified (via an omnibus survey) as having travelled internationally in the past year. Strategy One purchased this list of recent travellers from a firm that gathers marketing/demographic statistics.

For further information please contact B. Connor, M.D., TIPEC committee chair at bconnor@pol.net

WEB EDITOR

The ISTM Executive Board has decided to establish a new position within the Society with the goal of offering expanded functionality and information services both to our members and to the public The Web Editor will be responsible for all editorial aspects of the website.

This will include

  • solicitation and development of content,
  • updating of informational services provided by the Web page, and
  • identification and coordination of appropriate links.

Exploration of commercial partnerships that maintain the integrity and image of a professional and academic society will be within the scope of the position. The individual selected may establish an editorial board if desired. The position will be central to the Society and shall be equal in stature to that of the editors of ISTM print publications. The selected individual should have excellent organisational and editorial skills and significant experience in the field of travel medicine. Programming support is available and such skills are not integral to the position. Funding for an editorial assistant is negotiable.

Please contact
Dr. Christoph Hatz, Chair ISTM Publications Committee, Swiss Tropical Institute,
PO Box, CH - 4002 Basel, Switzerland; Fax ++41 61 271 86 54; e-mail: hatz@keep.touch.ch

Research Committee News

The Research Committee Grant Application form is now available electronically. To access this form, click here. The file is in three formats (HTML, PDF and RTF) to suit members worldwide. Apply today for future research funding!

Dr. Patricia Schlagenhauf, Research Committee
ISPM, University of Zuerich, Sumatrastr. 30, CH-8006 Zuerich, Switzerland
Tel.:+41 1 6344630, Fax.:+41 1 6344984, mail: pat@ifspm.unizh.ch

Encouraging others to join the International Society of Travel Medicine

We need your help to encourage others to join the ISTM. Think of the benefits. We can strengthen our links with other professionals involved in the health care of the international traveller. The Society publishes a variety of essential material including the Journal of Travel Medicine, this NewsShare publication, various electronic discussion groups, the Travel Clinic directory and other miscellaneous items. There is a reduced attendance fee for members at the biennial conference CME (continuous medical education) points may be available at the various meetings for doctors and nurses. There is a great potential for international collaborative research between members. The GeoSentinal surveillance network is beginning to show the benefit of pooling observations from our members, spread throughout the world, in identifying new and emerging disease outbreaks. There is a reduced rate for GIDEON Software. With all this good news can you really keep it to yourself?

Please use the How to Join ISTM form to encourage your colleagues to join the Society.
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