Society News

Charlie Ericsson, President, ISTM

Use of ISTM logo

I am pleased to report that our ISTM logo is now registered. Please read the following ISTM policies regarding the use of the logo as well as the use of hyperlinks. Many people, but especially David Freedman, deserve our thanks for their time and effort in developing this policy. If you have any questions, please contact the chairman of the Electronic Communications Committee or of the Publications Committee.

Policy on the use of the ISTM logo. The ISTM logo is a legally registered trademark of the International Society of Travel Medicine. Any reproduction whether in print, in advertising materials, on merchandise, in electronic media, or on internet websites is prohibited without the expressed written consent of the International Society of Travel Medicine.

The logo will be used only for official initiatives and activities of the ISTM as an organization. Because use of the logo implies an explicit endorsement by ISTM, permission to individuals or other organizations to display the ISTM logo in any media under any other circumstances, whether they be ISTM members or not, will only be granted in exceptional circumstances and only with specific approval of the Publications Committee and the ISTM Executive Board.

Permission to use the logo can be directed to the chairman or vice chairman of the publications committee, Christoph Hatz hatz@keep.touch.ch or Stephen Ostroff smo1@cdc.gov.

Policy on hyperlinks to the ISTM web page

Permission will be routinely granted to all individuals and organizations who wish to place a text hyperlink to the ISTM website or to the Journal of Travel Medicine web page on their own websites. The hyperlink must be solely text based and cannot include display of the ISTM logo which is a registered trademark of the International Society of Travel Medicine. Requests for permission to establish text hyperlinks can be directed to the attention of the Chairman of the Electronic Communications Committee via e-mail at istm@istm.org.

NewsShare/Web Edition/Paper Edition

Our newsletter, NewsShare, is up and running and will be posted 6 times a year, on the first day of odd months. At present, we only have the electronic edition (www.istm.org) but there are ongoing discussions within the executive board and publication committee regarding a printed edition. The publisher of our Journal (Brian Decker of BC Decker Inc.) has been involved in these discussions.

There are two schools of thought regarding the written edition:

Against a printed edition: considerable cost of printing and mailing; not necessary now that access to computers and modems is widespread; requires advertisements to cover costs; few complaints from members about the lack of a printed edition. (However, members who do not have access to the web may not be aware of the fact that we have an electronic edition.)

In favor of a printed edition: prestige: costs can be reduced by mailing NewsShare together with our Journal; the newsletter can be handed out to potential members at meetings; little additional work in production; some members do not have access to the web or have difficulty downloading; many people look forward to and are more likely to read a print newsletter.

One solution suggested is to send the printed edition only to members who request it. While this may reduce costs of printing and mailing, it would be difficult to obtain advertisements for an edition received only by a partial list of the membership. Comments invited.

NewsShare/Advertising

A somewhat related issue is whether or not to have advertisements in the NewsShare electronic edition, and perhaps on other pages of the ISTM website. Such advertising is becoming more acceptable, can be done tastefully and professionally, and helps pay costs, which are considerable – and increasing. Comments invited.

New Email address for ISTM

We area phasing out the old Email address for ISTM. Please use the new address: istm@istm.org.

ISTM Travel Clinics List

There is much interest from various organizations to “link” with ISTM and/or use ISTM’s travel clinic list. These are valuable resources. The ISTM President and executive committee are studying such proposals and will try to establish guidelines. Providing the public with greater access to these lists furthers the cause of travel medicine. Questions that require answering include: should ISTM receive a fee for making these lists available to commercial enterprises and/or should the lists be given free to reputable, non-profit organizations? Revenues would help keep the lists current. Also, how can ISTM protect against the lists being used in unauthorized ways? Comments invited.

Providing more travel medicine information to the public

Fiona Genasi (Scotland) writes: Providing information for the public is an important area for ISTM to develop. I appreciate that the Public Education committee has been working hard on this. I have a few suggestions about how things might be progressed without over committing people and finances and with an eye to maintaining the “International” focus of ISTM .

For example: A website for the public provided by the ISTM would be feasible if it was limited to directing people to accurate sources of information, books, National Societies of Travel Medicine, etc. and, of course, the clinic directory. There is no need (and no point) in compiling a database of travel health information which could never be accurately country specific. However, a country by country guide to available resources would be incredibly useful. As part of the European Commission funded Travel Medicine Inventory Project (1999-200) we collected this information for 17 European Countries. Thus we already have details of all the existing National Societies of Travel Medicine, public databases, publications (leaflet and books) aimed at the public, etc. on an Access database, about to be transferred to Oracle. Updating information could be the responsibility of a designated person in each country, with an overall editor, as happens with the Travel Clinics directory. (Fiona is at Genasi@scieh.csa.scot.nhs.uk She is Nurse Epidemiologist, Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health, Clifton House, Clifton Place, Glasgow.

David Freedman answers: Fiona: We have already accomplished a large part of what you propose. If you go to the ISTM Web Page, click on non-ISTM links then click on Links to Key Travel/Tropical Medicine sites you get a full page of just the international resources you mention. Perhaps we can make it a little more user friendly. As for a country by country guide of available resources within that country, I agree that this would be the purview of National Societies to host on their own respective web pages.

If any of our readers are aware of such sites, please send the information to David Freedman, the chairman of the electronics committee at dfreedman@geomed.dom.uab.edu or Karl Neumann, the editor/webmaster at newsletter@istm.org.