Travel Medicine in Japan
In Japan, there are two societies that deal with travel medicine: the Japanese Society of Travel and Health, and the Japanese Society of Travel Medicine.
The Japanese Society of Travel and Health will hold its 6th annual meeting on July 5th, 2002 at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo. The President is Hirofumi Okoshi MD, PhD of the Medical Services, Japan Airlines. This Society was founded in 1997 to study various health issues among overseas travelers and employees working in foreign countries. The Society has about 200 members. These include medical doctors, nurses, and non-medical personnel. The annual meetings focus on developing travel medicine in Japan. We sincerely hope that many people will be joining us in making a fruitful meeting.
In 2001, the Japanese Society of Travel Medicine was established. The mission of this Society is to promote healthy travel for Japanese travelers, many of whom go abroad with almost no preparation for health risks.
Japanese travelers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of travel medicine, and not only about infectious diseases, but of the much wider range of health and safety issues. The Society’s aim is to teach travelers how to cope with these risks according to their statistical importance. The most urgent tasks are to support the elderly who have heart attacks and strokes during travel, educate travelers about high altitude illness, facilitate travel for the physically challenged, and inform travelers about sexually transmitted diseases.
A meeting has been scheduled for March 9, 2002 in Tokyo, with lectures and symposia. Invited lecturers include Professor Walter Pasini from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Tourist Health and Travel Medicine, and Dr. John Aldis of the U.S.A.
Yuka Ujita
Japan Overseas Health Administration Center
