Letter to the Editor
Preparing ISTM for the Athens Olympics, 2004
Dear Editor:
The Opening Ceremonies for the 2004 Olympic Games in Greece are less than one year away. This major event of global proportions presents an important opportunity for ISTM to play a leadership role.
Thousands of athletes and journalists along with millions of other visitors will come to Athens. These visitors deserve a better health care infrastructure than has been available during previous Olympiads; coverage should extend from their departure from home until the time of their return. The need for such coverage has already mobilized the Greek government and Greek health care ministries as well as numerous international organizations such as health and accident insurance companies.
Chances are that every ISTM member will face at least one client asking for pre-travel advice for Greece: whether or not vaccinations are required or recommended; dealing with pre-existing chronic diseases during their stay, and weather-related illnesses, for example. (There are no special recommendations or indications for vaccinations for Greece other than being up-to-date on vaccination generally recommended for international travel.)
ISTM should start immediately to take inventory of its considerable talents and resources regarding the movement of large numbers of people, the possible medical consequences of the mingling of these people from different parts of the world, the potential influence of the weather, and the risk, if any, of visitors returning home with infectious diseases, to mention just a few. In addition, ISTM should plan to use the Olympics as a field laboratory to add to the body of knowledge about health-related issues at large international events. However, while the Olympic Games Medical Committee (OGMC) is already collaborating with WHO and the International Olympic Committee, there is not yet an association between the OGMC and ISTM.
Fortunately, in recent years, ISTM has assumed a state-of-the-art position in communicating travel/health data; the ISTM mailing list, for example, did not exist during the Sydney Games. Still, ISTM members will face the need for more specific and better informed pre- and post travel advice, and perhaps some ability to connect with their clients visiting the games.
The basic structure prepared in Athens to accept and host athletes and visitors consists of the following:
At present, there is no effective electronic information transfer or medical data transfer system from the Organizing Committee of the Games. However, ISTM could establish such a system and put it into operation. In addition, the planned Games present an opportunity for ISTM’s existing structure (e.g., website, listserv, GeoSentinel, Travel Clinics Directory) to be expanded and upgraded. One such improvement would be for the ISTM website to host a special section pertaining to the Olympic Games and provide information, advice, and recommendations for interested travelers and doctors worldwide.
How could (or should) ISTM work before, during, and after the Games?
ISTM now consists of a wide global network of travel clinics and health care professionals in many countries. It is a continuously evolving scientific society, reflecting ongoing globalization, improvements in transportation, freer flow of masses of people worldwide, and progress in communications. ISTM is not and should not be involved in organizing or managing these population movements, but continue to maintain a purely scientific perspective.
What are the potential benefits for ISTM members in playing an active role?
ISTM as a Society and ISTM members as individuals can reap many benefits from their active involvement in providing health care during important global events such as the Olympics. While the organizing and hosting country have complete responsibility for providing health care to the athletes and visitors, ISTM members can play two important roles: provide pre- and post travel advice and health care services; and, more important, starting with the 2004 Olympics, they can get involved in providing health care to their clients in remote areas through the use of high-end IT/communication systems. The ongoing development of these systems enables travel medicine practitioners to expand their traditional services and maintain close contact with clients and patients wherever they are.
The first general test of this new capability could be conducted during the upcoming Athens Olympics. Many ideas have already been discussed, but perhaps the most efficient approach to preparing ISTM would be through the formation of an ISTM Olympic Committee. This Committee’s function would be to discuss and propose to the ISTM Board specific ways to use the 2004 Olympics to formulate future programs.
Topics for the Committee to address include:
Working with international travel insurance companies during the Games.
Evaluating the health care infrastructure at the 2004 Olympics and making recommendations, if necessary, for improving healthcare at future global events.
The Committee could form the base for a permanent committee in ISTM concerning Olympic Games and similar global events.
Sincerely,
George Petropoulos MD
Naxos Hospital
Athens, Greece
