Scientific Program & Schedule

CISTM18 Scientific Program Committee Chair Welcome Letter

It is my great pleasure to invite you to attend the 18th conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine! The last two years have been extremely challenging as the global COVID-19 pandemic has greatly disrupted international travel and has resulted in many of our travel medicine practices being substantially curtailed and even temporarily suspended. We are pleased therefore that the world is re-opening and that international travel volumes are steadily increasing.

We are planning an exciting in-person meeting in Basel, Switzerland with the theme “Dawn of a New Era in Travel Medicine”. Basel is a wonderful city on the banks of the river Rhine River with a well-equipped, modern conference center, excellent museums, great restaurants, and close proximity to France and Germany. Given the widespread disruptions in global travel secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine with a resultant massive outflow of refugees to neighboring countries (many of which have active ISTM members), and the profound impact of climate change, the world is changing and we as travel medicine practitioners will need to be prepared to adapt to these changes. Our conference will address these and other topics of importance to the travel medicine community.

We have convened a highly experienced Scientific Program Committee, which has been hard at work developing a comprehensive and attractive program for you. Some of the program highlights include plenary and symposia on the impact of COVID-19 and climate change on travel, antimicrobial resistance, tick-borne diseases, migrant health, and the rising threat of artemisinin treatment failures for malaria-infected travelers. We will also have many excellent workshops including several introductory sessions for novel travel medicine providers as well as others on highly specialized topics such as migrant health, a focus on leishmaniasis, human trafficking, and dengue. In addition, Christoph Hatz and the stellar Local Organizing Committee are planning some exciting events for the meeting including special entertainment at the opening ceremony, an opportunity to explore Basel on the third day of the meeting, and a special dinner for all attendees.

We look forward to seeing you in Basel. Please mark your diaries for 21-25 May 2023!

David Hamer,
CISTM18 Scientific Program Committee Chair,
United States of America

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Plenary Sessions

Monday, 22 May 2023

Prevention of COVID-19 in Travelers

COVID-19 Vaccines
Non-vaccine Measures to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 (and other respiratory pathogens) During Travel
 

Tuesday, 23 May 2023

Climate Change - impact on Travel and How Travelers Can Help Preserve the Future 

Climate change and Evolving Disease Risk 
Responsible Travel- Strategies to Reduce Environmental Impact on Planetary Health 
 

Wednesday, 24 May 2023

Travel-Associated Mortality - A Dead End 

Causes of Death in Travelers
Homicide, Road Accidents, and Drowning 
 

Thursday, 25 May 2023

Antimicrobial Resistance Worldwide - an Increasing Risk for Travelers 

Epidemiology of AMR and Implications for Treatment and Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Travel-Related Diseases
 

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Alan Magill Memorial Lecture

Malaria Treatment, Resistance 

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Symposia

COVID-19 Spread, Collateral Damage, and Impact on Migrants

COVID-19 Global Spread through Travel 
Collateral Damage Due to COVID-19 

Africa - Country Level Risk and Local Travel Medicine Resources

Egypt
Ethiopia
Ghana
Zimbabwe 

A South American Tour of Febrile Diseases

Malaria 
Yellow Fever 
Emerging Viral Infections 

Leishmaniasis - A Global Perspective

Eurasia
Middle East and Africa
Latin America 

Improving the Health of Migrants and Refugees

Healthcare Provision for Migrants and Refugees
Screening of Infectious Diseases in Migrants and Refugees
Vaccination Strategies in Recent Migrants and Refugees 

Human Trafficking

Adult Human Trafficking Implications for Travel Medicine Providers
Unaccompanied Children and Adolescents as Victims of Human Trafficking -- Preventable Options  
Role of the Travel Medicine Practitioner in Counter-Trafficking and Caring for the Victim 

Global Spread of Emerging Infections through Vectors and Travelers 

Emerging Diseases in Europe, One Health Approach 
Emerging Infections in South and Southeast Asia 
Emerging Infections in the Americas, Northern Hemisphere 

Update on Malaria Epidemiology and Prevention

Global Epidemiology and Travel-Related Risk 
Malaria Vaccine 
Malaria Prevention in Travelers 

International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers IAMAT 

TBD 

Preparing Long-Term Volunteers for Mental Health Issues Abroad
       

Insects, Sun, Food and Water

Anti-Vector Measures 
Sun Safety 
Food and Water Safety 

Dengue - The Next Decade

Evolving Global Epidemiology 
Aedes Vectors, Climate Change, and Modern Control Methods 
Dengue Vaccines 

Innovative Vaccination Schemes 

Yellow Fever
Japanese Encephalitis
Tick-Borne Encephalitis 
Rabies 

Hot, Cold and Deep 

 Heat Illness 
 Cold Illness 
 Diving 

Tick-Borne Infections - Don't Let it Get Under you Skin 

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome
Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever 
Tick-Borne Rickettsia 
Tick-Borne Encephalitis 

Risk of COVID-19 Spread at Mass Gatherings

COVID-19 and Large Sporting Events 
Pilgrimages and Infectious Disease Spread
Hajj During COVID-19 

Global Spread of Emerging Infections through Vectors and Travelers 

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Workshops

Emergencies in Travel Medicine

Tropical Diseases in South America: Case Discussions from the Gorgas Course

Challenging Topics in Migrant Health

Competencies for Nurses in Travel Health Practice, Sharing Knowledge Around the World 

Military - An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

Medical Kits for Expedition and Adventure Travel 

ABC Workshop: Travel Vaccines

ABC Workshop: How to Start and Run a Travel Clinic
 

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Debate

Chemoprophylaxis of Acute Mountain Sickness - Pros and Cons
MODERATOR:
    Budda Basnyat
PANELISTS:
    Peter Bartsch
    TBD

COVID-19 Border Closures and Quarantine Mandates 
MODERATOR:
    Mary-Louise Scully and Nancy Piper-Jenks
PANELISTS:
    Karin Leder
    TBA

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Panel Discussion

Protecting and Saving Long Term and Expatriate Travelers 
MODERATOR:
    TBD
PANELISTS:
    Kyle Petersen
    Madeline Wilks
    Jenny Sisson
    Roland Albrecht

Malaria Chemoprophylaxis Guidelines Amongst Non-Endemic Countries
MODERATORS:
    Ed Ryan
PANELISTS:
    Olivia Veit
    Dipti Patel
    Natalia Rodriguez
    Deb Mills
    Michael Libman
    Shigeyuki Kano