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Travel medicine |
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Identification of foreign
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British Travel Health Association (PJ, 6 October 2001, p469)The last decade has seen an enormous growth in travel abroad by people living in the United Kingdom, and the destinations to which UK travellers go have become ever more exotic (writes Dr Mike Townend). This has resulted in a large increase in the numbers of travellers seeking advice from health care professionals, particularly because the advice given by travel agents and tour operators is not always accurate or sufficiently comprehensive. The community pharmacist is often one of the traveller’s first ports of call for advice. The series of articles on travel health published in this journal, concluded in this issue, has provided information on which pharmacists can base their advice. It is important, however, that all professionals involved in any area of health care appreciate each other’s roles in giving advice and that they communicate with each other and, wherever possible, speak with one voice. The British Travel Health Association was set up by a small steering group of travel health professionals and was launched at the Royal Geographical Society in December 1998 by Sir Kenneth Calman. Since then, it has grown into an organisation of several hundred members and has become a Registered Charity. The association’s aims are the relief of sickness and the protection of health primarily, but not exclusively, among people who travel overseas. It seeks to fulfil those aims by: promoting a multi-disciplinary approach to travel health; providing a forum for discussion and information exchange; offering information and education; promoting research on travel health issues; increasing public awareness of travel health hazards; and supporting members with a specialty or interest in travel health and medicine. Membership of the association costs £20 a year.
The benefits of membership include: Although there are other professions among the association’s members, membership currently consists to a large extent of medical and nursing professionals engaged in primary care, hospital care and occupational health. As part of its multidisciplinary approach to travel health, the BTHA would like to invite pharmacists to become members. The association believes that pharmacists have much to gain from membership and much to contribute to the Association’s aims. Pharmacists will be welcomed and encouraged to take a full part in the running of the association and its subcommittees and to stand for election to its Executive Committee. For further information, contact Miss Amanda Burridge |