| Descripción: |
Clinicians, researchers, public health officials, infection control officers, travel medicine practitioners and many other medical professionals are constantly being bombarded with information about new journals and web sites. The array of new information is overwhelming. The National Library of Medicine catalogs contain approximately 5000 medical journals from the USA alone with another 80 from other countries. In order to provide focus for those interested in and responsible for global public health, this report summarizes some of the more reliable reference resources in these areas. Biomedical, technical, climate, and travel issues are constantly challenging our knowledge, experience, and judgment. Infectious diseases are spreading ever more rapidly; microbes are becoming increasingly resistant to medical interventions. Evidence-based medicine has entered our lexicon and is a work-in-progress. The health professional needs both the best and most timely information available.
Freedman [1] in 2004 published a comprehensive list of resources in travel medicine, including international authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control, USA (CDC), along with a detailed list of journals, textbooks, societies, web sites, listservs, and government resources. These information resources are highly recommended to those interested in travel medicine, especially for those new to the field.
This letter gives a brief focus on key resources. New International Health Regulations (IHR’s) came into effect in June 2007 [2]. Their importance to travel medicine practitioners have been discussed by Hardiman and Wilder-Smith [3]. The revised International Certificate of Vaccination can be ordered in packets of 50 or more from WHO (www.who.int, available in English, French, and Arabic) and are also available, but only in English and French from the US Government Printing Office (Tel: 1-202-512-1800; or toll-free at 1-866-512-1800). |
