Straubing / Germany, July 2006

Dear Friends,

In many parts of the world, we are enjoying the summer holiday season. I hope you are able to enjoy time with friends and family and to “recharge your batteries” before returning to work.

“Au revoir” to Friends

Left to right: F. Drasar, F. Moosdeen, B. Tucker (5th July 2006, London)

The name “Faridah Moosdeen” has been synonymous with ISC for many years to the extent that, last year, she was made a Meritorious Member for her extraordinary contribution to the society. Faridah joined the ISC Executive Committee in 1989 and served as Honorary Treasurer from 1991 to 1999. In 1999 she took on the role of running the ISC Secretariat and helping out with the society’s journal from ISC’s London office. Due to ill health, Faridah has reluctantly decided to retire from ISC and return to Malaysia to spend time with her family. We wish her much happiness in her new life.

The subsequent move of the European ISC office to Aberdeen, Scotland and the advent of the electronic era for IJAA means that ISC has lost two more long-standing and valued friends. Fiona Drasar has, for many years, worked tirelessly as the IJAA’s Assistant Editor. She has now retired and looks forward to learning Latin, making jam (for which she has won prizes) and enjoying her garden. Barbara Tucker was David William’s personal secretary for many years at the Royal London Hospital and has worked on both ISC and IJAA over the years, in the London office. Barbara is getting closer to retirement but still manages to juggle some part-time work with family commitments, foreign travel and gardening.

Some of the ISC Officers met with Faridah, Fiona and Barbara in London on 5th July to thank them for all their hard work for ISC / IJAA and to wish them well in the future.

International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents (IJAA)
In the six months since the International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents went electronic, the number of manuscripts submitted has increased significantly. We learned recently, that the impact factor for 2005 jumped to 2.428 and we must congratulate Professor Alasdair Geddes, Editor-in-Chief, the Elsevier office and the journal’s editors and authors for all their hard work. Manuscripts can be submitted electronically via the journal's Author Gateway http://ees.elsevier.com/ijaa/

ISC Working Groups
Two new ISC working groups were formed recently.
The ISC Working Group on Zoonoses is being led by Dr. Georgios Pappas in Ioannina, Greece (E-mail: gpele@otenet.gr)
The ISC Working Group on Infections in Catastrophic Areas (ICA) is being led by Vladimir Krèméry, Bratislava, Slovakia (E-mail: vladimir.krcmery@szu.sk)
A full list if ISC Working Groups can be found at http://www.ischemo.org/02_Sections.htm. Feel free to contact any of the chairpersons if you wish to collaborate on any working group initiatives or if you have any ideas for future activities.

ISC Member Societies
ISC Member Societies will be contacted by Fiona MacKenzie (ISC Executive Co-Ordinator) within the next week or so, to explain some important decisions and changes.
1. The annual subscriptions are due for 2006 and Fiona will provide Member Societies with the new bank account details.
2. Individual members of ISC Member Societies will be eligible for reduced registration fees for the joint

17th ECCMID / 25th ICC to be held in Munich,
21st March to 3rd April, 2007.

Societies will be asked for lists of their members in order to make this possible.
3. The transitional period in the life of ISC is being used as an opportune time to ask Member Societies for feedback on the direction they would like to see the society take. A questionnaire asking for opinions on key topics will be sent out to contacts within the next week or so. We encourage the return of these in order to give you a society that meets your needs.

Dr. Ray Saginur,
President of 26th International Congress of Chemotherapy in Toronto/Canada

To read more about their plans and how you can support them, please go to the website.
We send them our good wishes for their venture.

Wishing you a very pleasant holiday season.


(K. Naber, London, 5th July 2006)