The World Allergy Organization (WAO), an international alliance of 89 regional and national allergy, asthma and immunology societies will be organising four-days WAO International Scientific Conference (WISC 2012) from December 6-9, 2012 at Hyderabad International Convention Centre, Hyderabad.
WISC 2012 will be inaugurated by Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad and the chief guest of the conference. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Vasant Kumar, Minister of Tourism, Sport and Culture of Andhra Pradesh, and Dr DL Ravindra Reddy, Minister for Health & Family Welfare Andhra Pradesh, will be presiding the event.
The main aim is to provide a multidisciplinary forum for a wide range of health care professionals who treat patients with asthma and allergic diseases including allergists, pulmonologists, ENTs, dermatologists, internists, paediatricians, gastroenterologists, clinical immunologists and primary care physicians.
A faculty of 90 internationally known experts will deliver highlights in immunotherapy which is a General Practitioner Programme, and a Patient and Public Forum.
Allergic diseases and asthma, like other non-communicable diseases, are escalating to epidemic proportions worldwide and up to 30-40 per cent of the world’s population are now affected by some form of allergy. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated 300 million individuals have asthma worldwide, a figure that could increase to 400 million by 2025 if trends continue. The complexity and severity of allergic disorders, including asthma, continue to increase especially in children and young adults. This is paralleled with a rising prevalence of life threatening allergies like food allergies, drug allergies and anaphylaxis and more complex forms.
“As the prevalence of allergic disease and asthma rises in countries around the world especially in children regardless of their economic status, so do the socioeconomic costs both direct such as interference with breathing during day or night, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations, and indirect such as reduced quality of life, reduced work productivity and absenteeism,” said Professor Ruby Pawankar, conference president and president of the WAO.
Prof Pawankar further added that this offers an opportunity for low, middle, and high-income countries to join forces in addressing a major global challenge that threatens health and economies alike.
According to Professor Stephen Holgate, scientific programme chair the enormous rise in asthma and allergy prevalence worldwide – but especially in those countries which are developing so rapidly – is a concern such as is occurring in India. Prof. Holgate said, “We must try to uncover the causative agents involved and deliver a prevention programme. Moreover, comorbidity of allergic diseases emphasizes that we must understand more about why different organs in individuals express allergy and others do not.”
According to Professor Lanny Rosenwasser, organising chair, the WISC 2012 meeting in Hyderabad will bring international experts to India in a timely exchange of ideas and new information to manage these global public health concerns. The emerging science of allergy and immunology makes new and effective means of treatment for serious diseases such as asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic skin diseases.
Professor Rosenwasser further stressed that new research and international expert consensus recommendations will be presented that will impact on the future management of these globally prevalent conditions, including the early origins of disease and evidence-based treatment strategies as well as associations with climate change, biodiversity, the role of the microbiome in non-communicable diseases, and practical aspects that help to improve daily clinical care and practice parameters and lead to improved quality of life.