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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Warm greetings from APAAACI
We are living in unprecedented times but what matters most is how we face the challenge in a way that serves the interests of our community and ensures the safety and health of our membership. APAAACI leadership and Board have been meeting regularly to discuss our many initiatives and working hard to take these forward. I express my gratitude to all the APAAACI Officers and Board.
With the pandemic not just removing our freedom to travel, but also impacting our health, our community and even risking our lives, the APAAACI Board in a rare case of extraneous circumstances decided to postpone the official APAAACI congress that was scheduled to be held in Kyoto in September 2020 to that in Manila in 2022. As this was reported to our member countries, we have received an overwhelming response of support for the decision. However, APAAACI will continue to collaborate with the JSA/WAO Joint congress. In service of our APAAACI community, the Officers and the full Board assure our membership that we will continue to work hard to steer forward the many activities for our specialty and in service to our membership.
Looking ahead and working towards a realignment to strengthen our community in meeting the challenges of asthma and allergies during COVID times, we had already started with a COVID-19 section and related resources. We also have set up organized WEB-based lectures and webinars that we will bring to you on a regular basis. As a first part of the Web lecture series we have 2 outstanding world leaders as speakers Prof. Francesco Blasi and Prof. G. Walter Canonica both from Italy.
Prof Francesco Blasi, heads the Department of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Milan and is Past President, ERS. He highlights the European perspective of COVID-19 from ground reality. There are certainly great learnings in his presentation.
Prof. Giorgio Walter Canonica, Past President of the WAO (2008-2009) and International Advisor to APAAACI’s Precision Medicine & Biologics Committee gives the second talk. Also from Milan from the Dept. of Precision Medicine, Humanities University, Prof. G.W Canonica highlights the relation of COVID-19 to Asthma and Allergies. His talk provides much useful information for those of us working in the field of allergy and asthma.
As our understanding on COVID-19 evolves further we will bring to you more lectures and updates on this pandemic.
More EXCLUSIVE Web lectures will follow from other key areas in the coming weeks. Please do stay alert and kindly follow up on the www.apaaaci.org website regularly for updates.
We are diligently working to bring to you a series of webinars and panel discussions of regional experts that will continue to offer education for our community. These will be short 1-2 hours lectures that shall be accessible from anywhere online. As part of the “New Normal”, we will continue to look for ways to make this experience interactive and educational at the same time. Suggestions are still welcome on subjects that can spark interest to the community.
1. EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
1. COVID-19: The European Experience From Lombardi Province
Prof Blasi, MD, FERS is a professor of Respiratory at the University of Milan. Having directed one of the Epicenter hospitals in Lombardi province, the worst hit area in Italy, he provides an exclusive report for APAAACI on his experience in the COVID-19 situation. Stay tuned for the Q&A at the end.
2. COVID-19 & ALLERGY/ Asthma
Prof GW Canonica, International Advisor to the APAAACI committee on Precision Medicine & Biologics, Past President, World Allergy Organization (2008-2009) and Professor & Head, Dept. of Precision Medicine, Humanities University, Milan lectured on the relationship of COVID-19 and Allergic diseases especially asthma.
APAAACI ACTIVITIES
1. APAAACI Activities EAACI 2020
APAAACI-EAACI SS Symposium
Just recently, APAAACI concluded very successful activities at EAACI 2020 (June 6-8) and proudly presented the latest white paper on Climate change, Air pollution and its impact on respiratory allergies in Asia Pacific. APAAACI talks included House dust mite Allergy in Asia Pacific and Chronic urticaria in Asia Pacific. All talks were welcomed by an overwhelming positive responses from the attendees in several thousands. All our sessions were very well received with numerous questions and many positive comments.
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank my co-speakers Jiu Yao Wang and Amir Latiff in joining me with their outstanding contributions, as well as Luo Zhang who gave an outstanding talk in a CRS symposium. More details here
APAAACI Virtual Booth
APAAACI was represented by a APAAACI virtual booth:
APAAACI Joins EAACI Run
APAAACI President joined the Sunday morning EAACI 2020 run.
2. APAAACI-APSID Collaboration:
APSID "The Asia Pacific Society for Immunodeficiencies (APSID) was inaugurated on 29th April 2016 after a meeting by a pioneer group of over 60 Asian pediatricians and scientists interested in Primary Immunodeficiency met in Osaka, April 2015.
One of the key missions of APSID of sharing their PID experience so as to promote collaboration and education in the Asia Pacific region has resulted in an important network with APAAACI." The Immunodeficiency Committee headed by Amir HA Latiff and Yu Lau has a number of collaborations initiated.
3. APAAACI and ICD-11
APAAACI contributed to several ICD-11 publications.
4. APAAACI SURVEYS
We would like to continue thanking you for your valuable contribution to the APAAACI surveys. Our multicountry initiatives involving all our member countries APAAACI committee members have continued to work hard towards developing specific surveys to assess the current status within the region and will collate this into relevant documents specific to the Asia Pacific region.
We have circulated 10 surveys:
1. Drug Allergy Diagnostic Procedures & Practices
2. Asthma / Severe Asthma
3. Food Allergy
4. Pollen Allergy
5. Use of Probiotics
6. Diagnosis and Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis (AR) & Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CSR)
7. Urticaria & Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria
8. Covid-19
9. Immunotherapy
10. Immunodeficiency survey (APAAACI-APSID)
Upcoming surveys:
1. Occupational Allergy
2. Biologics and Precision Medicine
WORLD ALLERGY WEEK
APAAACI along with its member societies will be celebrating the World Allergy Week with a series of events on COVID-19 and Allergic diseases between June 28th to July 4th, 2020.
OBITUARY : DR. KAWASAKI
APAAACI pays homage to Dr. Kawasaki and is saddened by his demise. We express our condolences to his family and colleagues and pray that his soul rests in peace as his legacy is taken forward by his colleagues.
MEMORIAL TO DR. KAWASAKI
Tomisaku Kawasaki passed away on June 5th, 2020 at the age of 95 due to aging. Dr. Kawasaki encountered patients with fever and rash of unknown cause when he was working at the Japanese Red Cross Central Hospital, and in 1967 he reported 50 cases as an unknown disease. Since then, the disease has been recognized worldwide as Kawasaki disease and Kawasaki disease has become one of the most common diseases among children. After retirement, he established the Japan Kawasaki Disease Research Center and was passionate about investigating the cause of Kawasaki disease. Unfortunately, the etiology still remains unknown, and it has became an important and much needed work that Dr. Kawasaki has left us to work on. We pray for his soul.
R. Fukazawa
Council Member,
Japanese Society of Kawasaki Disease
UPCOMING INITIATIVES
Web series on Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases - A PGI-ISPID initiative and co-supported by APSID and APAAACI: Preview Now
As we initiate several new projects/ initiatives, we hope we can be of meaningful service to our region and develop a strong brand of our allergy specialty 'in our region and for our region’. Stay tuned!
Prof. Ruby Pawankar, MD, Ph.D
President, APAAACI
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