The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international
umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and iden ...
of 111 regional and national
allergology
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...
and
clinical immunology
Immunology is a branch of biology and medicine that covers the study of immune systems in all organisms.
Immunology charts, measures, and contextualizes the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and diseases; ...
societies.
Since the first World Allergy Congress (WAC) held in
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
in 1951, there have been 29 WACs as well as a number of WAO International Science Conferences (WISC), Webinars, and Symposia. Beyond sharing research findings, these meetings also allocate funds for postgraduate programs on allergy and clinical immunology.
History
After the International Association of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (renamed as World Allergy Organization) was founded at the 1951 International Congress of Allergology and Clinical Immunology (renamed as World Allergy Congress), these major conferences were held triennially until the 2003 switch to a biennial format.
International Meetings
The Annual World Allergy Congress (WAC) attracts scientists working and interested in the fields of allergy, immunology and other related fields. In most cases, WAO partners with a regional or national Member Society to host the Congress.
Publications
The WAO publishes monthly issues of the open-access ''World Allergy Organization Journal'' with Alessandro Fiocchi and Mona Sulaiman Al-Ahmad serving as co-editors.
Aim and Scope
The ''WAOjournal'' publishes original mechanistic, translational, and clinical research on the topics of allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and clinical immunology, as well as reviews, guidelines, and position papers that contribute to the improvement of patient care. ''WAOjournal'' publishes research on the growth of allergy prevalence within the scope of single countries, country comparisons, and practical global issues and regulations, or threats to the allergy specialty. The Journal invites the submissions of all authors interested in publishing on current global problems in allergy, asthma, anaphylaxis, and immunology. Of particular interest are the immunological consequences of climate change and the subsequent systematic transformations in food habits and their consequences for the allergy/immunology discipline.
Partnerships
WAO is a member of the
Council for International Organizations of Medical Science (CIOMS). Its collaborations with the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO) include a January 2002 meeting on the "Prevention of Allergy and Allergic Asthma" held in Geneva, Switzerland that emphasized minimizing
air pollution
Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...
and teaching patients to carry
epinephrine autoinjectors.
See also
*
Ruby Umesh Pawankar
Ruby Pawankar has been president of the World Allergy Organization (WAO), 2012 and 2013. She is the first Indian and first woman president of WAO, which was established in 1951. Currently she is past president, WAO, president of the Asia Paci ...
References
International medical and health organizations
Allergy organizations
International organizations based in the United States
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