April 2023 digest

WHO skin NTDs meeting

Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends,

Our Society was present at the recent WHO skin NTDs meeting in Geneva.
This meeting was a milestone for the recognition of dermatology at the level of the WHO not only for neglected tropical diseases with dermatological expression but also for all common skin diseases which impair human health with a special focus for low resource settings.

WHO+ISAD+ILDS

Our Society collaborates with WHO and ILDS with the objective of integrating AD as a common neglected
disease in this context. ISAD is in the Global Health spirit that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide at both an individual and public health level. AD is a good example of health inequalities since only a minority of individuals living in high income countries
have access to expensive treatments.

One Health

A step further, the One Health concept is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach — working at the local, regional, national, and global levels — with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

One Health Initiative

One Health applies very well to AD as exemplified in the recent perspective published by ISAD with WHO in the JEADV (DOI: 10.1111/jdv.19096) when comparing domains of integration which apply
respectively to scabies and AD.

Numerous examples show how changes in climate or living with farm animals or pet animals (canine AD is an example already discussed at an ISAD online symposium — link) can influence allergies and
AD. In addition, this article discusses how to implement the roadmap to improve capacity training and access to basic drugs and devices such as low cost emollients, for which an application will be filed for inclusion on the 2025 essential medicines list of WHO.
 

Reminders:

  • The 2023 ISAD research fellowships call is open until June 30, 2023.
    Please connect your fellows and trainees.
  • The abstract submission deadline for the 13th Georg Rajka symposium to be held in Gdansk, Poland Aug 31-Sept 2 is May 15. It is time to draft your best stuff!
  • Our meeting will have the privilege of being welcomed by Lech Walesa, Solidarność founder and Peace Nobel Prize winner.
  • For ISAD Society members, the renewal of your membership is mandatory to obtain a discount registration for the meeting.

Best regards,

Alain TAÏEB
President ISAD