The Allergy and Clinical Immunology Society (ACIS) has lamented the difficulties encountered in caring for allergy conditions owing to a lack of training, access to drugs, and the cost of drugs.
Chairperson of ACIS, Dr Olatunde Odusote, decried the lack of awareness in this region regarding allergy diseases while noting that the increase in these conditions, though not fully understood, can be attributed to climate change and global warming.
This was stated at a media parley yesterday, ahead of the two-day World Allergy Training School (WATS) starting today in Lagos, organised by ACIS in partnership with the World Allergy Organisation (WAO).
He noted the need to develop a curriculum within the context of the nation to offer basic training to practitioners who can care for allergies at the primary level.
He added that participants for the training would cut across the various medical spectrum, and lectures would cover disease processes, necessary tests to run, their interpretation, and how to go about it.
“One of the major problems we have had in the world of allergy is that people think when one has such conditions, you must do a test, but it is not necessarily so. You need to listen to their story first, and if there is a need for a test, you can go ahead,” he said.
Odusote stated that the organisation is focused on creating awareness, promoting advocacy, and empowering healthcare practitioners and the community with the right information.
President of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Prof. James Tracy, said the training would deal with a catalogue of allergies such as asthma, food allergy, and practical training on how to treat severe allergic reactions.
He noted that disease awareness, genetic components, and environmental pollution are possible causes of increased allergic conditions globally.
