World Allergy Day 2009

Announcement - World Allergy Day, Patient Activities and Other Events in Buenos Aires, Argentina

World Allergy Day
The World Allergy Organization (WAO) designed this World Allergy Day to encourage awareness of and education in allergies, particularly Childhood Asthma, within your country. World Allergy Day 2009 is Wednesday, 9 December 2009 hosted at the World Allergy Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 6 - 10 December 2009.

World Allergy Day Materials
The World Allergy Organization grants free permission to WAO Member Societies to reproduce materials in part or in their entirety for the purposes of World Allergy Day promotions. WAO recommends that WAO Member Societies customize materials to address the specific local interests or concerns of their respective region. All materials accommodate space for WAO Member Society and local contact information. The World Allergy Day promotional kit includes:

• Proclamation
• 2009 World Allergy Day Childhood Asthma Information Sheet
• Sample Media Advisory
• Sample News Release
• Sample Article for Newsletter
• Information About WAO
• Reference list of useful papers
• Evaluation Form
• Patient Information sheets
  Reproduced from Johansson SGO, Haahtela T, (eds.). "World Allergy Organization Guidelines for Prevention of Allergy and Allergic Asthma". Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2004; 135:83-92 with permission from S. Karger AG, Basel.

Suggestions for Getting Started...

• Determine how you want to distribute information about World Allergy Day 2009 within your community.
• Assemble a committee or task force within your organization to oversee the distribution of World Allergy Day information. WAO grants member societies the free reproduction rights for World Allergy Day materials; you do not need to seek copyright permission.
• Place advance information in your own newsletters and publications as soon as possible.
• Distribute information to other organizations and local print media to begin generating early community interest in World Allergy Day - 9 December 2009.
• Review template materials and customize them for your respective country/region prior to distribution.
• Create an accessible resource and information directory for schools and local media.
• Please complete and return the enclosed or online evaluation form to help us improve future World Allergy Day materials.

Specific World Allergy Day Audiences
Share World Allergy Day materials with each of the following groups using the suggestions listed below.

Government

• Speak with key local government officials or entities with whom you would like to partner to officially proclaim World Allergy Day in your region.
• Customize the enclosed World Allergy Day proclamation for a government official's signature, and distribution.

Patients/Public

• Identify lay or community groups that focus on allergic disease, inform them of your plans for organizing World Allergy Day, and ask for their assistance in distributing information.
• Sponsor a "How I Manage My Asthma" poster contest for community children in local schools.
• Assemble packs of information for parents and the public, using materials on the seriousness of asthma and allergies, managing asthma in school, asthma triggers in school, tips for reducing allergen exposure at home, and resource brochures. Distribute these packs throughout schools in your country.
• Distribute your local general allergic disease information sheets, featuring definitions and treatment.
• Make copies of the patient information sheets to distribute.

Media

• Use the statistics, sample newsletter article, sample news release, and fact sheet to encourage local media to feature World Allergy Day.
• Inform your members of your plans; they may have contacts in the local media.

All World Allergy Day materials are accessible on the WAO web site at: www.worldallergy.org/wad2009

To continually improve future World Allergy Day materials, WAO encourages WAO Member Societies to complete and fax the enclosed evaluation form to the WAO Secretariat (+1 414 276 3349) or download the evaluation form online, complete it and email it to info@worldallergy.org.