To continue from where I left in the last presidential column, let
me inform you with great pleasure and pride that the first Indian
National Asthma Congress was held very successfully at Hyderabad.
More than 300 delegates thoroughly enjoyed "Sheer science" focused
on one subject over a period of 2 days by a group of national and
international experts in the field of asthma and respiratory
medicine. A flood of congratulatory emails from those who witnessed
is a testimony to it. I am sure hundreds and thousands of children
afflicted with asthma are ultimately going to get benefitted through
a rational approach to diagnosis and management. Three more major
congresses namely National congress on vaccines "Vaccicon", National
congress on "Antibiotics" and "India pneumonia summit" are in the
pipeline to be held in the near future.
Indian Academy of Pediatrics Committee on
Immunization (IAPCOI) under the convenership of Dr Vipin Vashishtha
has been doing an exemplary and commendable job; and has brought
international recognition to IAP. I enumerate a few achievements
here:
• Development of evidence based
recommendations
• National AEFI surveillance in association
with Government of India
• "Immunize India" a mobile SMS based program
to remind registered parents for their children’s vaccinations
due
• To develop our indigenous data on various
infectious diseases through "IDSurv"
• WHO has recognized and endorsed IAP COI and
its recommendations on its website
• KAP survey on Hib vaccines and diseases
• IAP COI and BD Time and motion study
• Global vaccine advocacy project with AAP
and IPA
• Textbook on Vaccine Sciences (in pipeline)
• IAPCOI included in the list of Vaccine
Safety net websites
• New recommendations on Immunization Time
table 2012 being published in this issue of Indian Pediatrics.
I am indeed very privileged to chair this COI. My
heartfelt gratitude to all the esteemed members and hon’ble advisors
of COI for guiding it to scale such heights.
It is also very heartening to inform you that I
was invited in my capacity as the president of IAP to attend the
high powered NTAGI meeting where I could succeed in convincing the
honorable members of the committee and the chair – Additional Chief
Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the necessity of
including pentavalent vaccine in the national immunization program.
I was also delighted to receive an invitation for dinner reception
meeting hosted in honor of Mr. Bill Gates in his latest visit to
India; however unfortunately I could not attend due to coinciding EB
meeting. We had a very successful and satisfactory Executive Board
meeting in Goa on 1