MyPSA Newsletter, April 2014

MyPSA

Malaysian Pharmacy Students’ Association

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014 Issue

Editor’ s Notes ..............................................

Dear MyPSA members, It is a great pleasure to introduce to you the first issue of the MyPSA newsletter for 2014!

Along our journey to be an excellent pharmacist, student life can be both stressful and memorable at the same time. It is the time where memories are made to be remembered for a life time!!

Find Us On Facebook facebo ok.com/groups/ myp s a

Throughout the past year, MyPSA has held many activities such as NoGAPS, NPSC and Rx Quiz where great memories and new bonds were formed among our members.

In this issue, we are looking back on our past activities throughout the year and also introducing the upcoming events that you can look forward to!!

We hope you enjoy reading this issue of the MyPSA newsletter!

Find Us On Our Website mypsa-malaysia.org

Ng Han Yui Publication Officer 13/ 14

CONTENTS 2-5 6 - 10 11- 14 15- 16

Meeting with KKM

59th IPSF World Congress 2013 Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium 2013

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1

National Gathering of Pharmacy Students (NoGAPS) 2013 Rx Quiz 2013

National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) 2014

17- 19 20

Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium 2014

21- 22

60th IPSF World Congress 2014

23

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

World Health Day

A Meeting With Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM)

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n 27th January 2014, the MyPSA executive committees had a meeting with the officers of Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health (MOH) at the National Pharmacy Control Bureau.

The purpose of the meeting was to establish a long term collaboration between MOH and MyPSA especially to enhance the “Know Your Medicine� campaign among the youth and undergraduate students. This idea was initiated in early January this year.

Present on that day were Pn Che Pun Bt. Bujang, Deputy Director of Pharmacy Practice and Development Office; Mr. Mohd Dziehan B Mustapa, Chief Assistant Director of Pharmacy Practice and Development Office and Mr. Kobu a/l Thiruvanackan, Chief Assistant Director of Pharmacy Practice and Development Office.

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

The proposed collaboration aims to educate the use of medicines among university students and MyPSA and the students will act as ambassadors for MOH. There were also discussions to include the involvement of MOH in the Public Health Campaigns, exhibitions and having seminars at the university level.

This collaboration is currently still under discussion and we hope that the collaboration between MyPSA and the Ministry of Health will turn out to be a success.

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59th IPSF World Congress 2013 Utrecht, Netherlands

by Emileen Chieng (MyPSA Student Exchange Officer 2013/2014)

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reetings to the readers of this newsletter! Firstly, to introduce myself, I am Emileen Chieng and I am currently the SEO for MyPSA. Last year, I was given a huge opportunity to attend the International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) World Congress and I hope to share my experience with you now!

The 59th IPSF World Congress was held from 30th July until 9th August in Utrecht, Netherlands which is a 10 day programme. The main theme for theWorld Congress last year was “Global Healthcare for the Individual Patient� which consists of symposiums, workshops, competitions, a public health campaign and the General Assembly of IPSF.An extensive social programme and cultural events are also part of the programme.

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The congress took place at Utrecht University. This university has the biggest faculty of pharmacy in Netherlands and liaises with universities and research centres all over the world. It is a globally leading university which ranked 1st in Netherlands.

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ccommodation

During our stay there, we were given rooms at University College Utrecht (UCU), a subsidiary of Utrecht University. In one unit, there are 8 twin rooms, 1 big living room, 2 shower rooms and 2 toilets

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

to be shared among students from different countries. Thanks to this lovely arrangement, I get to meet a lot of pharmacy students from other countries. I learned a lot about their culture, pharmacy education system, and medical healthcare system. From the small conversations we had, I found out that their course duration and syllabus are different from ours. In Malaysia, we need 4 years to obtain our degree but some of the other countries takes up to 5 years.

As for Thailand and Taiwan, they need to study about their own country’s traditional plants and their syllabuses are in their own language.

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dapting to Utrecht

Adapting to their weather was not a problem for me as it was 18°C even though it was still summer! However, it took me 3 days to overcome the jet lag from the 6 hours time difference with Malaysia.What we see everyday for our meals were bread and pasta, but for a Western food lover like me, it’s probably the best place I can be! The registration went smoothly on the first day and I got

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

my nametag, goodie bag, and wristband. Registration for activities can be done via the ‘IPSF 2013’ phone application each day from 7.00 am to 9.30 pm. Attendance was taken after every session and we needed to collect 20 stamps to obtain the certificate of participation.

M

yPSA official delegate

As the official delegate to Malaysia, I had to attend the IPSF General Assembly (GA) most of the time. The GA is the heart of the Federation. It is the highest decisionmaking body of IPSF and consists of a meeting of IPSF members from all around the world with the Executive of the Federation. There will be 3 Official Delegates from each country.

The other two experienced ones are from AIMST University. The most impressive event was the election.

Within 3 minutes, the candidates gave a memorable presentation to convince the delegates that they are the right ones for the job. Thanks to their enthusiasm, I felt motivated to undergo my own election at a national level in MyPSA as a Student Exchange Officer.

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P

harmacy Visit

I went for a fun pharmacy visit to the ‘Lombok Apotheek’. In a small group of 11, we had a small discussion about the differences of community pharmacy at our own country. At Holland, the pharmacists are given the full dispensing rights, but this is not applicable in Malaysia. The patients can also send their prescriptions online to the pharmacists and collect their medications few days later.

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orkshops

There were many choices of workshops. The ‘Team Management’ and ‘IPSF in Your Corner’ workshops taught me to co-operate effectively and understand the management style of other international students. We were given a

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task to build the highest tower using dried spaghetti noodles and plan a campaign to promote the awareness of the role of pharmacist in the community respectively.In the PHSC Workshop-Anti Counterfeit Drugs Campaign, they trained us, as the future pharmacists to believe that we have the power to combat this problem by securing the medicines taken by our patients.

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elax

With all the work during the day, we also had parties at night.

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

Out of all the nights, I love ‘International Evening’, ‘Underwater World Party’, and our last night, ‘Gala Dinner & Party’. During the International Evening, each country will bring their typical food and alcoholic beverages. We were able to admire students from other countries all dressed up in their traditional clothes. The last night was the best, but also heart breaking as it was time to bid our farewell.

Great friendships are built throughout the congress.

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

E

xperience

All in all, I conclude that IPSF World Congress is definitely a fruitful experience! There are no regrets whatsoever. I have learned a lot, not only about pharmacy but also the different cultures in the world. The best thing is that I made a lot of new friends from across the globe! I really hope that all of you can attend the World Congress and experience what I have experienced!

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12th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) 2013 Tokyo, Japan photos and details credits to tu-pss.blogspot.com & zhishantan.blogspot.com

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he 12th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) was held from the 22nd to 28th August 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. Last year, the symposium saw more than 400 pharmacy students coming from the Asia Pacific region and other regions as well. This symposium was organised by the Japan Pharmaceutical Student’s Association in collaboration with the IPSF Asia Pacific Regional Office (APRO).

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ay 0

The venue for the event was at the APA Hotel and Resort Tokyo Bay Makuhari where the participants gathered and registered. Later at night, the participants were then greeted with a welcome party where they were divided into groups from A to T and also an

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ice breaking session.

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ay 1

The next day, the opening ceremony was held in the morning at Toho University. For the rest of the day, the participants also attended 2 workshops that they have chosen previously. In the 1st workshop, they had to choose between Counterfeit Medicines, Cosmetics, Community Pharmacy, Pre Patient Counseling Event, Poster Section 1 while in the 2nd workshop, the choices were Information &

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

Technology Management, Pre Clinical Skills Event, Contact Person Workshop, Student Exchange Workshop and Poster Section II. A group of students from Nottingham University, Malaysia won the first place in the poster section.The highlight of the day was the International Night which was held at Camelot Club in Shibuya, a major fashion centre and nightlife area in Japan. Participants from each country also put up a performance representative of their country.

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ay 2

Similar to the previous day there were 2 workshops too. The first workshop choices are Health Economics, Drug Poisoning, The Role of Pharmacist in Diabetes Management, Patient Counseling Event and also Invitation to Drug Discovery.

The second workshop for the day can be chosen from Self-

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

management & Pharmacy, Complementary Medicines, At-home Medical Care, Clinical Skills Event (CSE) and Pharmacy Profession Awareness Campaign. The CSE was won by Nur Atiqah Hasman Yusri from IIUM.

After the workshops, the participants had a campaign to promote public awareness on self-medication.

They paraded the streets and shouted catchphrases such as ‘Tayorou Yakuzaisi!’ which means ‘If you have any questions about medicines, ask pharmacists!’

After the parade, a photo contest was held between groups whereby each group was assigned a theme.

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The night for Day 2 was Japanese Night where many Japanese food was prepared and traditional Japanese performances were shown. There were also the performances by the finalists of Miss Contest to gain the hearts and votes of their friends.

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After the workshop, the participants attended a symposium entitled ‘Scientist as a pharmacist, Pharmacist as a scientist’ which was presented by Professor Tohru Mizushima and also ‘A world’s first: research in neuropathic pain and neuralgia’ which was presented by Mr. Makoto Tsuda.

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Day 3 started with workshops too. The first workshop consists of either Allied Healthcare, Generic Medicines, Global Health I, OTC Medications, and Different Roles of Green Tea in Japanese healthcare.

The next workshop is either Benefits of everyday food for optimal health, Role of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Japan, Global Health II, Medication usage in disaster settings and emergencies and also Green tea.

Day 3 was Free Night for the participants so they were given the opportunity to explore Tokyo at their will.

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ay 4

Day 4 was the day where participants went on a field trip.

There were 3 locations but each participant could only attend one of them.

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

The first location was the FANCL Cosmetics Factory and the Tokyo University of Science.

The last location for the field trips was the Kusuri Medicine Museum.

The day ended with the Auction Night and also the Finals for Miss Contest.

The second location was the Honjo Life Safety Learning Centre.

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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ay 5

The last day started with the finals for the Patient Counselling Event where students from Malaysia managed to secure a place and also a symposium about ‘Drugs for Neglected Diseases’ was held. Once the symposium has ended, it was the closing ceremony for APPS 2013. Finally, the gala night was held that day which puts the veil on the event.

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

National Gathering of Pharmacy Students (NoGAPS) 2013 USM, Penang

N

ational Gathering of Pharmacy Students or NoGAPS was held last year at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang from 25th to 28th August 2013. The event saw pharmacy students from various pharmacy schools all over the country coming together to attend an annual gathering among pharmacy students which aims to foster friendship and build new bonds among them.

played and the participants also designed their group flags which displayed their creativity and teamwork. Each group also had a chance to draw a kolam and it was a stiff competition among the groups.

At night, the opening ceremony was held with various interesting performances from the organising committee.

F

irst Day

The participants arrived and an ice breaking session was done in the evening to break the barriers among the participants. The participants were previously divided into groups with interesting names such as Nice Neisseria, Mysterious Mycobacteria and Sophisticated Salmonella. During the ice breaking session, various games were

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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S

econd Day

The next morning was a patient counselling workshop where the participants were given a talk on patient counselling which is an important role as a phamacist. The participants were also given an option to choose their next activity which is either the MyPSA-IPSF introduction, halal seminar, pharmacy research excursion, dosage competition or antibiotic frenzy.

After lunch, it was the Pharmtastic Race where groups have to race to be the first and along the way they have to overcome challenges which involves bugs, water balloons and a whole lot of flour too! The night ended with the Battle of University where each university sent their representative to perform on the stage. The performances were amazing and everyone was definitely entertained with it.

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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hird Day

The third day started with a Community Outreach Programme where the participants visited a flat community to promote health awareness among the residents. Health screening such as blood glucose test, gotong-royong, poster exhibitions and medicine compounding were also held that morning.

Later in the evening a forum session titled “Future Pharmacist and Practice Innovation:Challenges and Opportunities” and the Patient Counselling Competition was held. The highlight of the day, the “Impromptu” session was held at night where each group were assigned different tasks such as dancing (Pharmdance), acting (Primadona Reborn), cooking (Pharmchef) or designing (Future Pharmacist Top Designer) where they will need to compete among the groups. It was definitely a hilarious and memorable moment for all to remember.

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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L

ast Day

On the fourth day, a field trip to IPharm, a research faculty was held where the participants were exposed to state of the art technology and the research environment within. At the same time, the MyPSA Annual General Meeting was held where a new line of Executive Committees were to be elected to represent the interest of the pharmacy students. It was a long meeting where the candidates had to compete and prove themselves in front of the mainboards and the previous tenure.

The long awaited Gala Night was held at the Georgetown City Hotel where well groomed gentlemen and elegantly dressed ladies graced the hall.

The prize giving ceremony was held where groups are rewarded for their outstanding performance throughout NoGAPS.The Best IPTA Society award was given to USM while the best IPTS Society Award was presented to AIMST. NoGAPS has brought many interesting and memorable memories to the participants. New friends were formed and old bonds were strengthened. It was definitely a great event and MyPSA hopes everyone will look forward to the next NoGAPS soon!!

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

5th National Pharmacy Quiz Rx Quiz V University of Malaya

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x Quiz is an international academic competition between pharmacy undergraduates that is being held each year.The competition was originally founded and hosted

by International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) for 3 consecutive years while the 4th Rx Quiz was held at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology (AIMST).

Last November, this prestigious pharmacy quiz was held at University of Malaya (UM). It is a collaboration between the Pharmacy Society of University of Malaya (Pharmsoc) with MyPSA. Each year, this competition gathers around 100 students from various pharmacy schools around the nation and also peers from neighbouring countries to compete in a battle of wits and also to build a network of communication between future pharmacists in the region. The purpose of the Rx Quiz is also to improve the quality and

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

development of the pharmacy profession in Malaysia.

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ormat of the Rx Quiz.

The quiz consists of 1 preliminary round and 2 elimination rounds.The final round will see 2 teams competing with each other to win the Tariq Trophy. The significance of the name is in reference to Prof. Dato’ Dr. Tariq bin Abdul Razak, the Dean of Kulliyyah of Pharmacy for IIUM.

The topics that are covered in the quiz includes Physiology, Chemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Technology, Practical Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy. The questions comes in both oral and written form.

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esults of the Rx Quiz.

The results of the quiz were as follows:

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Champion : University of Malaya (UM) 1st Runner Up : Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) 2nd Runner Up : International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) 3rd Runner Up : Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS)

strong competitive spirit. The next Rx Quiz would be held at UiTM. This would be a great exposure for students to learn, compete with others and also to meet new friends there. MyPSA strongly encourages everyone to take up the challenge and participate in this upcoming Rx Quiz next year!

MyPSA congratulates all the winners of the Rx Quiz and also all the participants who have shown great effort and a

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) 2014 IIUM, Kuantan

T

he 7th National Pharmacy Sports Carnival (NPSC) was held recently on the 11th to 13th of April 2014 at International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuantan.

The medals at stake this year consists of events from futsal, badminton, netball, ping pong, tennis, basketball, takraw, volleyball and also the track and fields which are the 100m, 400m, 4 x 100m, and 4 x 400m. Other than the court and field activities, traditional games such as lari dalam guni, galah panjang, tarik tali, tarik upih and many others were also competed.

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ay 1

The first day started with the arrival of the participants pouring in from across the country and also the opening ceremony of NPSC 2014.

The day ended with the participants heading back to rest for the games ahead.

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Opening ceremony of NPSC 2014

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ay 2

The next day is where all the excitement starts and the burning passion is seen within the players.

The morning started off with the court games such as futsal. ping pong and badminton. The events continued throughout the day with the track and field being competed at night. See next page for some of the pictures for Day 2!!

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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ay 2 pictures

Ping Pong Basketball

Tennis

Badminton

Womens futsal team..... girls power!!

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

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F

The last day were the traditional events which was a fun time for everyone. One of the interesting games was the Angry Bird game where 10 participants will use cloths to pass and catch water balloons.

Besides that, other games like tarik tali and boling kelapa were also exciting and entertaining.

Later in the afternoon a luncheon was held together with the closing ceremony.

IIUM as the host university ranked the first and we would like to congratulate them and also not forgetting the other universities who have actively participated in this NPSC.All in all, this year’s NPSC not only proved to unite the students within each pharmacy school but also developed a great camaraderie among the participants. Each participant have certainly gained something, be it an experience, a medal or a friend.Thus, in this NPSC, everyone is a winner no matter what the results are!!

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arewell

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

Upcoming Events in 2014

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

22.8.2014

13th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium

13th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium (APPS) 2014 Malaysia

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he 13th Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical Symposium will be held this year in our beautiful and diverse country of Malaysia! The theme to represent the symposium would be “Trust, Teamwork & Technology” which signifies building patients’ trust in us as a pharmacist, teamwork between pharmacist and healthcare professionals and using technology to ease and enhance pharmaceutical services.

Among the activities you can look forward to includes the Patient Counselling Events and also the Clinical Skills Events where participants are able to hone their skills and exchange pointers among themselves.

Besides that, there is also a Public Health Campaign to promote health awareness among the public!

Don’t forget about Leader’s in Training where participants will get a chance to enhance their

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

leadership skills!

Certainly there is more to look forward than this! Join the cultural workshops to learn more about the interesting cultures in Malaysia or the Pharmazing Race which is bound to give you an adrenaline rush!

Remember to forge new friendships with participants from other countries as you go along this exciting journey.

If you want more, why not explore Malaysia and its beauty in the Post Symposium Tour!

The registration is currently in its 4th period at a lowered price of MYR 1670. Grab this opportunity and register your application now!!

For more information, please refer to the APPS 2014 webpage at apps2014-malaysia.org or their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/apps2014malaysia.

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60th IPSF World Congress Porto, Portugal

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ortugal, a land full of history, culture and arts offer various interesting places for anyone to enjoy.

This year, the 60th IPSF World Congress will be held at the University of Porto, Portugal. The Congress starts with Leaders in Training (LIT) from 26th to 31st July 2014, the main programme will be from 31st July to 10th August, and lastly to end the event would be the Post Congress Tour from 10th to 18th August.

Mark these dates because this is an opportunity not to be missed!

The main programme is divided into the general programme, the Educational and Scientific Symposia, the IPSF General Assembly, Patient counselling event, Compounding event, Clinical skills event and also a Public Health Campaign.

The Educational Symposium this year is about “Professional recognition of pharmacists through education” while the Scientific Symposium addresses “Translational Pharmaceutical Sciences: From the

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

bench to the patient bedside”.

These symposium will be presented by pharmacists whom are the top in their field which will provide pharmacy students with the latest studies in the field of pharmacy.

The IPSF General Assembly is considered the main decision making body of the IPSF where it will look into many issues such as regulations in IPSF and election of a new committee.

Next in the programme would be the Patient Counselling Event, Compounding event and also the Clinical Skills event which is an excellent platform for you to demonstrate your capabilities as a pharmacist student to the world. If participating in the competition does not interest you, it will also be a good learning experience!

For those who are looking forward to enjoy a short trip away from Malaysia, Porto offers

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many wonderful historical buildings such as the San Francisco Church and the Sao Bento Station, one of the most beautiful train stations in the world. There are many other places for you to explore! Besides that, Porto is also renowned for their wine and the Rabelo boats used to transport them. Thus, this World Congress is an event not to be missed!

If you do not manage to visit all these places, you can sign up for the Post Congress Tour! It comes in 2 options.The first would be a 7 day trip while the second option is for 2 days.You will be able to visit Lisbon and other important cities such as Guimar達es, Coimbra or Sintra. It would be a wonderful experience to travel with new friends from around the world!

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MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

Public Health Topic World Health Day Vector borne diseases

World Health Day 7th April 2014

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ach year, on the 7th of April, World Health Day is celebrated to mark the anniversary of the establishment of WHO (World Health Organisation) in 1948. A theme is selected yearly to highlight an area of healthcare which is of priority in global public health. This year the theme for World Health Day is “vector borne diseases”.

Vectors are responsible for transmitting a wide range of parasites and pathogens that causes many diseases. Some of the most common vectors are mosquitoes, sandflies, ticks and other bugs.

The diseases carried by these vectors are commonly found in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world and also places where availability of safe-drinking water and sanitation is limited.

Vector-borne diseases is estimated to account for 17% of the global burden of infectious diseases causing more than 1 million deaths annually. The deadliest of these diseases is malaria which caused almost

MyPSA Newsletter April 2014

660 000 deaths in 2010 alone.

According to the WHO, the world’s fastest growing vectorborne disease appears to be dengue with a 30-fold increase in incidence rates over the past 50 years.

Other vector borne diseases includes Chagas disease, chikungunya, Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever, Human African trypanosomiasis, leishmaniasis, lymphatic filariasis, lyme disease, onchocerciasis, schistosomiasis and yellow fever.

The important fact is many of these diseases are preventable through informed protective measures. Access to water and sanitation is an important factor in disease control where WHO has put an important emphasis.

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MyPSA Newsletter March 2014

1

Prevent mosquito-borne diseases Check empty containers and tyres for stagnant water every week.

The number of dengue cases has increased 30 times in the past 50 years

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