June 2019
Argentina – National and regional patient’s meetings
In celebration of World Primary Immunodeficiency Week, the Argentine Association for the Aid of the Patient with Primary Immunodeficiency (AAPIDP) organised a national patient meeting at the Savoy Hotel in Buenos Aires on the 27th of April, hosting approximately 180 participants. The meeting started with a welcome session introducing AAPIDP’s board and greeting the participants. This was followed by a presentation from AAPIDP’s medical advisor Dr Matias Oleastro (Garrahan Hospital), in which he discussed “General care and current treatment for PIDs”.
Three medical talks ensued about physical (kinesiologist Adriana Lampropulos, Elizalde Hospital), odontological (Dr. Marcelo Fernández, Elizalde Hospital) and nutritional care (Lic. María José. López & Lic. Leticia Peralta, Posadas Hospital) for PID patients and their families. Parallel to this, attending teenagers had the opportunity to participate in a psychological workshop, coordinated by Lic. Florencia Ugo, while the youngest participants were instead introduced to art and make-up workshops, a variety of games and a magic show. The well attended meeting ended with the annual members’ assembly.
AAPIDP thanks IPOPI, Takeda, CSL Behring and UNC Hemoderivados for their support for this event.
On the 28th of April AAPIDP also organised two regional patient meetings for patients in the Cordoba and San Juan provinces. During a beautiful Sunday afternoon, the PID patients and families came together in Kempes and Bicentennial parks to enjoy the day outside and to celebrate the World Primary Immunodeficiency Week together. They took this great opportunity to raise awareness on PIDs in their respective communities and joined AAPIDP’s initiative to take part in a graphic campaign showing PID warning signs.
AADPIDP is grateful to the UNC Hemoderivados, to Dr. Julio Orellana, Favio Aguero Díaz and Evangelina Leon from Cordoba and to Dr. Alejandra Lampugnani and the Riveros family from San Juan. AADPIDP also wishes to extend a warm thank you to all the patients and families who participated in these events, adding their efforts to raising awareness on PIDs in Argentina.
