1st Meeting of LATINAPSO - Latin American Psoriasis Network

2009/11/10 - News from patients associations

Psoriasis is a serious disease that deserves attention. Argentina hold the 1st Meeting of the Latin American Associations Network: LATINAPSO.

Motivated against the global ignorance of psoriasis in Latin America, the patient associations of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico and Venezuela have decided to come together in order to stregthen their fight for psoriasis patients’ rights.

Buenos Aires, September 30, 2009. The 1st Meeting of the Network of Latin American Psoriasis Associations took place from September 22-24 in Buenos Aires and concretised the birth of LATINAPSO, the Latin American Psoriasis Network.

The main objective of the meeting was to learn more about the situation of the Associations, as well as to share experiences and ideas on how to strengthen and favour the creation of new associations in the region, and to promote a joint work in favour of psoriasis patients of all Latin America.

Some goals are common to the different associations participating in the meeting:

• to improve the qualitiy of life of psoriatic patients and their families by fighting for patient rights
• the need to raise public awareness on psoriasis being a non-contagious disease
• to raise awareness among health authorities, whether medical or political, on:
  • the serious consequences on health due to the lack of appropriated treatments for this chronic and systemic disease
  • the need to work on a better access to treatments
  • the recognition of the psychological, social and economic impact of psoriasis
  • the need of a public policy action against the "merchants" that publicise in any media miraculous cures for the disease, preventing its medical treatment.

During the meeting some preliminary action lines were established, in order to boost and improve the practice of each association in its country. "We, the psoriasis patients of Latin America, feel now represented since we are united in a network, just as in other part of the world, which will allow us to fight for our rights at an international level and to develop more and more the local actions of each association", has comented Silvia Fernández Barrio, Executive Director of AEPSO (Argentine Psoriasis Association) and organiser of this 1st Meeting.

The associations aim that this Latin American Network will be the expression of the life of each association at the local level, and that the union of these associations through the establishment of a common scope will allow them to grow, to share their worries, their whishes and have a positive impact in people’s health.

About LATINAPSO

LATINAPSO is the Latin American Psoriasis Network gathering several psoriasis patient associations, which fight for a better quality of life for those who suffer from this disease. At present, the network’s member associations are:  Associação Brasiliense de Psoríase (ABRAPSE - Brasilia), Associação Cearense de Portadores de Psoríase (ACEPP - Fortaleza), Associação de Psoríase de Amazonas (APAM - Amazonas), Associação dos Amigos e Portadores de Psoríase do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PSORIERJ - Río de Janeiro), Associação de Apoio aos Portadores de Psoríase (AAPP - San Pablo), Associação Nacional dos Portadores de Psoríase (PSORISUL – Porto Alegre), Associação Baiana de Portadores de Psoríase (ABAPP), Fundación Colombiana de Psoriasis (FCP - Bogotá), Corporación Psoriasis Chile (Santiago de Chile), Psoriasis Puerto Rico (San Juan de Puerto Rico), Asociación Mexicana contra la Psoriasis (AMCPSO - Distrito Federal), Fundación Ecuatoriana de la Psoriasis (FEPSO - Quito), Fundación Psoriasis de Panamá (FPP - Ciudad de Panamá), Asociación Venezolana de Psoriasis (AVPSO - Caracas) y Asociación Civil para el Enfermo de Psoriasis (AEPSO - Buenos Aires, Mar del Plata, Tucumán, Santa Fe, Trenque Lauquen).

For further information, please visit www.latinapso.org