December 2008

The 4th Asia Western Pacific Region Conference will be held on the 22nd to 25th January in Mumbai, India and is being hosted by the Indian Association of Physiotherapists.  The theme for the conference is "Physiotherapy in Service of Global Health and Disease".  The AWP is a diverse region with member organisations from 23 countries and many different cultures.  The congress will help to bring greater understanding and increased co-operation amongst its members.

In light of the recent events in Mumbai, the AWP region would like to reassure any international delegates who are planning to attend that great attention has been paid to security.  The congress centre and recommended accommodation are situated several kilometres away from the sites where the terrorist attacks took place in November.  Please remember to contact the congress Secretariat to request a letter of invitation to accompany your visa application.  For further information please go to www.awpiap2009.com.

Thank you to all who have already sent us your photographs and expressed an interest in the competition.  For those of you who have not yet contacted us, do send us any images of phyiscal therapy which you feel may be appropriate - remember, they can be photographs you have taken in the past.  They do not have to have been taken specifically for the competition.

The closing date for entries is 20th January 2009, please email all images or direct any enquiries you may have to Mia Lockner at mlockner@wcpt.org.

WHO and UNICEF have just released the first World report on child injury prevention.  The report, developed with the support of nearly 200 injury prevention experts from around the world, is intended to draw attention to child unintentional injuries, a significant but long neglected public health and development concern.

Around 95% of child injuries occur in low- and middle-income countries. Children in poorer communities in all countries are at increased risk of injury as they are more likely to be exposed to hazardous environments and are less likely to benefit from prevention programmes.  In addition they often lack access to good quality trauma care and rehabilitation services.

To download a copy of the report please go to http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/child/injury/world_report/en/.

The WHO Department of Violence and Injury Prevention and Disability has also launched a new website highlighting what works to prevent violence.  Geared towards policy-makers and violence prevention researchers, practitioners and advocates, the website marks the first time that information on effective violence prevention programmes is available in a searchable web-based database.  Please see http://www.nwph.net/preventviolence/default.aspx .

If you have any items which may be suitable for the January issue of WCPT News, please email our Editor at news@wcpt.org.  Do remember, that we are always looking for contributions from our member organisations, regions and subgroups and that you only have to send us an outline of your proposal.  We are more than happy to carry out any necessary further research, conduct interviews etc.

Planning has begun for the second World Health Professions Conference on Regulation scheduled for February 2010.  More information will be available soon.