Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology

Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology (MSAI) has kept to its tradition of hosting an annual Allergy Congress and Exhibition, featuring international and local speakers; holding symposia, sessions for Family Physicians, co-joint symposiums with other societies, both local and around the region, public forums and poster and free paper presentations. GLORIA (Global Resource in Allergy) modules presentation has also been the highlight. As an established allergy society in the region, MSAI has been privileged to be the host for Emerging Societies meetings at some of these meetings. Due to these concerns, the Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology (MSAI), the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM) and the Malaysian Paediatric Association (MPA) embarked upon an initiative to formulate the Guidelines for the Prevention of Allergy The next milestone was most auspicious - on December 13, 1998, when the President of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Prof S. G. O. Johansson, officially launched the Society, at the Palace of the Golden Horses, Kuala Lumpur. In 2001, MSAI became a distinguished member of the World Allergy Organization (WAO) and has ever since presented numerous GLORIA modules in our annual congresses. In 2003, at the 4^th Malaysian Congress and Allergy and Immunology, Dr Allen Kaplan, the then, President of the World Allergy Organization, remarked that “Malaysia is among those with a well-developed organization which holds congress such as this, and we look to you as an example for others in the region” In our annual congress in 2006 and 2007, MSAI sponsored representatives from the Emerging Societies in this region to participate in a ‘Presentation by the Emerging Societies Members (ESM) in Allergy’. Sri Lanka, Mongolia and Pakistan, Cambodia and Vietnam participated. This year, MSAI will be hosting the 15^th Malaysian Congress of Allergy and Immunology. MSAI now has two websites (one for doctors and the other for the general public), releases its own newsletter, holds many Allergy Road Shows around the country, throughout the year and organizes Allergy Symposia, talks and Public Forums for the dissemination of Allergy in Malaysia.