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ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy - February 2025 update

Since 2019 the Australasian Society for Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) has been working together with patient/carer organisations and other stakeholders to develop the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy at a national level for both Australia and New Zealand (the Strategy).  

The aim of the Strategy is to improve the health and wellbeing of people living with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) including primary immune deficiencies (PIDs) and minimise the burden on individuals, carers, health services and the community. 

In 2022 the Strategy was launched (virtually) to coincide with the International Day of Immunology (29 April) and World PID Week.

In 2023 an in-person implementation meeting was held in April,  where several priorities were identified.

In 2024 the following two Strategy priorities were achieved: 

ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy sponsorship opportunities

In 2025 ASCIA is seeking financial support to assist with further implementation of the Strategy to achieve most of the following ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy Goals over the next 3-5 years:

  1. Enable early diagnosis of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) by newborn screening

  2. Enable early diagnosis of other PID/IEI disorders through recognition of early warning signs of PID/IEI disorders, appropriate testing and treatment.

  3. Improve access to expert genetic diagnosis by using genomic and immune testing for patients with suspected or recently diagnosed PID/IEI disorders, or people with a family history of PID/IEI.

  4. Ensure equitable access to specialist and multi-disciplinary care for patients with PID/IEI disorders, including those living in regional, rural and remote areas.

  5. Ensure equitable access to treatments, that are appropriately supported and funded for patients with PID/IEI disorders.

  6. Increase support for PID/IEI education and training for patients, carers and health professionals.

  7. Increase support for multi-disciplinary clinical and laboratory PID/IEI research and collaborations.

  8. Ensure that the priorities of Indigenous Australian and Maori populations are represented in PID/IEI diagnosis, care and research.

What are the priorities for the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy?

As a result of the Strategy meeting in April 2023, a list of priorities was developed which are outlined below,

Priority 1) Clinical Care Standard which includes care by GPs and other health professionals. (Goals 2, 3, 4, 5, 8)

Action completed:

Priority 2) ASCIA Working Parties will develop genetic testing and newborn screening (NBS) information to facilitate clinical implementation. (Goals 1, 2, 3, 8)

ASCIA will further address issues for better access and funding of genetic testing and the implementation of the clinical aspects for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) newborn screening (NBS). Whilst SCID NBS laboratory testing is now available in all jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand, each region has differences which need to be considered in a consistent approach for SCID NBS and genetic testing.

Actions completed:

Further actions required:

  • ASCIA will provide a letter of support for an MSAC submission regarding genetic testing.
  • ASCIA will develop a new genetic testing guide for clinical immunology/allergy specialists.

Priority 3) Education Program for Transition from Paediatric to Adult Care and advocacy for resourcing of improved transition services based on the Clinical Care Standard (Goal 4, 6)

It has been recognised that there are many aspects of transitioning from paediatric to adult services that should be improved for complex patients with IEI and their families  Programs addressing education and support for patients, families and service providers and advocacy for funding of appropriate supportive multidisclinary resources utilising the ASCIA Clinical Care Standard will help address this.

Action completed:

  • The new ASCIA IEI Clinical Care Standard includes information about transitioning from paediatric to adult medical services. 

Further actions required:

  • Increased PID/IEI education and training resources developed for patients, carers and health professionals.

Priority 4) Advocacy, including discussions regarding Chronic Disease Strategy, patient/carer support organisations, health economics, barriers to access and Indigenous Australian/Maori involving clinicians and patients. (Goals 4, 5, 8). Advocacy will be central to many of our goals. The ASCIA Clinical Care Standard will be important, as will be collaborations with patient/carer support organisations and potential utilisation of the Chronic Disease Strategy.

Actions completed:

Priority 5) Research Initiatives, including an audit of access to testing/care and rejuvenation of ASCIA IEI Registry. (Goal 7)

An audit of access to testing and access to care was recommended, to better understand the inequities identified and the differences between access in public versus private heathcare systems.

Ways to rejuvenate the ASCIA IEI Registry are being considered, to optimise the entry of data, with recognition of the need for project officer support and the need to change from the existing waiver of consent to a formal consent process. An active ASCIA IEI Registry will allow documentation of numbers for advocacy and also allow expansion of research.

Actions completed:

  • Agreement by the ASCIA Board to develop a new ASCIA IEI Registry using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture), a secure web application for building and managing online databases. 

Further actions required:

  • ASCIA will develop a governance structure and draft data fields for a new ASCIA IEI Registry.
  • ASCIA will survey members regarding access to care/testing.
Why was the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy initiated?

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand was established to address the needs of patients and their families affected by immunodeficiency in a targeted collaborative way. The development of the Strategy was built on the experience from the successful implementation of the National Allergy Strategy.

The first ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy meeting was held on Friday 8 March 2019 and was attended by a wide range of stakeholders including clinicians, patient/carer organisations and researchers. Despite the disruptions of the COVID pandemic over the last three years, there has been significant progress in some of these areas, but there are still substantial issues that need to be addressed.

The ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand document was developed from 2019-2021 and launched in April 2022. The Strategy includes eight goals to address key issues, as listed below. 

For more information about the Strategy visit https://nationalimmunodeficiencystrategy.org.au/

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ASCIA Submissions - PBAC March 2025 Meeting

ASCIA advocates on behalf of ASCIA members to government and other organisations by lodging submissions which are listed on the ASCIA website www.allergy.org.au/ascia-submissions

ASCIA lodged five submissions on 23 January 2025 in support for the following applications which are relevant to clinical immunology/allergy specialists, to be considered at the March 2025 meeting of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC):

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New ASCIA Project Officer to progress Immunodeficiency Strategy

ASCIA is currently advertising for a new ASCIA Project Officer to focus on expanding ASCIA education, training and advocacy in the area of inborn errors of immunity (IEI), which include primary immunodeficiencies.

The key objective of this role will be to progress the implementation of the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand.

You can view and/or share the advertisement on SEEK

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ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis 2025 versions

Updated 2025 versions of red ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis and orange ASCIA First Aid Plans for Anaphylaxis are now available on the ASCIA website www.allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis/ascia-action-plan-for-anaphylaxis 

Minor updates have been made in response to recent changes regarding adrenaline (epinephrine) devices:

  • Anapen® 500 is listed on the general and Anapen® versions of red ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis and orange First Aid Plans for Anaphylaxis from 2025 onwards, as Anapen® 150 and Anapen® 300 are no longer available in Australia.
  • The word “device” has replaced “injector” to enable ASCIA resources to remain relevant* when other types of adrenaline devices become available in Australia and New Zealand. The green ASCIA Action Plan for Allergic Reactions and dark green ASCIA Action Plan for Drug (Medication) Allergy have also been updated with this change.

*This is most important for the orange ASCIA First Aid Plan for Anaphylaxis which is due to be translated (the last translations were made in 2017).

The updated 2025 plans have been included into the new ASCIA Anaphylaxis Training Refresher Video for schools, children’s education/care and community which takes less than 20 minutes to watch.

To ensure consistency, ASCIA anaphylaxis training courses have been updated with the changes listed above.

ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis are emergency response plans for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). 

Major updates were made in the 2023 versions, and only minor updates have been made to the 2025 versions:

pdfASCIA Action Plan Anaphylaxis 2025 What's New394.55 KB

pdfASCIA First Aid Plan Anaphylaxis 2025 What's New417.12 KB

Prior versions (2023) will still be valid for use in 2025. Information about what was updated in the 2023 plans is available at www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/info-updates/new-2023-versions-of-ascia-action-plans-for-anaphylaxis  

ASCIA Action Plans do not expire, and therefore the plan is still valid beyond the recommended review date, which is a guide for patients to see their doctor. They are medical documents that are completed (patient details can be typed into text fields at the top) and signed by the treating doctor or nurse practitioner.  

For more information about ASCIA Action Plans go to www.allergy.org.au/hp/anaphylaxis/action-plans-for-allergic-reactions-faq

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ASCIA Highlights

An ASCIA Report on Highlights 2023-2024 is on the ASCIA website https://www.allergy.org.au/about-ascia/highlights

As we welcome in the new year, it is timely to reflect on the ASCIA highlights over the past year. ASCIA members and supporters can feel proud to be part of ASCIA’s achievements, including:

  • A highly successful ASCIA 2024 Conference with more than 700 health professional delegates
  • More than 3 million annual pageviews (~250.000 per month) of the ASCIA website
  • More than 50 new ASCIA website resources developed and more than 100 resources updated
  • Reports based on feedback from more than 45,000 ASCIA e-training evaluation surveys, resulting in development of a new training video and updating of ASCIA anaphylaxis e-training courses.
  • Implementation of National Allergy Council projects, including support of new allergy education and training initiatives to upskill health professionals.
  • Implementation of the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy for Australia and New Zealand, with two major goals achieved.

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ASCIA Plans for FPIES, FPIAP/FPE and EoE

ASCIA has been providing Action, Management and Treatment plans since 2003, which are available open access on the ASCIA website. In addition to ASCIA Action Plans for Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions) ASCIA has Action and/or Management Plans for the following adverse reactions to foods:

  • Food Protein Induced Allergic Proctocolitis (FPIAP) and Food Protein Enterocolitis (FPE)
  • Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)
  • Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE)
Food Protein Induced Allergic Proctocolitis (FPIAP) and Food Protein Enterocolitis (FPE)

ASCIA Management Plan for Delayed Reactions to Food (FPIAP, FPE)

  • FPIAP is a delayed non-IgE mediated food allergy, associated with blood and mucus in stool, and diarrhoea in an otherwise thriving infant.
  • FPE is a delayed non-IgE mediated food allergy associated with diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, and sometimes faltering growth.
  • Unlike IgE mediated food allergy, FPIAP and FPE do not cause anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions), that can be life threatening.
Food Protein Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)

ASCIA Action Plan for FPIES 

  • FPIES is a delayed, non-IgE mediated gastrointestinal system (gut) food allergy.
  • FPIES causes allergic reactions to food/s that involves the gut and usually starts in the first two years of life.
  • Unlike IgE mediated food allergy, FPIES does not cause anaphylaxis (severe allergic reactions), that can be life threatening.
Eosinophilic Oesophagitis (EoE)

ASCIA Action Plan for EoE 

ASCIA Management Plan for EoE   

  • EoE occurs when white blood cells called eosinophils build up in the lining of the oesophagus, which is the muscular tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. This can be due to an allergic reaction to food or other causes in the environment.
  • Most cases of EoE are seen in people with other allergies such as allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and asthma.
  • The number of adults and children with EoE appears to be increasing but it is not known why.

More information about these conditions is available on the ASCIA website.

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ASCIA 2025 Conference Sponsorship Prospectus

ASCIA supporters are invited to participate as a sponsor in the ASCIA 2025 Conference, which will be held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from Tuesday 2nd to Friday 5th September 2025.

Please refer to the ASCIA 2025 Conference Sponsorship Prospectus for sponsorship options and the exhibition floorplan, which is available here

As of 12 December 2024, approximately 70% of exhibition stands and 75% of sponsored sessions have already been sold, so it is important to secure a place by early 2025, if you haven't already done so. 

The ASCIA 2024 Conference was a highly successful event, with record delegate numbers and feedback. In 2025 we will make some changes based on this feedback, to further improve delegate participation in the exhibition hall and sponsored sessions.

The ASCIA 2025 Conference will continue to provide an international standard of CPD for ASCIA members and other health professionals working in clinical immunology and allergy. It will also provide an opportunity for important in-person interactions.

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Global Collaborative Online Allergy Symposium  - 17 January 2025

The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI), are hosting the third Global Collaborative Online Allergy Symposium which takes place on Friday 17th January 2025 at 08:00 – 18:10 GMT and ASCIA members are invited to participate.

The Global Collaboration will be in partnership with the World Allergy Organisation (WAO), the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI),and The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and guest partner society Allergy Society of South Africa (ALLSA

Programme and Registration

Click here to view the 2025 programme, speakers and to register your place, and book by Monday 16th December to take advantage of the Early Bird discount.

The cutting-edge programme will focus on the clinical state-of-the-art and highlight recent guidelines and consensus papers. BSACI will present challenging clinical cases with sessions interspersed with two industry presentations. The ‘Ask the Presidents’ session will be a LIVE Q&A discussion with all the Presidents on the most important aspects in Allergy and Clinical Immunology, on a global scale.

EAACI complimentary one-year membership
Those who register for the symposium will be given a one-year complimentary EAACI membership (details of this offer will be sent to delegates after the symposium).  Please note, this offer is not applicable for those who are already EAACI members.

CME Points
This Global Symposium will earn you CME points! BSACI are in the process of applying to AAAAI who is accredited to provide AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). So, even more reason to sign up! 

This is a unique opportunity to join BSACI, WAO, AAAAI, EAACI, and ALLSA for this online global collaboration.

BSACI Symposium

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