MAY 2014 TWENTIETH EDITION 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE TITLE PAGE CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

1

INTRODUCING: NAEP

ASTHMA ACTION PLAN

2

FOCUS ON: LYNNE ZURNAMER

3

PATIENT EDUCATION: ASTHMA ACTION PLAN

4

ASTHMA DIARY AND MEDICATION DOSE

5

NEWSLETTER

TWENTIETH EDITION – MAY 2014

ALLSA REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN

ALLSA Report from the Chairman

My Dear Colleagues

In May we move from World Allergy Week to World Asthma Day. This

year WAD falls on Tuesday 6 May. Since Asthma is integral to the Allergy

World I am focusing this Newsletter on the topic of Asthma this month.

In these pages I am Introducing to you the National Asthma Education

Programme and Focusing on one of NAEP’s most important players,

Lynne Zurnamer. Lynne has served NAEP and ALLSA in so many ways, I

truly believe that we need to honor her here.

So let’s take a closer look at ‘ASTHMA’. This is the inflammatory

condition of the airways that results in airway hyper-responsiveness to

a number of trigger factors (including exercise, viral infections and

allergens). Once you have this condition your only option for a normal

life is the daily use of a controller medication (inhaled corticosteroid or

oral montelukast). That seems simple enough and yet we know that the

vast majority (over 90% in most studies) of asthmatics never attain a

normal quality of life. Why that is, has many explanations but for most

the reason is one of three scenarios; not using controller therapy

regularly, not being able to use inhalers correctly or untreated

co-morbid disease.

Can we try to address those concerns of our asthmatic patients this

month and with the help of NAEP try to get your asthmatics back into

perfect health? That is a health without night-time waking’s, exercise

limitation, missed days of school or work because of asthma attacks.

I wish you and your patients the best of Winters.

Enjoy again!

Robin J Green

MAY 2014 TWENTIETH EDITION 2

INTRODUCING: NAEP ASTHMA PROGRAMME

MAY 2014 TWENTIETH EDITION 3

FOCUS: LYNNE ZURNAMER

FOCUS ON:

SA FOOD ALLERGY GUIDELINE

Lynne Zurnamer, founder and owner of Oz Healthcare

Communications, has over the last 2 years managed the ALLSA

publicity campaign around World Allergy Week.

Lynne is a passionate patient advocate, occasional fundraiser and has

extensive pharmaceutical and healthcare marketing experience based

on her corporate career in the pharmaceutical and advertising

industry.

After qualifying as a nursing sister in 1982, Lynne’s pharmaceutical career started in 1984 and saw her gain experience as a Medical Representative at Allen and Hanbury’s (GSK), Sales Manager and Hospital Product Manager at Janssen-Cilag and Product Manager at Janssen, Lennon (Aspen), Sandoz (Novartis) and Roche. At Roche she was promoted to Group Product Manager and Business Unit Manager before starting OZ Healthcare Communications in 1995.

Lynne has 30 years’ experience in developing and implementing strategic healthcare communication programmes with a focus on product communication, media strategy, crises and issue management (direct-to-consumer) and patient education and for Non Profit Organisations. With expertise in a broad range of therapeutic categories, Lynne has developed and managed large-scale programmes for leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies.

She has a passion for non-profit work and philantrophy and has worked on a probono basis on a number of such projects over the years, including Kallie and Monique Strydom’s Matla a Bana – a campaign directed at raising awareness about Child Abuse and SMAC (SportsMen Against Crime). In 2009, Lynne ensured that the City of Cape Town bought into the International Diabetes Federation’s “Going Blue” campaign for World Diabetes Day when she ensured that Table Mountain was lit up in blue. Her probono services to the National Asthma Education Programme (NAEP) spans over 19 years and today she remains an active and passionate member of this organisation’s Exco. Lynne is the driving force behind publicising and raising awareness about little burn survivor, Pippie Kruger’s, plight and her miraculous and continuous road to recovery since her ground-breaking skin cloning procedure. She subsequently helped launched the best seller book “Pippie” written by Anice Kruger and Colleen Naudé, and remains committed to, and actively involved with little Pippie Kruger and continues her probono work as Pippie and Mom, Anice’s media spokesperson. In 2012, Lynne set up the New Endometriosis-SA and continues to work at raising awareness about this disease and supporting women who are affected by it. Her current probono work includes, amongst others, The Thabo Mbwale TB Foundation, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Men’s Health Group.

From May, Lynne returns to Radio Today to host her talk show, Medicine and You on Wednesday’s @ 10h00 where she discusses important healthcare issues with medical specialists, patients and patient support groups.

Thank you Lynne for your wonderful contribution to NAEP, ALLSA and Medicine in general. We cherish our relationship with you.

APRIL 2014 NINETEENTH EDITION 4

PATIENT EDUCATION:

Materials

MAY 2014 TWENTIETH EDITION 5

Materials

ASTHMA DIARY AND MEDICATION DOSE