Over 100 delegates have gathered in the national capital from various parts of the world for a three-day international conference on child allergies that got underway on March 8.

The event is being organised by the Division of Pediatric Emergency, Critical Care, Pulmonology and Allergic Disorders at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH). "Over 30 faculty members and more than 100 delegates from across the globe participated in the event," the hospital said in a statement.

Union minister Harsh Vardhan released a book titled 'Allergy in a Nutshell' at the event and officially announced the start of a diploma in pediatric allergy and asthma (DPAA), a "first of its kind" diploma course in pediatric allergies, the statement said.

Vardhan highlighted about various allergic disorders in the country, and stressed on increasing training and educational activities at the national level to address the issue. Dr D S Rana, Chairman of Board of Management, SGRH, said the pediatric department was bringing up an important and key area into focus.

The programme will cover various types of allergy manifestations including asthma, rhinitis, skin and food allergies, human-environment interactions, newer diagnostic methods like skin test and impulse oscillometry as well as allergy treatment with immunotherapy, a spokesperson of the hospital said.

Anil Sachdev, consultant pediatric intensivist and pulmonologist, spoke about opening of Pediatric Allergy Pulmonology Laboratory at the hospital. "This laboratory has been inaugurated with the aim to efficiently manage patients with asthma and allergies and to achieve excellence in the field through innovations, training and research activities. New allergy testing and novel pulmonary function assessment tools are available in this facility," the statement said. Diploma in pediatric allergy and asthma, a distant learning course focusing on training of medical practitioners, is being started in collaboration with International Asthma Services, the US, the hospital said.