Welcome to the 8th World Stroke Congress in Brasilia October 10 to 13, 2012. This is the first time that the World Stroke Congress is held in Latin America.
The scope of the World Stroke Congress is broader than other international stroke conferences: besides first class presentations on research findings, overviews of current state of the art, lectures of excellence, and teaching courses there will also be a strong focus on parts of the chain of care like primary prevention, organization of services and rehabilitation. Global issues will be much addressed including global burden of stroke, specific features of stroke in low to middle income countries and priority settings when resources are low. A substantial part of the program will focus on nursing and multidisciplinary networking. Another substantial part is directed to stroke support organizations.
The world regional differences need to be understood for the success of our mission to fight stroke worldwide. Stroke is increasingly recognized as a major threat to health and to development in large areas of Latin America and large scale programs have been set up in some countries. Latin America is highly diverse, and a key feature in large parts of the region is the socio-economic disparities that enforce a great challenge for actions against stroke.
History helps us understand people and societies. The Treaty of Tordesillas signed in 1494 divided the newly discovered lands in the New World between Spain and Portugal. The lands to the west of a meridian line would belong to Spain including most of the Americas, whereas those to the east settled to Portugal. After Brazil was discovered in 1500, much has changed in this part of the world. Today, Brazil is a Federal Republic and has borders with every country of the South America except for Chile and Ecuador and it is one of the largest multiethnic nations in the world due to a massive immigration with a population spread across a large territory, from the metropolitan areas to remote cities surrounded by extraordinary natural environments. From the well preserved historical colonial cities to the modern cosmopolitan areas, old and new come also together in Brazil. Brasilia was built according to the lines and curves of Oscar Niemeyer’s architecture and given to the Brazilians in 1960 to be not only the capital of the country but also to represent the future of this young nation.
This modern city will hold the World Stroke congress in 2012. We know that participants will expand their outlook and knowledge regarding stroke, not only on features that relate to their own practice but also in a larger and global perspective.
Join us at the World Stroke Congress 2012 in Brasilia, and join the World Stroke Organization to strengthen its work against stroke in all parts of the world.