Very successful 2012 edition of the 14th National Voice Campaign
For over ten years, April has been called “the month of the voice”, because it is the month, when the Brazilian Academy of Laryngology and Voice (ABLV – Academia Brasileira de Laringologia e Voz) and the Brazilian Association of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABORL-CCF – Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial) intensify their awareness efforts through the “National Voice Campaign”. The purpose of this initiative is to call the attention of the general public to the main measures as to how to care for the voice and prevent vocal disorders, such as laryngeal cancer, a disease that became focus of media attention when former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was diagnosed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), until 1999, the year the campaign was launched, laryngeal cancer made 15 thousand new victims every year in Brazil, and eight thousand of those cases used to be fatal. In 2012, the campaign focused on prevention and awareness of this disease, which, according to the National Cancer Institute (INCA – Instituto Nacional do Câncer), strikes 10 thousand people every year in Brazil. Approximately 40 thousand people are seen and receive advice during each of the campaign’s editions.
One of the high points in the history of the Voice Campaign is an ABVL achievement: thanks to partnerships with several international entities, in 2003, ABVL had the “World Voice Day” approved in conjunction with its official logo. The day is officially celebrated all around the world on April 16th.
An inflatable superstructure in shape of a giant larynx was the campaign’s main attraction. After several proposals were analyzed, the structure underwent a careful renovation and in 2012 was once again exhibited during the “14th National Voice Campaign”, which brought over 10 thousand people to the Ibirapuera Park, in São Paulo. The inflatable structure was also included in the first edition of the “Ways of Otolaryngology” campaign, organized by the Brazilian Association of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (ABORL-CCF – Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial), which visited several Brazilian cities this year.
“Our 2012 campaign was a huge success, because it reached thousands of people through its exhibits and media exposure, thus making our specialty better known. Our colleagues contributed immensely during the actions, and we gathered nationwide statistical data, which will be essential to Brazilian Otolaryngology, in the event we have to make requests to the Federal government. This all contributes towards improving the country’s health”, says Dr. Gustavo Korn, National Coordinator of the 14th National Voice Campaign.
During the “National Voice Week”, which took place from April 16th to 20th, 2012, 1,800 people were seen. Registered services from all over the country offered the population free vocal assessments, including laryngoscopic examinations. These results are being gathered and will be published shortly.
In a joint effort, the Brazilian Academy of Laryngology and Voice and the Brazilian Association of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery will continue working hard on their initiatives, moving ahead with their mission to make people aware, in an innovative and playful manner, of how important health care measures are.